SHORT STORIES: Dear Citizens

Short Stories (2)

Dear Citizens,

On Sunday, October 31, 2147, we lost one of our nation’s greatest. Professor Sternwich gave the following speech at the opening ceremony for the Greene Centre for Literature:

“I don’t know if you realize this, but in past times, writers were not appreciated for their contribution to society. Some got their share of fame, but others, most, in fact, were restricted to the corner of their room, if they even had one, sitting at a desk with whatever writing material they could scrap together, be it quill and parchment, pen and paper, a typewriter, or a computer. Even when certain artists were late to the respective styles of their generation, each of them contributed to the evolution of said style. It is of utmost importance that we do not start to take our writers for granted. If we take our writers for granted, we throw away all the hard work previous generations have done.

“Where would we be today without writers? Let me tell you. I would not be able to stand here and hold this speech. I would not be allowed to speak about politics, let alone be in the same room as some of you. An age without writers is an age without progress. An age without writers is an age of utter and total control. An age without writers is an age without open thought.

“On this day, six hundred and thirty years ago, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of a church. He protested against the injustices of the false teachings and practice of the church of his day and age.

“Almost one-hundred and fifty years later, the age of enlightenment was at hand. Spearheaded by writers, society began to move away from the close-minded default state and started to think for themselves.

“Fifty years after the end of this age, Darwin published his theory of evolution, arguably one of the most valuable foundations of modern understanding, which has changed even more in the last ten years.

“In the twentieth century, we had the war to end all wars, the first Great War. The people wanted a war, the politicians definitely wanted a war, but no one could foresee exactly how terrible it would become. Only thirty years after it ended, the second Great War started. The work of countless writers was burned, blasphemed, and many writers, especially in the middle of Europe, fled to the Americas.

“It is important to never forget the significance of writers. We have seen that the more respected writers and the written word are in an age, the more peaceful society was.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a four-verse love poem with the most basic of rhymes from a 21st century student to his beloved, the unfinished epic drama of a renowned German writer, or a Greek tragedy. No matter how insignificant it seems, every word moves us forward. No matter if the hand that wrote it belongs to an amateur or a professional, an adult or a child, a man or a woman, a purist or an adventurer, an archivist or an inventor, someone dead or alive. Every word moves us forward. No matter if it was released and praised, lost and forgotten, or belittled and disgraced. Every word moves us forward.

“Thank you.”

Just moments after her final words, the Greene Centre was bombed. Dozens of civilians were killed and hundreds more hurt as families were separated and our human rights were violated. These attackers did not care for literature, they did not care for love and most importantly, they did not care for life. Professor Sternwich’s speech was one of peace and cooperation. Her last words will echo amongst the graves of the fallen as we rally against this threat that is not unknown to us.

My beliefs used to be those of a pacifist. I trusted the heart of man to be amendable by words. I thought I knew that we as a species are fundamentally good. That we do not stoop to violence even if threatened, instead trying to defuse the situation. My beliefs have been proven wrong.

This centre of peace and community should have been the first of many. Millions of children would have profited, our future brighter than ever before. We were standing before a new golden age.

We cannot let these fear mongers destroy all that is sacred to us. We cannot sit back and deny the truth. We are under attack. This is no more the time for diplomatic discussions. They have declared war against us and if we do not want to be obliterated by these barbarians, we must show that we will not stand down. We have values, we have families and we have society. They are purely a congregation of those who wish to kill. They are beasts. Beasts that threaten to devour us.

It is time for us to fight back against those who would dare to beat us.

Yours Faithfully
Samuel Gellert Hentmill
Hentmill & Sorbens Foundation

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