With January 20, 2017 being the day the new President of the United States of America is sworn into office I thought it would be a good idea to pull this six year old prose out of the closet. Six years ago my friends and I challenged each other with a writing prompt, we came up with ‘The American Dream’ as the prompt. At the time I was deeply engrossed in Stephen King’s The Dark Tower Series. Stephen King has been known to have a scary imagination but it’s great as that imagination helped create a wonderful beautifully frightening world in The Dark Tower Series. That world and some creatures in that world helped inspire the world I created in the prose below. I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading.

The American Dream

WAKE UP!

WAKE UP!

The sounding wall of advertisements
Smacks you in the face
The sudden urge to purchase the new “miracle” drug overwhelms you,
You’re the embodiment of American Health

Stumbling through the bathroom
You give yourself the once over in the mirror
You smile
(Twinkle; your gums sparkle through your sleepy eyes)

You bathe in the sink/bathtub of your 400 sq. ft. apartment
Overlooking the Nuclear State Park
One winged birds fly around in circles
As the sun, what’s left of it since The Draining Mechanic of 2158 rendered it almost obsolete, rises

You comb your strand of hair
Wax your gums
Eat your ration for the day
And kiss your wife and dog goodbye
(Every male is assigned a wife once he hits puberty and a dog once he becomes a man)

You teleport to your office (which is a city block away from your apartment)
Check in with your Pit Boss
Fill out your time card; in triplicate
And start your 12 hour day

Every 30 minutes an announcement is heard over the loud-speaker

Every 45 minutes a meeting is held to discuss productivity

Every hour a 2 minute break is allowed to check in with your Pit Boss

Every 2.5 hours you’re allowed to dispose of waste

Every 6 hours you’re allowed 15 minutes of relaxation in one of two forms; 1) Government propaganda or 2) Purchasing the newest invention that is guaranteed to make your life better, safer, happier and longer

Every 12 hours you’re allowed to go home with the next days ration

You teleport home
Look out the window at the glowing park
Pet your dog
Take your ‘miracle drug’
Make unemotional love to your wife
Kiss her goodnight

Then plug into your nightly Monkey program that discusses the health of the government

Giving you reassurance that no matter what you do it’s too late

You’re Fucked!