Children's Control

20-06-2030

When I wake up, I quickly notice footsteps coming closer. Alice comes in and takes me to the dining room. She only gives me a single slice of bread. I try to go to the kitchen, but Alice pulls me right into my seat. It seems like Alice has become a little more friendly to me, for some reason. I ask her why, and she tells me it isn't great to have an adult pass away from any treatment at all. She then takes me to the kitchen, and forces me to clean off the entire counter-top. It seems small but when I walk through, I realize how big it is.

Meanwhile, Alice follows me wherever I go, which really creates a lot of tension in my brain. This leads to me being unable to work. Alice thus often beats me up. I can feel all the pain I have to go through for these children. When I have a look at the other side, I see Izzy approaching me for a hug. Alice quickly runs to her and slaps her at her cheek. She ten comes to me and yells at me that love will come later. She then takes me to the front control centre. There, I have to find the shortest way from the FTL track to Earth, together with Alice.

When I have a look at all screens around me, I only see FTL tracks. But Alice tells me with a push of a button, I can also see the stars and planets coming across us when the spacecraft leaves the FTL track. That only happens just seconds after that. The speed goes down to 2C, and I have a good look at where planet Earth is. I can't see it, so I have to press another button, which turns on the distance meter. It peaks out for a long time, seemingly hours on end. Eventually, it comes down, but still at a very high level. I try to slow down the spacecraft, but it takes too much strength to control the throttle.

Eventually, the speed does begin to slow down drastically. That seems like an automatic reaction to the decreasing distance to Earth. I quickly go back to my sleeping position, where I quickly notice tan octopod back on top of the disc with eggs, which was left in the bucket earlier. I have a look at them all, and it seems like some of them are larger than the others. I think this disc contains some eggs that are laid at a different time than others. Alice forces me to take the disc out and place it in the terrarium. She tells this is so the eggs can hatch. But I really think this terrarium is too small for so many octopods.

Then, Alice tells me the spacecraft is approaching planet Earth. I immediately go to my sleeping position, to find the entire terrarium is gone! Alice comes in and tells me it's simply too small. She tells me the octopods will get a much larger terrarium on planet Earth. Meanwhile, the disc of eggs is still there, in a dry bucket. I see another egg hatching. I take the disc to Alice, who then takes it somewhere else. But I still keep myself in the sleeping position, as the spacecraft seems to go closer to Earth. I eventually  see all windows losing out of nowhere.

Just minutes later, I feel the spacecraft touching down. It rides straight to the launching pad, where I was let in. Alice forces me to check if every box is unopened inside the spacecraft. Once everything is all right, the door opens up. Alice then forces me to take out all the boxes, as well as the barrels of fuel. The door for the fuel barrels only opens if I press a special button inside the front control centre. Then, I have to walk back to the barrel room and take the barrels out, onto the launchpad. Once that's done, Alice takes me down on the ground, and forces all adults, including myself, to help with the dismantling of the launchpad.

I see a new railroad built very close to an also new runway. Alice tells me the new runway will replace the launchpad. Exactly at that time, a train arrives. Alice puts me in a waiting room. I try to escape through a small hole, but Alice catches me right on the other side. Eventually, the door opens and I try to get out again. Alice takes me into a chattel car, along with so many other adults, it feels very crammed inside. It almost feels like a very strong heat source right against my body. My skin seems to burn away very slowly, during a long journey back home.

Eventually, I come back in my prison. Alice takes me to a small room, with only a single table. I'm forced to sit on the table, while Alice stands right next to my right leg, asking questions to me. Often, I don't know what she says, in which case she whips me on my legs. She also does that when I give an answer Alice doesn't want to hear. I never had such an interrogation during my entire life, except once by Ben, when I was still at home with my children. Alice erases some parts of my memory, so I don't know where this is all about. She then takes me to my cell, where I go to bed and fall asleep.