Juliamovement

1

With the dustpan in her hand, Ilonka saw how a swarm of starlings flew above her head. The swarm grew larger and flew higher to become more visible so that it would attract the small clouds of starlings and they could join the large swarm. Sometimes growing larger would fail, the circle would be flown wider again and another attempt would be made. Seen against the setting sun, was a large group of dancing birds. But when one landed in front of your window, you could see its colours, especially when the sun shone on it. Its feathers were iridescence from glistering green to shining purple. Slowly the swarm of starlings grew larger and the sky blacker. Without any sign, or at least a noticeable sign to us humans, the whole flock plunged into the reeds. A deafening twittering rose up. The reed rippled under the weight of the little birds. The starlings knew what they were doing. This was not their first show, they had been swarming long before Shakespeare wrote his Henry IV and it was certainly not their last show.

Ilonka swept her pavement once more. She then took her broom to the garden. I have to sweep well in the midst of it, she thought to herself. Last time it had been too close to the garden edge and all it would take was a breath of fresh air to make it a mess again. And she did not like messes. Unfortunately, she did like flowers, so she didn't have much choice. The neighbour's gravel looked much more low-maintenance, and she had certainly considered adding concrete to her garden. But then she would miss her lavender and violets. She carefully stroked the lavender bush to release its scent. It was worth it, she thought as she swept up the fallen leaves with her dustpan and brush. Ilonka's street still looked like an art nouveau painting. Graceful lines in light yellow and soft green flowed into each other. The streets were neatly swept and, looking through the stained glass windows of the sunny houses, it seemed as if Margaret Macdonald had done the interior design herself. Most of the bookshelves had the book "Dr.h.c. Phil ten Ossel: The origins and success of the Juliamovement" on them. Some even went so far as to hang the placard framed on the wall. If you could see a deep black straight line, it was interspersed with an white rose, which you could swear you could smell. Like her neighbours' house, her house was shrouded in a sunny yellow. There was no need for Phil's book to be on her bookshelf, thought Ilonka hoarsely. The book about the guru that Phil projected to be. She did understand why the neighbours had been so charmed by Phil and the Juliamovement. However, the fact that the houses were still in their pasty-coloured state was a thorn in her side. She could not wait for the world to adjust to the new regime.

She had noticed them. Her neighbors,leaning back in the sunshine with their green teas. Or whatever they were drinking from those glasses. Of course, during the Juliamovement, the streets had been clean. It was safe to walk the streets, for everyone, at any time. Ilonka couldn't deny that it had worked for a while; letting everyone do what they were talented at. Ilonka could have read about it in the book, but she didn't want to spend her energy on reading something so snooty. Besides, it was already over, so why should she? She had heard enough about it to form an opinion. The children, who used to do so nicely what was expected of them, were "liberated." As if it were the children who should be liberated in this life. Children are adults with access to only the nicest things in life. No, Ilonka had heard enough about throwing off the restrictions that were supposedly imposed on children to know that the Juliamovement was a nonsensical movement that she wanted to stay away from.

Her neighbors thought differently. For them,it was a holiday from their normal routine. The years of the Juliamovement had been a period of ultimate happiness for them. They enjoyed the best food, because let's face it, had food ever tasted better than when it was made by the happiest people in the world? They enjoyed cooking 'Buckingham Bacon Badger', 'Umble pye' and 'Cock-a-leekie' Everything was available and always of the best quality. It was the neighbors of the neighbors, or their acquaintances, who realised that life had become too easy for some people. Their lives were quietly going on while they cheerfully got up in the morning and went fulfilled to bed in the evening. They did what they wanted, because that was the only written rule. The neighborhood expects more from everyone but what incentive do you have when everything is done for you, everything is made so easy? It made them idle and lazy. It was time for the people who always went the extra mile in this life, who always went the extra mile to push themselves. Every day they looked in the mirror and saw that they had a harder time than the average. That they had to work harder for less. It could not go on like this. Something had to happen, someone had to stand up and change that.