Fourteen and Counting

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

New York City: an ever-changing metropolis which changes everything in its boundaries as the time changes. Until 1789 New York City was the nation's capital. It was the Washington D.C. of the past. In the 1920's buildings like the ones seen today were springing up. They were metal-clad monsters; they were unlike anything ever seen before. They seemed to stretch so tall that they could reach the sky and the technology within was enough to impress the public.

The city began to grow into the concrete jungle that it is today. Well, what exactly is today? The world just recently changed their calendars into the year 2069. New York City is the same bustling hub of life that it always was. There are a few major differences. Central Park is no longer there. The city knows of no parks anymore. Everything is a building. There is no grass, no trees, no flowers. Concrete and metal form the basis of this city. The once blue expanse of sky is now a sickly grey color that looks unnatural even to those who have lived with it their whole lives. In the very center of the city there are large business buildings and overcrowded apartments. In the outskirts of the city, however, there are grey houses where families live. In one of these houses lives the Luton family.

The Luton family lived in a quaint home on lot 130993. The house was typical for the time. It had the plain, gray brick that matched all the houses around it. The expanse of land in front of the house was replaced with the same gray concrete that covered every inch of ground in the city. Grass was a thing of the past. There was a garage to the right of the house which contained the two cars that the Lutons used for their everyday transportation. Each family in this part of the city was issued one car for parent and would not be given another car until one of their children received their liscense.

The inside of the Luton household was also typical. The inside was all concrete just like every house and building in New York City. The windows were secured with metal bars just like all windows in the city. This was done for a safety precaution after the incident in 2041 when two-year old Tommy McIntyre was killed from falling out of a window. Rugs are all permitted in certain rooms in the house because people can slip on them or they can start fires.

Gray is the only color permitted in the city. This was enforced in 2022 after scientists discovered that colors could trigger a reaction in the mind that leads to rebellion. If colors allow a child to express themselves in such a radical way, they are likely to rebel. So the city was stripped of its color and replaced with gray and black tones that are present today. The grass was removed after the incident in 2019 when allergies to grass reached an all time high.

As every family in the city, the only food eaten is the pre-packaged, freeze-dried food distributed by the government. Grandparents often tell the children tales of the fruit and vegetables they ate in their time. This is no more since it is impossible to have fresh food when there are no plants. The television is the only form of entertainment for the youth today. There are, of course, the teleportation games created in 2050. These games are the height of entertainment. In the game, the child stands on a pad and places a helmet over their eyes. The helmet projects the game in front of their eyes so it is like the child is actually in the game. All books excluding school books were confiscated and burned years ago. Books can strike up rebellion in the children. The children of this city need to be kept under a strict regimen so they turn into the successful generation needed to run this country.

The main difference are the sleeping environments. In the past, people slept in open beds. Today the families sleep in what are known as pods. A pod is a cylindrical structure which sits on a metal platform. The platform is attached to the ceiling by four criss-crossed beams. The pod has a cover over it so that when a person lays in the pod and presses the button on the outside of the pod, the door shuts and leaves the person in total darkness. The pod is equipped with a government issued blanket and pillow which has been tested against allergies. Before bed, an alarm is set on the outside of the pod so the pod door pops open at that time.