An Everlasting Memory

Truly Free

They were at court. Morrone was shoved on the ground. The courtroom was hushed. And those noisy heels came in. The click-clacks of the heels touching the cold ground caused a large echo and broke the silence. Sophia walked up into the stairs and mounted herself beside the judge. Morrone swore that she could hear the slightest of laughter as Sophia smiled her intimidating grin. A feeling of disgust suddenly hit Morrone. She clutched her stomach and felt nauseous. How can a human be so gross, so ruthless, so heartless? How can she be so relentless but, at the same time, be so well-respected? The judge saved Morrone from throwing up by saying, "Now, we shall start." Morrone recovered but couldn't help notice that Sophia kept eyeballing her. "Those eyes, they're so...cold, yet, they burn me when they glance onto me," Morrone thought. The judge spoke, "Defendant, what crime do you admit you have committed?" Morrone, seemingly gaining control over her body again, chuckled to herself. Wasn't it obvious already? "What can I say? I don't believe I did anything wrong. I'm just trying to teach you ruthless beasts a lesson." The judge sighed, and continued, "What do you believe is right?" Morrone began her speech that she had prepared just for this special occasion. She felt a surge of confidence and began."Well, I believe it's time to take a look at ourselves, take a good, clear look. We changed so much in the last decades. And not in a good way. The rule, the rule that tells us not to own photos and threatens our lives, is absurd. It has caused us so much trouble, so much destruction, and many people have died protecting their possessions. It makes absolutely no sense at all." The judge tried to speak, but Morrone wouldn't listen. She continued ranting, "If people have bad memories, others should come and comfort them. Burning those photos won't help anyone. It'll just cause the person to have even more emotional problems. And what about happy memories? What about those? People keep photos for a reason. They want to recall when they had the best time in their life. Honestly, if our ancestors are looking at us right now, pray they do not, they would think of us not as humans, but as HEARTLESS STINKING MONSTERS THAT WILL NEVER CHANGE!" Morrone spoke, trembling with both sadness and fear as she remembered what happened to her family. Morrone knew that as long as she had the photo, she would strike again...someday. And it will cause chaos, destruction, but most of all, thought. People would think. People would think of all the cruel things they've done and how many houses they burned down and how many people they captured just because of a photo or album. They would realize how stupid they have become and how terribly wrong they've gone. Morrone took out her photo and looked deeply into the her smiling family. "Dad, Mom, Darth, I'll do this for you. This is the justice you ever wanted. I will do it, I'll do what is right."

Morrone eyed the judge's wrinkly face in a firm way, and was shocked to see what she saw. He was crying? Her speech had obviously moved his heart, if he had one. "That...is true. People must care about others in order for us to be called humans." He sniffled, and continued, "This girl has a tremendous voice, speaking out for all you citizens. The law is no more. It has obviously destroyed you. It has turned you into machines that only burn, destroy, and kill." He gestured to the crowd of firefighters standing on the side. "Now wait a moment, if you please!" said a sharp voice. Sophia. "This isn't right! You didn't ask us of our opinions and-" "I need not to" the judge interrupted. "For you are not human. We don't need to heed a beast." Slow applause began, and soon became loud. For once, Sophia stared in awe. She stammered and seemed like she was about to speak but couldn't because of the loudness of the applause. "What?" Morrone thought to herself. "He agreed? I just changed from a dead man to a...hero?" The judge silenced the crowd with his gruff voice, saying, "But...you are wrong about one thing." Morrone felt hope slip out of her grasp. "People can change from bad to good. They can come out of the darkness and into the light. I believe I changed just because of your speech just then. But please, young girl, join me for a walk. I want to discuss some things with you." The crowd separated as the judge and Morrone walked hand in hand. The old man led the way and Morrone followed. The road was familiar. It seemed as if she had been there before, long time ago. Then she saw her family's house, the house where she grew up, the house where Dad took out his camera and snapped the picture, the house full of her memories. "I had a hard life. Would you like to hear about it?" "Yes." And Morrone and the judge walked down the street.