Write a satirical short story using postmodern traits.
To whomever may receive this letter:
I am leaving the black markets today, on December 25, 2182. I hope this letter finds you well, whoever you may be, and that what follows explains why I am leaving what has been my home for my entire life with nothing but the clothes on my back.
With the fear of overpopulation becoming ubiquitous, more and more nations have adopted the once-scorned One Child Policy that had been put into place in China in the late 1970s. When the human population surpassed the estimated carrying capacity in 2097, people began to recognize the effectiveness of China's One Child Policy and it became a legal standard internationally within the next decade.
Under this policy, each family is allowed only one child; if any other children are born, there are severe penalties for the parents involved. Some are sterilized. Some are given a life sentence in prison. Others are sent into exile in Antarctica where the unprecedented cold climate makes inhabitation nearly impossible.
But as with any legislation passed by the federal government, there are dissenters. These dissenters have created an underground black market of sorts for the children of the violators of the policy. Rather than subjecting their children to living a difficult life full of shame and misery in exile, parents often leave their children under the care of these dissenters in hopes that they can make a better future for themselves. There are stories of individuals, who once 18, have left the black markets and made made a name for themselves as important figures in our history.
So here I reside, Maia, the 16-year-old daughter of two individuals sent into exile, hoping to make a difference one day. My older brother, Jason, was also left at the same market soon after my birth, but he left as soon as he turned 18 to make a living for himself, leaving nothing but vague memories. He always resented me, saying I was the reason he couldn't grow up with a happy family.
And it's true. If I wasn't born, Jason would still be with our parents, happy without a single disturbance. But instead, we were dropped off here at the black market in New York on Christmas of 2166, the day I was born, and also the day Jason's spirit began to die.
Life in the black market is not ideal. With all remaining resources going out to support the vast population, black markets receive little to nothing, often resembling the Hoovervilles from the 1930s.
Growing up, alienated by my brother for separating him from our parents, I have become independent, spending each day on my own studying. Education is a rarity in the black markets, but luckily, the black market in New York City is one of the larger ones, and there are a few old books in what we call the library, although it has only 23 books, each of which I have read through multiple times. My favorite books to read are the three history textbooks that we have. I have been studying the history of our planet. The history of why we have regressed back into the past rather than progressing to the future.
I resent the structure of our society today. Those who pertain to the Open Door Policy refer to us as 'illegitimate children'. I yearn to be more than just an illegitimate child, scorned upon by the outside world. More than just an extra number contributing to our planet's overpopulation. This policy is tearing families apart; my own brother abandoned me, fueled by anger and resentment. I have nothing to remember my parents by other than their names. The black markets are what seems like centuries behind the outside world with medical, technological and scientific advances.
And so, that is why I am here today, writing this letter before I enter the outside world. There is nothing left for me in the black markets, so I am leaving in search of bigger and greater things. I hope that it will reach someone who can help the black markets, and end the One Child Policy. Or if this letter is found after the One Child Policy is over, I hope this helps to further your understanding of what this time was like, especially living in these black markets.
Now, I sign off. I am not sure about my plan once I leave, but I am determined to make a difference-even a small one.
Thank you and goodbye,
Maia Castellanos
