Several Short Storiesss

Revolution

Life as a bacteria had never been this complicated in the past, thought Edolyn Cramer. She sat in the branches of the broccoli tree that had come from one of the packages the humans bought each week.

Her ancestors and many siblings knew this to be true. Back in their days, all they had to do was simply exist, and they would find the perfect place to grow and multiply. But now the humans were getting violent. She heard the murderous speech expressed by their meal chutes. She remembered her friend from elementary school, Ryna Stol, who had been screamed at by a human child while she was at her large, spongy flatland. The larger one came, summoned by the cries of her young, saw Ryna and all of her siblings, and cursed them to oblivion. Ryna was transfixed. Edolyn had told her to move, had begged her to move, but Ryna stayed with her family and said that this was her home, and she would stay with her people.

Edolyn could only stare as the larger human snatched up Ryna's flatland and stuffed it in a solid, oxygenless, plastic cave. Ryna needed oxygen to survive, but the human had put her there without a second thought. All Edolyn could do was watch.

"Filthy mold!" the giant human had said, turning from Edolyn and her family. "Icky germs!" the human child agreed. How dare the humans! Germs were not icky, they were wonderful people. And Ryna's name was Ryna, not 'Mold'! The humans had all sorts of weird names for the bacteria who lived with them. To the hairless monkeys, Edolyn was referred to as E. Coli.

Whatever they were called, they were alive, too. The bacteria of her town didn't deserve to be disrespected.

Edolyn wiped her eyes as she thought about that again. It was horrible to think of her childhood best friend, but it steeled her resolve once more. Tonight was the night.

Every bacteria, virus, and prokaryote's life was made useful on this day. Some did it for fun, others, for honor, and still others for the same reason as Edolyn: revenge. Tonight she was old enough. Edolyn was going to be eaten.

It was a known fact that the humans she was stuck with, the Maisels, loved to eat broccoli. They ate it every Wednesday and enjoyed eating it immensely. That's why others clambered and climbed the broccoli trees tonight. Sermon Crowdis and Reed Shiner had crouched on pre-made bread rolls, made of similar materials from Ryna's old flat. Symonna Ethers sat on the uncooked chicken breast that the Maisels also liked to eat with their green branched vegetables, and Barry Susmore, with his eight-thousand four-hundred and thirty-seven siblings, quietly gossiped about the havoc that Lisa Montello planned on causing on top of the mashed potatoes. Overall, there were millions of bacteria standing beside Edolyn on this forward march. She was ready. They were ready. Even the hungry beasts outside were ready. They had no idea what was on their plates.

The Mother opened the fridge, and she opened her meal chute to speak, "Oh Dani, thank you so much for setting the table!"

"Not at all Mrs. Maisel!" The sounds echoed outside of the fridge, and Edolyn stiffened, agitated. The lifeforms around her quieted. They looked at the Mother with solemn stares. Each and everyone of them wanted to be the cell to bring her down, to defeat the center of Maisel home. However, everyone also knew of her formidable Killer T-Cells who destroyed even the best of them in silent fell swoops. Whoever got on her plate usually ran away, because the bacteria that went in never came out.

Edolyn wanted vengeance, but the Mother was not an option.

The beast lifted the chicken breast from the fridge and went to purge it in the Heat Room. Silently, Edolyn said her prayers for Symonna and the rest of the bacteria on the chicken. The Heat Room was a wicked place, and Edolyn had only heard rumors of it. Supposedly, it started out as at a cool enough temperature, but the wire-fire slowly heated it up until it was impossible for any germ in it to stay alive. The bacteria on the chicken only had one hope: to burrow themselves deep within the meaty folds of the bird until the poultry was cool enough for escape on the surface. They'd have to time it exceptionally right as well, for if they stayed deep within the chicken for too long, they would become 'leftovers'. The Maisels hardly ever finished their chicken to the bone.