Bartleby

(Lawyer enters the stage with papers in his hands.)

Lawyer: “Bartleby! Come over here! We’ve got to go through these papers.”

Bartleby: (He doesn’t look up from what he’s doing.)

Lawyer: “Bartleby? I don’t have all day. We have to do this.”

Bartleby: Ttakes a deep breath) “I would prefer not to.”

Lawyer: (Taken back from what he just heard, he looks around to comprehend the situation.)

Bartleby: (Still doesn’t look up.)

Lawyer: We have to examine the papers.

Bartleby: I would prefer not to.

Lawyer: (Raises his eyebrows, still appalled at what he’s hearing. He walks up to Bartleby.) “What do you mean? Are you okay? We need to compare these pages. Here, take it!” (he tries to give the papers to him.)

Bartleby: “I would prefer not to.”

Lawyer: (Stares at him.)

Bartleby: (Stares back at Lawyer for a while but returns to do what he was doing before.)

Lawyer: (Still in shock, turns to others.) Nippers! Come with me. (They both leaves the stage.)

(Stage changes. It is another day. Lawyer enters the stage again, with more papers in his head.)

Lawyer: (Talking to himself.) We have to do this today. There is no way he will do that again. (He looks back and moves his head to signal someone to come.)

(Nippers, Turkey and Ginger Nut enters the stage.)

Lawyer: (Hands them each a paper, signals them to sit on their desks.) “Bartleby! Quick! I need help!”

Bartleby: (Looking unbothered.) “What do you need help with?”

Lawyer: (His face lifts up in hope.) “The copies! I need help with the copies! We will examine them!”

Bartleby: “I would prefer not to.” (He slowly goes behind the curtain.)

Lawyer: (Pretty stunted by what just happened- again! He looks around, the others were doing what they were told. Taking a deep breath, he walks towards the curtain but doesn’t leave the stage.) “Why on earth do you refuse?!”

Bartleby: (From the other side of the curtain.) “I would prefer not to.”

Lawyer: “B-But (he stutters) these are your own copies! You did this! You’re obliged to examine your own copies, are you not? Why are you not talking? Answer me!”

Bartleby: (Still behind the curtain.) “I prefer not to.” 

Lawyer: (Visibly getting angry, his other hand that is nor holding the paper forms into a fist.) “So, you decided to not cooperate with me, even though it is what you’re required to do.”

Bartleby: (Just hums as a respond.)

Lawyer: (Turns to his other clerks.) “Turkey, what do you say? Am I not right?”

Turkey: “Yes, you are undeniably right, Sir.”

Lawyer: “Nippers? What do you think?”

Nippers: (Smiles viciously.) “Do you want me to kick him out, Sir?”

Lawyer: (Shakes his head no.) “Ginger Nut. What do you think?”

Ginger Nut: “I think he’s gone mad, Sir.” (He grins.)

Lawyer: (Turns back to the curtain.) “You heard that? Now, come out and do your job!”

(Bartleby says nothing and doesn’t come out. Lawyer, defeated once again, he proceeds without him. The curtains close as Lawyer and the other clerks examining the copies. Stage ends.)

Turkish Coffee

It was the scent of the freshly ground coffee beans filling my nostrils in the Grand Bazaar that brought back so many memories of my childhood, or to be more precisely, of someone. Memories which I wished to forget, and also never forget at all. 

I remembered the time my grandmother and mother made Turkish coffee and they would tell the tales of our family while drinking it together. I was too young to drink coffee back then, as my grandmother would say. It wasn’t until I was in my late teens that my grandmother allowed me to drink with them, right after she taught me how to make it. After that, the coffee that I made was her favorite. She would especially call me over to her house so I can make it for her. 

Now that I’m sipping on a Turkish coffee at this café, all those memories rushed back into my mind. It was the times I would know about our family history, and because she was a very good storyteller, it was more enjoyable than the times my mother would read me fairytales. 

The more I let the scent in, the more I remembered her. The more I remember, the more I realized I forgot about her. How did her laugh sound like? How did her hands felt like when she was caressing my hair? The more I question it, the more I missed her. And missing someone that you would never see again, felt like a punch in my chest. 

Today marks the third year I didn’t get her call to wish me happy birthday. It’s been too long since I’ve heard her voice. And to think that there will be even more time that I’m without her than I was with her. I will grow old, I will have grandchildren of my own, I will be telling stories of our family to them as we drink Turkish coffee together. Just like how she taught me, I will teach them. And when the time comes, I will join her. 

Journey to Calyx-4

Journey to Calyx-4

We grow up learning about this planet that magically appeared in our Solar System that has the same conditions as Earth but better. I mean, looking at the current state of our planet, anywhere- even Mercury was better to live in than here. There were no forests left, everywhere we look we would see all the same gray big buildings. The seas and oceans that our ancestors swam in no longer existed the way they did before. It was all toxic; to the point even a touch of a fingertip would poison you immediately. The air pollution was the primary reason humans were dying and almost all the animals gone extinct. 

Calyx-4 when it first appeared and was confirmed to be safe for humans to live, the rich traveled there first. Leaving us growing up with stories how it was so green and blue, how clear the air was, how beautiful everything is. We weren’t sure if the stories were true, because there was no evidence that the news from the planet would travel to ours. Because why would the rich people want us peasants to even dream about travelling there and disturb their peace. 

So, it was pretty shocking when my father came home that day and told us we were going to travel to Calyx-4. We didn’t have much time to question it, as he was in some sort of a rush. 

“Are we running away?” I asked, not being able to hold my thoughts any longer.

“No. I won the tickets,” my father said but something bugged me in his response. I felt like he was lying. But as we were in a hurry, I couldn’t voice my concerns. 

We packed a few things and left the house as soon as possible, and was welcomed by a big van in front of the lawn. They didn’t seem very friendly but I brushed it aside. 

The journey to the Rocketship felt both exciting and anxiety inducing. It was like going into the unknown but also new opportunities. I was also pretty scared because we were going to be put in Cryos, because even with all the technology we have now, the travel from Earth to Calyx-4 took about four years- hence the name Calyx-4. 

As we were about to arrive at the Rocketship, the air felt a lot heavier than usual. Something was wrong but I could not put my finger on it. I looked at my father to see what was going on and all I could see on his face was a terrified expression. Before I could ask, the van door swung open and we were escorted out by soldiers. 

This place looked nothing like the way it was talked about. The eerie feeling shook my whole body up. Hearing a click sound, I looked behind me and the last thing I saw was my father being handcuffed before my eyes were covered. 

“You are being sent to Calyx-4 as prisoners for the crime Mr. Ackley has committed.” 

To a Better Place

She got into the car with a massive burden on her shoulders, the papers of the results the doctor gave her felt heavier than they were. She looked over to her left, towards her husband who had his head on the wheel.

“Don’t be like this.”

“How can I not?” 

She took a deep, shaky breath. “We knew this was going to happen. We were prepared.”

“No amount of preparation can make this situation any lighter, Daphne.” 

“Of course. But we need to be strong, especially when we tell Luna.”

“I can’t.”

“I will, Fred. Don’t worry.”

They drove back home in silent. So silent, it actually made her feel irrigated. But she was going to hold it. After all, she did not have much time left…

The illness was taking a lot of energy from her, the simple car ride to the clinic and back made her feel like a sack of soil. But seeing her daughter waiting for her on the window, gave her a reason to stay strong.

She placed a smile on her face, hoping it would be convincing enough to show her daughter that she was not in pain. 

“Mama!” she cheered as they walked into the house. 

“Mama needs to use the bathroom honey,” Fred said. “Come to papa.”

Daphne closed her eyes briefly, thanking him silently. She quickly washed up all the hospital smell out of her and dressed up comfortably in her pajamas. She looked at her result papers once more before shoving them inside the drawers. It was time to tell her. How was that going to be possible, she didn’t know. Daphne slowly walked towards the living room.

She took a deep breath before she sat down and patted on the sofa to call her daughter to sit beside her. Luna smiled brightly and wobbled towards the sofa and sat beside her mother. Finding the last bit of strength Daphne has in herself, she took her daughter into her arms and with a sorrowful tone, she began to speak.

“Sweetheart, mama needs to tell you something.”

“What is it mama?”

This is going to be hard, she thought. But she needs to do this. She took another shaky deep breath. “I need to go somewhere really soon.”

“Where? Can I come too?” Luna asked innocently.

She smiled bitterly. “No, not yet dear. I need to go alone.”

“But where?”

“Remember Sage? Our kitty cat?”

Luna nodded her head. “Yes. You told me she went to a better place.”

“Well, now I need to go there too.”

“I miss Sage,” she pouted. “Can I not come with you?”

“No, not yet my dear. You’re still so young for that.”

“You’re young too.”

Daphne could not hold her tears anymore. She looked up to see her already crying husband Fred. Luna, following her mother’s gaze, she saw her father crying and turned to look at her mother crying as well. Not understanding what was going on, her bottom lip quivered and her eyes started to fill with tears. 

“What is it?” she asked again. 

Fred stood up from where he was sitting, took Luna in his arms. He could not handle it anymore. “Mama is going to Heaven. Because she is sick.”

“What?” she looked at Daphne. “Mama?”

Glaring at Fred, as soon as she heard her daughter calling her, her face warmed up. She forced a smile, extending her arms to hold her. Fred sniffed before handing Luna to her Daphne. 

“Asshole,” she whispered into his ear as she was helping her sit on her lap. 

“Mama, is papa right? You’re going to Heaven?”

“I’m really sorry, Luna. Yes, mama is going to Heaven. I mean, hopefully.”

Luna pouted, rather cutely in Daphne’s eyes, and sniffed. “All mamas go to Heaven.”

No Colors

  She didn’t have many memories about her mother; Luna was only a few years old when she died from cancer. Growing up without her, she missed her a lot. But being in the circumstances of the recent times, she was glad her mother passed away before life became hell. 

Her father Fred, on the other hand, was not so lucky as he met his untimely death when the said hell break loose. After that, it all went downhill rather quickly, she didn’t really have time to process everything. 

Everyone she ever knew, she lost it to the disease. The disease that took almost half the population of the entire world. And somehow, she was immune to it. Not even Luna knew why and she swore to never find out. 

She knew the consequences. She knew once the government knew about her immunity, she would be taken to never return. At least, alive. Just like Claire, her friend from high school. She was taken by the government, with the hopes to find a cure for the rest of the world. Luna would never forget that morning when her lifeless body was thrown to the door of her house, like she was a sack of dirt. Luna was thankful that her body was still intact, unlike the stories that they heard about the studies to find a cure. 

A boy was torn limb by limb by the scientists, and in the end, his body was delivered to his family in packages. 

Growing up with these stories about the disease and the searches that was done to find a cure, she had no choice but hide. Hide until the day she naturally dies…

It was a regular day, like any other one but deep down she knew something was going to happen. Was it anxiety or did she suddenly gain powers to foresee the future, she didn’t know. She got up, did her make-up to look like a person with the sickness and put on a mask; her disguise was complete. Now the Force would not question her on the way to school.

She walked down the gray streets that were stripped off all the colors that was there before the disease. Everyone was feeling the great sadness of losing their loved ones, colors that would remind them would bring even more sadness, apparently. Or that’s what the government told the people when they paint the grays over the rainbows. 

When she arrived at her school, she felt even more hopeless that she was before. Everywhere she looked, everyone was wearing black. It was a dress-code, that was another thing that was pushed down by the government. No colors allowed in this dystopia, she thought to herself. No color at all…

A Rose in a Dead Meadow

It all starts with once upon a time, just like how this town was described to the younger generations. 

Once upon a time, there were lush forests that covered half of the town. Once upon a time, there was a big lake near the woods where the carnivals took place. 

All in the past tense, because all was destroyed a decade before they were born. Now those places only remained in the memories of the elders of the town. It could only be seen that in the black and white photos and they could only imagine the colors; the greens of the forest, the blues of the lake and the bright yellows of the sun. 

It was all gray now. Big buildings that replaced the trees, a ginormous shopping mall replaced the lake. Everywhere were same, everyone looked the same. There were no colors left in life, only the fake pigments that were imposed on them.

In all the monotonousness, she shined like a rainbow. The way she talked, the way she sounded was like a melody from a beautiful song. Her mannerisms, her style was so different that she stand out in a crowd. She was the pigment of color, a real one, in the middle of a melancholy. A new hope…