On the morning of February 9, 2003, I was dreaming a dream that would have a tremendous impact on my life.

I believe it was that dream that was one of the catalysts which caused me to decide to take up writing.

The dream took place in the Greater New Orleans area and it appeared to be some time in the dystopian future.

I think I can credit that dream to two factors:

1. I had frequented the New Orleans area more than usual.
2. The high school I was attending assigned a great deal of dystopian fiction for us to read. (Not complaining at all.)

I had just made sixteen at the time and in the dream, I was with an uknown teenaged girl, who had become my lover.

We were trying to run away, likely to get out of this dystopian civilization and be more free.

However, drugs were planted on us (and the penalty for drug posession was death and apparently without due process.)

We were subsequently arrested and held in seperate cells, awaiting execution.

I was miraculously able to summon superhuman strength and broke the handcuffs off of me and off of my lover.

The building then collapsed and we escaped.

I borrowed a line from the song, “The Space Between” by Dave Matthews and told my lover, “take my hand, cause we’re walking out of here!”

A female cop then performs our wedding on a street corner, then we begin walking out of the city.

Suddenly my lover collapses in my arms.

She is dead.

I am able to get in contact with her family.

They come in a Blue, single cab 2001 Chevrolet Silverado and lay her body in the bed of it.

I ride with her but end up taking my life and waking up.

Over eight years later, I had the idea to turn this dream into a story, which this piece will be a synopsis thereof.

The story begins on a Monday Morning with eighteen year old Josiah Adler, playing on the school library computers before class begins. He is playing video games until the librarian demands that he do something more productive. He notices another student, eighteen year old Kaela Blum, who suggests that they read together. They are also mutually crushing on each other. She presents to him the works of a blogger who was a New Orleans resident prior to the Second Civil War. To avoid military service, he fled the city and wound up on the West Coast. His blog is targeted to the citizens of Nazi Orleans (which is one of the fragmented American City-States that were formed at the conclusion of the Second Civil War) and consists of current Orleans Parish and Jefferson Parish between the Mississippi River and Lake Ponchitrain. As its name suggests, it is controlled by a Neo Nazi styled government. This blogger consistently condemns the practices of this new government and writes about bygone times. As they read the bloggers work, Josiah asks Kaela to imagine if they lived in those bygone times and fell in love. Kaela replied she could but also she could even see it happening in the present, to which she subsequently kisses him. They decide to meet together again at lunch time. The morning bell rings and they share a hug.

Josiah’s first class is communications and it teaches how industrial workers communicate on a system known as Tuff Talk, civillians use Pocket Packet and Screen Link, and government workers use Tac Talk. The teachers gave the details but Josiah was more interested in what he and Kaela would do at lunch. Then there was math, then science and then citizenship class and the lesson of the day was obeying the NOPD blindly. It went on to teach how marriages are arranged by a supercomputer known as the LoveMatc1933. Josiah became depressed because he knew that he couldn’t marry Kaela because of this. The next class was English, which he and Kaela had together. They got in trouble for talking and were forced to reenact the first kiss scene from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and share a kiss at the conclusion. The whole class applauds, but the teacher pops them in the mouth, then lectures the class that falling in love is detrimental to society. Kaela rebuffs, commenting that love is wonderful and should be expressed by everyone. The teacher threatens Kaela that she will call the S. R. O. on her if she questions her or the City doctrines again. Part of that scene was inspired by The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer, I won’t lie.

Then comes the lunch period and Kaela and Josiah find a secluded area of the campus to spend the period. Kaela cradles Josiah’s head in her lap and they begin to talk.

She asks Josiah where he works during the weekends, to which he replies that he pushes shopping carts for a grocer on Stealth Bomber Highway. She points out that the grocer used to be known as Schwegmann’s and Stealth Bomber Highway was formerly known as Airline Highway. She goes on to explain how she works as a kitchen aid at a teaching hospital and that in bygone times anyone could get medical attention regardless of ability to pay.

He then tells her what he learned about the supercomputer in citizenship class and how he has feelings for her.

She tells him that she feels the same way and that since they feel that way they can defect from the city and other refugees will come to their assistance.

She goes on to say how there is a railroad interlocking tower across the river and out of the city’s jurisdiction where they can stay until a refugee train takes them to the West Coast.

Josiah expresses his opinion about being caught to which Kaela replies it is better to die in freedom than to live in oppression.

She eventually convinces him to run away with her, to which they begin to make plans.

The bell rang and the rest of the day dragged on.

When the bell rang, Josiah asked Kaela if he could walk her home and meet her family.

She happily agrees and goes on to say that her parents and sister are also followers of the blogger.

They walk to her home.

Kaela’s older sister Casey greets them and briefly grills Josiah, but then realizes that he is of pure intentions, then explains that she has to go to work.

Kaela asks her to drive them across the river on Saturday night, so they can do whatever they please.

Casey grills Josiah further, but agrees to bring them.

Kaela’s parents Mark and Katherine Blum soon arrive home and she introduces them to Josiah.

They go on to say how they disagree with the city government’s practices, but that he hacked the LoveMatic1933 in order for it to match them together.

They then prepare dinner as Josiah and Kaela do their homework and spend time late into the night until Josiah realizes his mom might be worried. He messages her through the Pocket Packet and tells her he is all right and about to come home.

When he arrives home, his mom is working and he eats a quick meal, showers then goes to bed.

The next day in citizenship class the teacher is instructing the students on how a free press hindered the operations of the city, so it was done away with. A fellow student was then struck for not paying attention.

Then came English and the teacher was explaining how Juliet ought to have married Paris as her family commanded and how nowadays weddings are carried out much more efficiently.

At lunch Kaela and Josiah go to their secluded location and she reveals to him that she is sick but her parents insurance won’t cover the treatments because it is a pre-existing condition. She goes on to say that there are cysts on her ovaries and they keep growing and any kind of physical trauma can cause her to hemorrhage. She goes on to say that she can be treated for free on the West Coast, to which Josiah further fomented his commitment to running away with her. They spend the rest of the lunch period holding each other in a semi peaceful silence as those thoughts raced through Josiah’s mind.

They headed back to class after the bell rang. The rest of the day, Josiah was riddled with anxiety of the health and welfare of Kaela.

They met in the hallway after the dismissal bell and shared to kiss to which their English teacher slapped them.

Kaela told Josiah to message her on the Screen Link later in the night.

Josiah went home and completed his homework.

He then messaged Kaela.

She messaged that she was sorry she got them slapped but not sorry for kissing him and went on to say that there are no consequences to public displays of affection on the West Coast.

They then began to vide chat.

Josiah was wearing a tee shirt and school pants. Kaela was wearing an oversized tee shirt and panty.

Josiah is aroused, but then overcome with anxiety and Kaela asks him about it because she can see the expression on his face.

Josiah says how he is worried about her sickness and doesn’t want her to die.

Kaela replies that if she must die she wants it to be in his arms.

Josiah said how he couldn’t go on without her.

They on on to plan their escape from the city.

Their English teacher who could not see their messages but still knew they were communicating reprimanded them.

Josiah messaged the teacher and said that Kaela might be dying, to which the teacher replied how she better do it quicker so they don’t have to spend money to euthanize her.

Josiah screen shot those messages, then went to sleep.

The next day in citizenship class, the teacher was explaining how the criminal justice procedures of the past were inefficient and how those former civil liberties were wasteful. Rights to not being detained indefinitely, bail and to not be tortured used to exist, but now they don’t. Josiah became immensly angry at how broken this system truly was.

He was still angry come English class and put his head down in protest. The teacher lashed him with a strap.

Kaela cried for her not to hurt him.

The teacher called the S. R. O. over the Tac Talk.

In a short spell he stormed into the room, began yelling at Josiah and Kaela, then popped them in the mouth. He raised his hat to the teacher to which she saluted him.

At lunch Josiah and Kaela went to their secluded area and he begged her to stay off of everyone’s RADAR so she doesn’t incur injury. Reluctantly, Kaela agreed.

Kaela then motioned Josiah to lay in her lap to which he, happily did.

Seconds later she flipped her skirt over his head and held him under their for about a minute saying it is a preview of Saturday night.

She then demanded a kiss to which they became lost in the moment of virginal foreplay until the bell rang.

That evening they messaged each other lovingly not realizing that the NOPD was monitoring their communications.

The next day in citizenship class, the teacher was explaining how disability and free health care for the disabled and low income were wasteful ideas and now anyone declared disabled is put to death. Josiah was even more angry at learning this and but kept his cool knowing he would soon be out of the sewerage hole known as Nazi Orleans.

In English, they were assigned to write an essay on why falling in love is troublesome and obsolete.

Kaela messaged Josiah and said how they should write the opposite instead, since they will be leaving the city anyway.

At lunch period, they cuddled in the grass. Kaela told Josiah to come to her house that evening and they will write their essays.

At the end of the day, they went to Kaela’s home and wrote that pure love brings happiness and how happy workers are more productive. They continued that a worker who loves his or her spouse will want to be a good provider, therefore a productive worker. Their final point was that a couple in love will raise children in an ideal environment and that those children will be productive workers instead of troubled citizens. Finally they said that love is not obsolete and the doctrines of the fascist hell hole of Nazi Orleans are dead wrong.

It was now late in the evening, so Josiah kissed Kaela good night and tucked her in bed then went home.

The next morning Kaela messaged Josiah and asked if he wanted to watch her get ready.

Josiah happily agreed.

They began to video chat and Kaela lifted her nightgown revealing her panty. She then further lifted it and showed him her breasts, then dressed in on camera for him.

When they arrived at school, they went to the secluded location.

Kaela lay on top of Josiah then she sat on his chest to which he could clearly see up her skirt. He put his arms around her and pulled her closer to him, until she was sitting on his face and all went dark. They stayed in that position until the morning bell rang.

In citizenship class the teacher was ranting and raving how Nazi Orleans is the highest power. The students were given an allegiance card to sign over the weekened. Some signed it right away. Josiah planned to burn his. The teacher then allowed the remainder of the period to be free, to which Josiah went to sleep.

In English the teacher began to rant and rave about the blogger and how he is actually one of her former students. She went on to say that he is a coward and a terrorist, who helps traitors and cowards. Finally she said anyone caught reading his work will be fined and delayed in graduation.

After the last class of the day, Josiah and Kaela went to her family’s house.

Her sister Casey was getting ready for work, to which Kaela reminded her to bring them across the river Saturday evening.

She basically asks if they are defecting to which they admit they are.

Josiah then says he wants to make sure Kaela gets medical attention and if she dies he wants to die as well.

Casey then goes to work, agreeing to bring them.

Josiah and Kaela are about to deflower each other when Kaela’s parents arrive.

They stay up talking until Josiah realizes he needs to go home and pack.

The next morning, Josiah packs a bag then places it in his work assigned locker. He then diligently pushes shopping carts until his shift is over.

He cashes his paycheck and clocks out.

Casey pulls up with Kaela in a blue pickup truck, then drives them across the River without incident, then goes home.

They arrive in the old Avondale railroad yard and are given supplies for their journey by other defectors.

Subsequently, they go into the interlocking tower and fall asleep together.

At nightfall they become intimate and Josiah is startled by the blood, to which Kaela reassures him that it was normal.

After much lovemaking, they fall asleep in a sea of blankets.

On Sunday morning they woke up and secured their belongings preparing to board the train.

There was a knock at the door and the knocker claimed to be the train conductor.

No sooner was the door opened, the NOPD SWAT team headed by the S. R. O. came in and extradicted them.

They had also massacred all of the other defectors seeking refuge in the train yard.

Kaela and Josiah are bound, placed in a wagon and taken back to the city.

Kaela said how the city might take away their freedom but cannot take their love away.

Josiah replied how the city may destroy their bodies but cannot destroy what is between them.

They are housed in seperate cells of the police station.

Their English teacher says how she read their essays and will see to it that they are charged with sedition.

The S. R. O. begins to interrogate Kaela and hooks up a stun gun to her genitals when she doesn’t comply.

After she is incapacitated he attempts to rape her, but Josiah yells that he falsely has his gun and will shoot.

A female cop enters, catching the S. R. O. in the act and shoots him dead.

She then unbinds Josiah and Kaela and explains that she read their essays and they opened her eyes and how she is quitting the force.

Kaela asks her to perform their marriage ceremony as her final duty to which she agrees.

Their marriage is performed on a street corner where a church was formerly located.

She then began to walk Josiah and Kaela out of the city until Kaela began bleeding profusely and collapsed.

The female officer checks Kaela for a pulse and announces that she is dead and they need to notify her family.

Josiah takes his broken Pocket Packet and removes the memory card, to which the female officer places in her Tac Talk device.

Casey comes in her truck and Kaela’s body is laid in the bed. Josiah lays next to her body.

The next day a memorial is held for Kaela.

At some point later, Josiah writes the whole account saves it onto memory cards places them on Kaela’s grave, then blows his brains out with a revolver, concluding the story…

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