Love.Something we all take for granted. What would you do if you were forbidden from love? |
Why is it so wrong to love you? Love doesn't exist. It never has. It has simply been a mere illusion that we have convinced ourselves to be true when in fact science dictates that love was only founded on the human's reproductive needs. So, what if humans didn't need to reproduce? What would happen to the ideal love that many people live for? For many, it would simply cease to exist. Lawyers would go out of business for a start but more seriously, what would happen to human beings? How would they cope without the emotional support that loving someone gives? Advances in sciences have allowed artificial reproduction to come along so far that a child can be brought into the world without the need for a couple; simply the DNA of either a male or female is sufficient to create new life. Over time, this has led to the idea of love, marriage and everything that the human race used to hold dear, to simply disappear from everyday life. No romantic novels. No cheesy soap operas. No awkward sounds coming from your parents' bedroom. Love is dead; humanity has evolved. Long live virginity! Heck, humanity has evolved so far that many people choose not to socialise at all and live their entire lives without speaking to another human being. Pets and plants are a thing of the past with our new skyscraper ridden, metallic landscape now the ideal. We have truly found nirvana. That is, for everybody except me. For I am a fool; an un-evolved ape unable to keep up with the development of man who still thinks with his penis. Luckily for me, there is at least one more ape alive in this age; my partner: Human 714635332911. I call her darling for short. Me and my darling have been together for over 3 years now; carefully seeing each other in private so nobody can find out about our sordid secret- the fact that we are dating and very much in love. Not everything goes as planned though, does it? Just yesterday our tryst was discovered by darling's boss; Human 664924456998 or as I affectionately call her, Acquaintance F. Humans may have evolved beyond imagination, but some unfortunate traits remain; gossiping being one of them. Within hours, we knew our secret was out. We could feel the looks from the brainwashed masses as we walked along our normal commute. We knew that the jig was up and that we were in a world of trouble. This is because, you see, although technically not illegal, being a couple is looked down upon. Not just because it is seen as desperately clinging to a long-lost custom of love, sex and human companionship but because the enlightened ones believe that this sort of pairing off of people shows great mental weakness. Basically, you are considered a defective product; like a microwave without a door. Running away was not an option; it was time to face the music. I arrive at work and my worst fears are realised. I am quickly summoned to the chairman's office and boy; did it go badly. I walked through the door to be greeted with a jeering mob of my soon to be former colleagues. The boss stared daggers at me before finally speaking. "So, what do you have to say for yourself, defect?" His tone was a such that I knew, no matter what I had said, nothing would have quelled his anger. So, some might say foolishly, I went for broke. "I have plenty to say myself, dearest boss," I arrogantly began. I continued, "Myself and darling are madly in love and she makes me feel like the Holy Emperor himself. I used to be like you all before I fell in love, tricking myself into believing I was doing something wrong. Well I'm not!" By the end I was shouting, and I must admit, antagonising the mob, was not a great idea. "Ya' done?", enquires the boss. "No, one more thing. Sex is great." Again, not my smartest move. The boss clicks his fingers and the mob descends upon me. Fists were flying, and they were all directed at me. In this day and age, mob rule is the name of the game. Stay in the lines and you will live a serviceable, safe if not boring life. You will have the Holy Emperor's protection. Step outside the lines, you face ridicule, violence and a life of dread and terror. In the worst case, death. Boldly, I decided to take the leap out and boy, did I pay for it. After about ten minutes of non-stop beating, I passed out. I awoke, badly beaten with my vision seriously impaired, tied up in what could only be described as a prison cell. The police call it The Joy Chamber so as not to offend anyone. I glance to my left to see that my darling was lying there in a state worse than mine. She worked in a predominately female workforce; something that is fairly common these days and they had laid into her like a pack of feral wolves. Her skin was covered in scratches and clumps of her hair had been pulled out. She had been completely stripped of her clothing and her colleagues' footprints were clearly visible on her body. Multiple cigarette burns were visible and so were the words 'whore', 'defect' and 'bitch' written across her body in bright pink lipstick. It was at this point that I realised, we were both screwed. I would have much preferred to take the punishment alone but unfortunately, that didn't seem to be an option. I attempted to wake darling up but to no avail so there I sat; stewing, stagnating, waiting. At least four hours passed before darling awoke. She looked over and had already begun crying. She initially struggled to speak before muttering the words, "are you okay, dear?" Four words. Those four words epitomised the greatness of darling and the greatness that the newly developed human race had lost. The compassion within those words was immeasurable as was the power I felt simply hearing them. "Don't worry about me darling, are you okay?", I replied. The two of us manage to each force a smile. We knew what was coming and that we were simply waiting for death. Then suddenly, a faint voice asks: "Do you regret falling in love with me?" I simply look at darling, smile and then shake my head. "Even if I knew how this was going to end, I would still have done this all again." Darling smiles and slumps into the floor; as if the weight of the world had just been taken off of her shoulders. I was about to ask her the same thing before we heard the one sound we didn't want to hear; click. Our time was up. A large man with a long grey beard entered the drab cell and stared at us both on the floor. He shook his head dismissively and asks the same thing as my boss. "So, what do you have to say for yourself, defects? Immediately, both myself and darling answer simultaneously. "What is there to say, I simply fell in love." Darling looked over at me with the same smile that I had fallen for and despite the beatings, she was as beautiful as ever. The man then booms, "Then you must know what comes now. You must choose correction or death." These choices were not at all appealing. Correction involves the restructuring of one's mind to ensure that you fit within the norms of everyday society. At least, that is what the leaflet says. In actual fact, it is as horrid torture you could imagine. For men, castration, beatings and water boarding. For women, extreme sexual torture, beatings and electric shocks. You are essentially made to feel so much pain that you will never think for yourself again. Emotionally, it is death. Before I can even think, my darling simply says "Death." I am shocked at how decisive her decision was before quickly saying the same. Even though I knew we were going to die, it still meant the world that she cares for me so much, she was willing to die for our love. And, I must admit, the idea of darling being subjected to sexual torture filled me with rage. The man tuts and utters, "Fools! I, the Holy Emperor give you a chance to repent and you damn defects turn me down. You will both die. We will not miss you and your archaic, romantic ways." Darling was staring the old man down but was silenced by him. But, as you may have guessed from my interaction with my boss earlier, I was not very good at keeping quiet. "Listen here old man! We have done nothing wrong and committed no crime! Why is it so wrong to be different!? Why can't we be happy!? Why can't we love!?" I passionately pleaded. The emperor calmly replied, "Because your alternative lifestyle offends people." That was it. The reason I couldn't live happily ever after was political correctness. Just because me and my darling believed in something different, we had to be disposed of like common street trash. I sighed and resigned myself to my fate. I was no superhero and there was no daring rescue. This was the end of the line for us. The emperor calls in his men to drag us away. Quickly, I drag myself across the floor to where darling laid, and gave her one final, sad kiss. The saddest but most beautiful kiss of our doomed existence. We are quickly separated and dragged away. So, here I am. Tied to a board; with a group of men and women alike standing around me (an equal number so as not to offend anyone). They are holding a variety of tools I dread to think about. Death is on the horizon. So, I go back to my initial statement as I lie here, waiting to die. Does love exist? Yes, it does. Love will drive you crazy but boy, is it worth it. |