Folyosó Winter 2020–2021

Máté Zupkó

It was a cold autumn when all things started to change back in 2042. Technology started to take over nature, and everything was done by robots. All the people become lazy and neglectful of each other, so they started to lose their personalities and their humanity. Everything become gray and boring; all the days were the same, monotonous and constant.

There were many people opposed to the system, and I was one of them. This is the part where the story gets more exciting. We planned many meetings and assemblies; of course it was very risky, since it was against the law to go to these meetings. We wanted a regime change and wanted more people to stand on our side. We knew that more people were against the system, but they were scared about the chance that they would be arrested. You probably wonder what our problem with the system was. I think the answer is easy: I wanted my old regular life back when I could work with my own hands and make my own money. Or I really wanted to see real animals and nature again; they had become extinct because of the huge population and the expansion of technology.

Our goal was to beat the current goverment and try to return to our regular old world. We used the system’s biggest strength, the media and propaganda; we started to stream videos all around the world about the old days, and we told the people how good it had been and how terrible the current system and our life was. Time passed, and we realized that there were more and more rebellious and determined folk around the world. I forgot to mention that the world was led by a unified government, and they seemed to lose control. After a few years, in 2058, the president and his deputy resigned and got exiled. All the people were very happy seeing that the time of change had come. We destroyed all the robots and every other electrical gadget, because everyone had had enough of them. So we can say that we went back to prehistoric times.

Basically that is my story in a few sentences, and I guess I can say that I was part of a revolution that changed the world forever. By the way, my grandkids really enjoy listening to my story; every time they come visit, they want me to tell it again and again. Let me tell you a little secret: each time I add a little something extra to my story, something that never happened, but the kids never recognize it.

Zsófia Vona

I woke up one beautiful morning in 2043. It was an important day to me, because it was the day of my first concert. I have always wanted to be a singer like my father, and I was finally able to prove that, with some practice, I could be as good as he. As I was thinking about this, he came into my room and brought me breakfast.

“How are you, darling? Are you worried?” he asked me.

“Of course, Dad, this is gonna be the first time that I sing in front of more than a thousand people,” I answered.

“Oh Carolina, you don’t have to worry about it, you are a great singer!” said my Dad.

“Thank you. I love you so much!”

After that, I ate my breakfast and got ready for our trip to the theater where the concert was to take place. When we arrived, everybody greeted us and we started setting up. I was singing when my friends came into the hall, so I quickly finished the song and came down from the stage and hugged them.

“Oh my god Carolina, this place is huge, I’m so happy that you can sing here,” said Olivia.

“Yeah, we are so excited,” said Rose.

“We are going to sit in the first row with our family and support you,” said Jennifer.

“You’re so sweet, girls. I have the best friends in the world.” I became sensitive.

Unfortunately I had to say goodbye to them and go backstage, because there was only an hour until the start. I found my dad there, so I asked him about his first performance.

“You know I used to be in a band, so I had ’two’ first-time experiences. But I will tell you about my first solo concert. I was twenty-three years old, and it was a whole new situation. I had to go through it alone without the boys, but it was an unforgettable day, the fans were so soulful and they gave so much power to me,” said Dad.

“You were so strong. I hope I can do it too. Will you sit in the front row?” I asked him.

“Sure! I wouldn’t miss it,” he reassured me.

I was just talking with my aunt when an organizer said that I had to start the concert, so I ran to the spot where I had to be and waited for the sign that said I could begin.

Botond Vass

The year was 2357, and it wasn’t the brightest year the world had ever seen. The sky was dark, almost black; it became harder and harder to breathe every second.  It was 15:46 when George managed to reach the door.

It all started three hours earlier. George was sitting on the couch watching a football match. His wife was upstairs with the children. He had two, an eight-year-old and a ten-year-old. Suddenly, the football match got interrupted. There was a lady on the screen with a text at the top saying “breaking news.” George got scared because this had never happened before. He lowered the sound on the TV to make sure his children wouldn’t hear it and get scared. As the lady started to speak, George saw that she broke a sweat. The lady started with “seek shelter immediately’’ and continued with an explanation. As he was listening to it, he felt his blood pressure rising. George blacked out when he heard what had happened and fell off the couch… about half an hour later, his wife came downstairs and found him on the ground. She successfully roused him, but George wasn’t sure if he wanted to wake up from the blackout. She asked him what had happened. He just told her to get the kids and go to the car, and he would follow. She didn’t want to disobey him, because she had known him for quite a time, and she knew that he wasn’t joking.

As she went upstairs for the kids, George went to the drawer and took out his handgun. No one knew about it except him. They got in the car, he tried to start it, but it didn’t want to work. He wanted to let his thoughts out, shout and swear, but he decided not to, because his kids were in the car. They had to walk, but at least their destination wasn’t that far. George told them that they mustn’t stop, and he went ahead, leading his family. He was followed by his two children and his wife at the rear. George was trying to be cautious, but he also wanted to be as fast as possible. They saw a group of houses. He didn’t remember exactly which house was the one they needed, just a couple of words: “windows… boarded… knock.’’ They still weren’t that close, but at least they saw the houses. They heard a monster-like shout. They turned around and saw three human-like creatures running towards them. George knew what they were; he took out his handgun and told his family to start running. He was shooting backwards without aiming, hoping he would hit the creatures. His first three shots missed, but the next one hit a creature’s; arm, it slowed down for a second, then started running at them even faster. George was the fastest; his family couldn’t keep up. He didn’t want to leave his family, so he turned around to help them. As he turned around, he saw that he couldn’t reach them before the monsters. He knew that if he tried to save them, he would end up dying too. He ran to the house, the door was open and there was a guy standing  on the doorstep… It was 15:46 when George managed to reach the door, but there was a creature  right behind him. The guy who was standing at the door slammed it in in front of him. He didn’t find it safe, because the creature was behind him. George kept beating on the door, but it never opened again. He turned around and saw his family getting eaten by two of the monsters. The third one was facing him. It was swinging its arm while opening its mouth… Its teeth were as sharp as a sword, and there were multiple layers behind the first row of teeth; on its hands the nails turned into claws. He closed his eyes.

The next thing he felt was a hit on his back. He was lying on the ground. He opened his eyes and saw that he was in his own house. He thought he had only dreamed it, but he felt something strange. It was pitch black and his neck hurt. He flipped the light switch and looked out the window. It was dark. He went around the house, but no one was home and he didn’t even find his gun in the drawer. He went into the bathroom to check up on himself. He thought he had turned into a creature and ended up in his house somehow. He hadn’t, but there was a scar on his neck and on his chest too. On his chest, it seemed as if it had been made by claws, maybe a tiger’s. On his neck, it was deep, more like a shark bite with those sharp sets of teeth. He couldn’t handle it. He went to the kitchen, took out a knife and ended it.