Folyosó Winter 2020–2021 - Page 2

Sándor Tor

We’re writing 2050. Humanity is on the verge of extinction.

My name is Alex, I’m twenty-five years old, and I live in New York. But let’s start from the beginning.

When I was born, the Covid-epidemic had ended and the economy was beginning to recover. So I had a really good life when I was a child. My dad was a financial manager at a large company, and my mom was a nurse. When I was fourteen, I heard about Covid for the first time. First I asked my mom what it was and why everyone had bad feelings about it. She told me it was a pandemic and that a lot of people died in the world and the economy almost fell apart too. But in 2020 the scientists developed a vaccination, so now the virus is inactive. I just learned about this in eighth grade and high school, and when I graduated I started to work at my father’s company. However I was a rookie, so I had to learn a lot of things about finance. Luckily my father helped me a lot, and we got into a closer relationship than ever. Everything seemed to be good, but in 2049 he suddenly died of an unknown infection. The doctors didn’t know what it was or how my father got it. And I didn’t know how to lead the company, or take care of my mom either.

One day when I was checking my father’s old stuff I found some notes about a secret space project. The astronauts reached Mars and found some bacteria and viruses. When they came back to Earth, the scientists examined these things and wanted to start experiments, but they needed money. So they looked for my father and invited him to their laboratory. That was the moment I realized my father had been infected there. Therefore I and my employees could be infected too. But I didn’t have symptoms, and my emloyees weren’t sick. At least I thought not, until one morning I woke up to the ringing of my phone. They called me from the healthcare organization, and a man told me they had closed the office building where I worked. I knew we were in great danger.

So I had to stay home, and I decided to continue to research the virus. I checked my father’s private mails and found something interesting. There were other companies that had supported this project. I found out a few days later that these companies had also been closed down.

Then a few weeks later I noticed symptoms in myself, but thought I just had the cold. However, I heard about employees and managers who had died. I was scared, so I stayed at home, but a lot of people didn’t. The number of infected and dead people also increased. Then, a month later, the president announced that we were facing another virus, but it was too late. Because by that time it had appeared in Europe and Asia, and it seemed bigger than COVID.

The people panicked, and the economy was heading for bankruptcy. The number of deaths kept increasing, and the situation become more and more hopeless. The cities were almost extinct; nobody walked on the streets, and the shops were closed.

I also felt worse and worse. I guess I will die soon. I don’t know what will happen next, but I’m glad that I was able to live and that I could have such a life.

Tamás Takács

Once upon a  time there lived a small caterpillar named Michael. Michael was a caterpillar like the rest; he wasn’t special, or so he thought. He spent all day eating leaves like any other caterpillar would. He was very social and liked to talk with other caterpillars a lot. They spent their days eating leaves and talking without a care in the world but knowing this would all come to an end one day. When that day came, they were a bit sad but excited at the same time. They promised each other they would meet up after the transformation ended. So they all went into their cocoons and went to sleep. When Michael woke up, he felt a bit strange. He thought it must be the transformation and he just needed to get used to the new body. What was weird was that the leaves looked much smaller, and when he took a step, the ground shook beneath him. He was confused and didn’t know what to do. All of a sudden he got the urge to throw up. But when he did, it wasn’t what he thought it would be. He started spitting fire. That moment he realised that he wasn’t a butterfly; he had somehow transformed into a dragon. He didn’t know how or why and was very confused for a while. He decided that he would find out why this had happened and try to turn it back. He also wanted to find his friends in the process. He is said to be still looking for the reason till this day, but no one knows for certain what happened to him.

Katalin Szabó

Once upon a time, a boy lived in the center of New York. His name was Ezra Davis. He lived with his elderly parents in a small crowded apartment. The parents worked in a hospital, and they always had a lot of work too. They had no time for their little boy. Ezra had been a weird kid since childhood; he had no friends, no one played with him. He had no siblings either; he was lonely, but he enjoyed it.

In the block where he lived, a baby was born; he was called Louis. Ezra took care of him many times, as a teenager. This little boy was his only friend.

He always observed people, the environment, and everything. He lived at home until he was seventeen years old. Suddenly, he made a well-thought-out decision…

Two years previously, one rainy afternoon, fifteen-year-old Ezra was sitting in his room and reading different historical magazines. He realised that he wanted to try himself outside, in the adults’ world. He decided to move. He thought about it for months.

There was a very small (uninhabited) island somewhere near Hawaii. When he turned seventeen, he moved out to this island alone. He lived here for sixty-five years, in unusual conditions. He spent most of his life there, with his thoughts. At last, he was happy alone. No one was there except him. He lived in a wooden hut, ate fruit, and had a good time.

After those years, Ezra was really old, and he wanted to see his home for the last time.

When he returned to the city, he was shocked. He was very young when he left; now he was completely surprised by the changes that had taken place in the city. Although he was old, his mental health was unbroken.

Ezra’s first trip was to their old house, which had been sold. A crowded café operated in the small ground-floor apartment. He felt lost.

On the one hand, because he no longer knew anyone in that area. His family, neighbours and friends had already died.

On the other hand, because the neighborhood has changed a lot, so he did not know the area…

The night before he had left long ago, he had had an argument with his parents, because they didn’t like this idea. They did not give him permission to leave, but he didn’t care. He regretted and thought about it for years afterward, but he didn’t want to come back. He hadn’t said goodbye to his only friend Louis. He was the little boy from the block…

Then he visited him.                                                                     

Louis was alive. He still lived in their old family house, with his wife. Ezra felt huge relief. He went to his old friend’s house. When Louis saw him, he couldn’t believe his eyes, and ended up in tears. They hugged each other happily.

Ezra had spent enough time alone; he moved to Louis’s for his last months or weeks (he had lost track of time). He was really old, but he started to learn new things, and he started to get to know his new life and area.

Eventually, his last years (or months or weeks) passed happily, in the new modern world.

The lesson is that, if you live alone and are lonely, even if you survive mentally and physically, you lose a lot.

Alexandra Klaudia Süveges

Max grew up as an only child. His family was average with loving parents; however, he didn’t have any friends, and got bullied all his life. It was the last year of primary school, and he was to choose a high school to continue studying. His only dream was to be an athlete. Sadly, he wasn’t in the best physical condition, but he never gave up. That’s why he applied to an elite sports school. He wasn’t the only one; the best athlete in the whole school had this in mind too.

After school, Max was approached by a tall, blond, spiky-haired guy, his classmate Cason.

“Listen, Max, I don’t get why you’re trying so hard to get in my way, but let me tell you. If you still try to apply to myschool, you will regret it so badly… A weakling like you never can make it.” Sadly, Max almost got his legs broken, but he still applied to that school.

Four years passed with sweat, hard training and bullying again, but their last race was about to begin. The atmosphere was intense between the two of them as they walked to the starting line.

“1…2…3… GO!” They sprinted nearly faster than the speed of sound. They both know this race’s results would define everything: who had grown to be better than the other one. Who was more worthy of being called the best. Suddenly Max got in front of Cason; his eyes sparkled, knowing he could maintain the tempo and that this could lead to a life-changing victory. He was so overwhelmed, this could have meant the most progress in his life, but something crossed his plans. So tiny, useless but deadly. A simple rock. He stumbled upon a rock. Lying on the ground, he saw Cason pass him easily, the last chance of victory gone. Max started hitting the ground as tears were forming on his face, facing the dirt on the ground. 

“Hey idiot, take this!” Cason said, holding out his hand. Was this a trap? What if he wanted to slap him in the face? Could he get help from him after all these years?

“I’m gonna drag you if ya won’t take my hand right now!” So this was not a trap? 

Max reached out and stood up, quickly snapping out of it.

“Why?! Why wouldn’t you leave me behind?!”  Max was shouting at him, it didn’t seem to bother Cason though.

“You thought I wouldn’t play fair? You being able to outrun me… but losing because of a rock… it wouldn’t have been fun to call myself a winner after all.

“I don’t think you can continue the race with this knee… I would feel like a monster if I left you here lying….” He backed down and put Max’s hand to his shoulder, helping him walk.

“You know, after all these years we’ve spent together, seeing you surpass me… it’s incredible. In these twelve years we have grown up together, but recently I saw something different about you.” He sighed as they walked towards the end line.

“What do you mean? I don’t even get why you are helping me now! Leave me behind!” Max freed himself from his helping hand, nearly falling.

“I am talking about how a pathetic loser like you grew up. You know I was trained to be the running champion, I was sent out from morning until dawn to run! I would’ve had to achieve my parents’ dream for them! And when you said you would apply to this school, with such a  weak body, goals, and strength… I got so angry… I was said to be a born talent, but you? You couldn’t even run two kilometers without shoving your back to the ground, but everybody was fine with it. The teachers loved your progress even though it was nonexistent! And on our first race…” Max looked up at Casin, failing to stop the tears in his eyes.

“YOUR PARENTS PRAISED YOU EVEN THOUGH YOU LOST! DO YOU KNOW HOW IT FELT? WHEN I LOST MY PARENTS BEAT ME UP AND I WAS SENT OUT TO RUN UNTIL I COLLAPSED! YOU ARE SO DAMN LUCKY!” 

“I am sorry… for… your childhood…” He walked closer to Cason.

“Childhood? Do you know what will I get now, if I cross the line as the second?” Max stepped closer and grabbed him.

They passed the finish line together. Neither one could be a winner, or a loser either.

“You know, I am deeply sorry for how I’ve treated you throughout your entire life, Max.”

“Wow, so people can change, huh?”

Sándor Szakács

It’s a foggy and rainy day, basically a usual autumn day. I was in quite a good mood, as I knew I was going to meet my friends, who I hadn’t seen in a long time, as they had gone to other cities to continue their studies. We planned to sit in a café to have a chat, then roam around a little bit in the city. My day went just as usual. I got on the bus—which of course was crowded—then fortunately found a seat, so I sat down and plugged the earphones in my ears and played some music to which I could doze off until I arrived at the bus stop in front of the school. My day went great until I got a phone call. I looked at the screen and recognized my father’s number. I picked it up.

—Hey,why did you call me?—I asked.

—I have some bad news, as I can hear you haven’t heard it yet.

—What do you mean? What’s the matter?

—Your friend Barna had a car accident in the morning. He was badly wounded.—He stopped for a second, then continued.—He didn’t survive.

At first I couldn’t believe it was true; I thought it was some dark, naughty joke.

—What? If you’re joking,it’s not funny.—But somehow I knew he wasn’t joking; I heard it in his voice.

—I’m sorry.

For a minute neither of us talked; I just stood there in the hallway and tried to find an explanation for what I had heard. I couldn’t, I still can’t until this day. It’s impossible to describe what I felt. The feeling of helplessness and powerlessness.

—If you want to, you can come home and talk it over. Shall I call your class-master?

—Yes—I said slowly—that would be great. Thanks!

On the way home, on the bus, I was wondering whether Ákos and Ricsi—my other friends I would have met today with Barna—knew about the bad news. I hit them up on Messenger; they knew about it too. They were still in shock along with me. When I got home and talked it over with my parents, I felt a little bit better, but it didn’t really make a difference. I came to realize that we start to value our real friends after they are gone. Even after these years, it hurts to think about how many memories we could still have made. 

Viktória Kiss

My task is to write a story that takes place in the future. I think it’s the hardest mission I have ever had, because what can I write about that maybe doesn’t exist? Do we really have a future?–because if we continue what we’re doing, I assume there is no hope. Unfortunately people are addicted to a losing game and keep destroying our world. But what is the one thing that would  really make a difference? I don’t feel like there’s one single thing. After all, I still believe that future stories are important. There are two ways I could write an article: I could tell an instructive one or keep talking about what we should do. Maybe I’ll try the first option.

We are in 2222, humans still exist, but they are different from before. They  don’t fight, and they live peacefully. It’s hard to imagine, but it’s true (that’s what they have to do to live). However, people are suffering because of what we did over the centuries. The community doesn’t have much food, half of the animal species have gone extinct. People have to save a lot. That will be the year when we can finally see the clear blue sky. A weak girl is walking on the barren meadow and she sees… she is crying out of happiness. She is running to her great grandmother and hugging her. The girl doesn’t have a mother, because she died of undernourishment. Two days later she asks: Why did we have to wait such a long time? Why did they do this? Why? Please tell me! She cannot answer that.

Ten years later, nature is starting to get better; there are ”new” species. The girl is now a woman; she has children. They ask their mother: Has the world always been so beautiful? Then she says: Listen carefully! Because what i’m going to say right now is so important. Take care of the earth, because if you do not, it will be gone forever this time.

So there is no guarantee that this life is easy, but when the world is going to fall apart, then there is no light to break the dark. We should protect our planet for several reasons: It’s the only home we have, it grounds us (we all need a breath of fresh air every once in a while), it’s a living entity. If we lose or kill animals, humans, plants, they will be gone forever, and there is nothing, there is  nothing we can do that is gonna bring them back. If someone reads this in the future: Protect everything and everybody!