Fiction - Page 9

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.

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.