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The Fuel

Giuseppe Baptiste, the violinist

The crowd stood towards the middle of the lawn where Giuseppe Baptiste was getting ready in the center and Pearsons Rockfield sat on a bench beside him. Giuseppe Baptiste had his violin and began to pluck his strings, rehearsing the first few notes. The crowd became silent as I looked around with Karina, Rambo and my Father.

 

Giuseppe Baptiste played the first few notes again, and swayed his torso as he strung the notes high to perform his abstract composition. He strung low notes and screeched high tones as the crowd ooohh-ed and aaahh-ed. I had no idea what sort of recital this was, but it was not normal.

 

"What the hell is he playing? Does he know how to play?" I asked Karina.

 

"I think it's supposed to be some kind of music?" said Karina.

 

"The man is playing dissonance and its hurting my ears!" said Rambo.

 

The crowd clapped as they were probably the only people in all of Denver who were fans of Giuseppe Baptiste and Pearsons Rockfield.

 

"He's nuts!" I said. "Its all a whole bunch of screeches and plucking!"

 

Giuseppe Baptiste plucked the strings of his violin and stroked another high and low notes that sounded like a dying cat howling. 

 

"This is crazy, he's not a violinist," said my Father. "I thought he was supposed to be mesmerizing?"

 

Giuseppe Baptiste raised his arms with his bow and violin and jumped off the ground in circles, then resumed his screeches of high and low notes, giving me a headache.

 

"I'm never going to another one of his performance. This is horrendous!" I said. 

 

"We still have to stay to speak to him about what happened with Karina," said Rambo.

 

"Are you sure he's sane? He looks and acts like a crazy monkey," said Karina. 

 

Pearsons Rockfield clapped his hands, but the whole performance was not the sort of music that needed clapping. I was utterly confused. I've never seen a most horrible performance and the sad thing was, the crowd kept Oooh-ing and Aaah-ing, and it drove me nuts.

 

"I can't handle it anymore!" I said, closing my ears. "He's horrible!"

 

Giuseppe Baptiste broke a string and kept playing with his bow looking torn out of its horse hairs. He looked like a mad man.

 

"This can't be music in any universe, can it?" asked Karina.

 

Rambo cried because the sound was just too much to handle. He wiped his tears and said, "Something was wrong with his childhood, and I'm sorry."

 

"I want this to be over now," said my Father. 

 

Giuseppe Baptiste kept stringing his violin and Pearsons Rockfield kept clapping, and it was just the first number.

 

"How many songs was he supposed to play?" asked my Father.

 

"I don't know," I said. 

 

"We're going to die listening to this," said Karina. Boris and Betina began to cry and my Father pushed the stroller away from the lawn. I stood in the middle of the lawn closing my ears. 

 

This was not a good morning.

 

Just write.

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Pearsons Rockfield, The Black Mollys, and The Choi Militias

"Dana, we're on, tell us what you found out," Father spoke to his wrist hologram.

 

"I got November 3rd, for Giuseppe Baptiste's performance at Capitol Hill lawn," I told Dana through my Father's wrist phone.  

"He's going to have guards, and militias and dogs," Rambo said.

 

Karina sat on the couch in our living room, just sitting with the babies after a full day of observations with my Father at Banner.

 

"Karina, you can listen in, to tell Dana what you know," Father said.

 

"Yes, Mr. O'Connor," said Karina. Her fingers wrapped inside Betina's hands as she held Betina in her arms. Boris was laying asleep, very much in bliss.

 

"I remember the tattoo. It's on the arm of a man who counsels Baptiste, since he was young. Pearsons Rockfield," said Dana. "I know because I was once his men, and took orders from him to annihilate the Laos Royals."

 

"From the world reknowned Rockfield family? The robber barron?" Rambo asked. "I remembered them. They were also murdered by someone and their riches were transferred to The New Order Regime."

 

"Pearsons killed them, because Pearsons wanted something that Rockfields had. Money, power and control." said Dana. "Pearsons was adopted by them, and he learned so much from the Godfather Rockfield, but he turned on them because he told Rockfields that he wanted a Black Europe."

 

"What do you mean Black Europe?" Rambo asked. "I've never been to Europe."

 

"Pearsons was the descendants of a slave, and Baptiste was his protege, but Baptiste was Italian and French, so after the Rockfield family was annihilated, Pearsons wanted the control and power, but knowing he was guilty, he used Baptiste as his pawn," said Dana. "Pearsons know another member of The New Order Regime, The Black Mollys and The Choi Militia. They all wanted a Black Europe, where Black meant death to the Royal families if they don't have control of their kingdom. Basically, for all peoples of Europe to become The New Order Regime or Black Europe."

 

"So they can't call Europe as a union anymore, and they changed it to Black Europe because they want only The New Order members to live in Europe. Who are they?" I asked, wondering why it was so important to have a Black Europe.

 

"It is their take on soul privilege. They felt if they annihilate big and well known families, royals, and first families, The New Order Regime members will receive favor from God, and also their souls become invincible and their lives will become rich, and thus, they have privilege in this universe," said Dana. "It's an old myth that if they rape, pillage, and murder, they become stronger. But, it actually brings blood shed and it hurts the world and Mother Nature becomes angry. I truly believe that's how The White Plague came about. The fascists communists want equality and they were hurt that certain people were born into a powerful lineage. So they hurt everyone, so The New Order can gain control. Actually, for Pearsons and Giuseppe and their friends to gain control."

 

"I thought The White Plague was a virus that attacks the cornea that started in France? Then became infectious," said my Father. "We did studies on it, and it truly was an infectious disease, well known now, and there is no vaccine for it. We all should be wearing face shields."

 

"The point is, Pearsons and Baptiste are two creatures with alike motives. They want control, and they succeeded, but the sad part is, now they're hungry for more. That's why they raped Karina," said Dana. "They want to make sure Karina won't be able to survive, and they won't let her succeed. Were they looking for her to hunt her down?"

 

"Yeah, some of the government men were looking for her," said Rambo.

 

"That's the Black Mollys and the Choi Militias," said Dana. "The Black Mollys used guerilla warfare to destroy businesses and turned them into fish stores, only to sell Black Molly Tetras. They bred them in house and released them in the fresh water to destroy the wild life and killed the algea population and the salmon breeding season. People called that group, The Black Mollys because there are a lot of them, and their leader is a female fascist communist, named Molly."

 

"Was she a member of The New Order?" asked Rambo. "Why does she have to destroy people's lives like that?"

 

"This woman, Molly, is a close friend of Pearsons, and her close confidant is Choi, a fascists communist terrorist. They both work for Pearsons and The Rockfields before the White Plague hit. They hurt people to gain control over businesses and to spy on Royal Families and First Families, to ultimately gain control over other countries and annihilate the people in those countries. I bet they will all come to the performance on November 3rd," said Dana.

 

"The Choi militias, who are they?" my Father asked. 

 

"They're the freedom fighters of the late Kim Jong Un," Dana said. "The whole world was a mess when they hurt everyone. There was chaos, and 1 in every 2 women were sexually assaulted. Children were abused, men were brutally murdered. All of the goodness of the world were gone, because the people chosen to do the good work for humanity were all killed.The Royal Families in Laos were murdered by the Choi Militia."

 

Karina turned around and told them, "I didn't want to do anything special. I wanted to write and become a journalist, then get married and have children."

 

"They found out who you are, Karina. You have to give up the journalist and writing career," said Dana, as the hologram became fuzzy.

 

"Dana, are you there?" said my Father, losing connection.

 

"I will have to go. I think The Black Mollys and The Choi Militias kept a tab on my phone," said Dana. "I'm retired, but they might still be on my systems." He shut off his hologram, and the living room was still.

 

"How will we expose them? The New Order Regime?" asked Karina. Boris started whimpering as he wanted his mother's cuddle. Karina put down Betina on one side of the couch, and took Boris into her arms.

 

"Well, we have the solar cells, but there is an energy shortage and no one has mac and cheese so the whole world is grumpy," said Rambo. "I think everyone wants an explanation."

 

"We can hack into the government channels at the Post building and tell the whole world, on November 3rd," said my Father. "But, we have to wear masks."

 

"Didn't a man do this once upon a time and got jailed for it?" I asked. 

 

"Breaking into the security walls of every television channel and exposed the government? Well, he would be 600 years old by now," said Rambo.

 

"It was Julian Assange," said my Father. "He was found guilty."

 

"I wished The New Order Regime would just build a website and create their manifesto, instead of raping women," said Karina.

 

"They're not that smart. Besides, they probably have poor writing skills compared to you, Karina," I said.

 

"I wished people weren't violent to me," said Karina. "I wished people were smarter than this."

 

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Spider-Man Helmet

"Mom, can I have this?" I asked her, with a Spider-Man helmet in my hands. CSPC, ASTM as it said on the tag. I put it on and locked the safety class under my chin.

 

"Jeremy, scale it down a notch. You have to stop asking for things you already have," she said, holding a Purell anti-bacterial in one hand. "People are dying."

 

"It's Spider-Man," I begged.

 

"He took out his tonsils and kisses girls upside down, and you still think he's your favorite?" Mom said. Her cheeks turned red and I knew I had to stop asking or we won't go out for lunch and I'd have to eat left-overs.

 

"Are you angry with me?" I asked, with the helmet still on.

 

"Honey, you know how only fat people go to the Dairy Queen? Spoiled kids will always get bad parking spots when they get their driver's license when they turn 16," she replied. "Do you want to be spoiled? Do you think that's a fair life?"

 

I took a breath and walked to the next aisle and saw a man with his glasses upside down. I didn't want to ask what happened to him, but he probably had popcorn flavored jelly beans stuck up his nose when he was little too.

 

"Mom, can I have a pen?" I asked her and took a pen to show her.

 

"Yes, put it in the cart," she said, as she took the pen from my hands.

 

"I have one at home, how come I can't have the helmet?" I asked, with the helmet still on.

 

Her lips quivered, as she stared at my face, then closed her eyes with her right hand. 

"I won't be spoiled, I promise," I told her. The insides of my stomach tickled because I knew if I had this helmet, I could ride my bicycle faster than my Dad's Volvo.

 

"No, but thank you for the laughs, baby," she told me, as she burst into laughter.

 

"Fine," I dragged my feet to the back of the store and took off the Spider-Man helmet and felt lousy like yesterday's towel.

 

"Jeremy, hurry up!" Mom yelled at me, while pushing her cart towards my direction.

 

Like always, I ran to her cart and stood backwards on the front wheel with my arms stretched back, holding the front of the cart.

 

Mom pushed me down the toilet paper aisle, and I flew the rest of the shopping away.

 

"Mom, look at that Slime Kit!" my eyes popped.

 

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Why Max never talks

Lindy saw him from across the lunch table, and thought he looked like a Monkey Face.

 

"Do you eat bananas all day? You look like a baby monkey," said Lindy.

 

"You look like you have lice in your hair," said Max.

 

Lindy nearly cried and showed him a little pouch filled with hearts made of felted material.

 

"Someone made this for me, I bet you don't have a lot of love in your life," sneered Lindy.

 

"I don't," said Max. He looked at her pouch and replied, "I also don't need sissy little pouches to tell me I'm loved."

 

"I have a Mom at home, and she makes me these things. Do you have love at all?" Lindy asked.

 

"I don't care, stop talking to me," said Max. His eyes teared a little and as he kept eating his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "It's lunch, and you're not my parent."

 

"If you were a boy with everything, what would you still want?" Lindy asked.

 

"I said, stop talking to me," said Max, angrily.

 

Lindy took her pouch and opened it. She took one heart and offered it to Max. "Maybe you're not a Monkey Face after all," said Lindy, showing her palm with the heart.

 

"You know, I've been called worse things at home," said Max.

 

"Nothing is worse than Monkey Face," said Lindy.

 

Max smiled, and took the soft felt cotton heart from Lindy. He placed it inside his pocket and the little heart never grew out of its love.

 

The world turned upside down for Max, and Lindy was not always around. Still, he held on to the little cotton heart during the trying times.

 

Max only talked to Lindy in bits and pieces, during lunch, and maybe after school. Most of the time, he was alone, and didn't want to be bothered.

 

Lindy never called him Monkey Face again, but she frequently asked if he still had the heart.

 

"Yes," Max nodded.

 

"One day, we will be best friends," said Lindy, because deep down inside, she knew there was something about Max that she couldn't understand.

 

"I'm leaving," said Max, near the end of the year.

 

"Keep the heart, and remember that nothing is worse than being called Monkey Face," said Lindy.

 

Max didn't say a word.

 

"I Love you," said Lindy. Max nodded and walked away.

 

Max moved to another school, but at least, for a point in time, there was love that surrounded Max.

 

The End.

 

People often don't realize the power of the small gesture of kindness that can grow inside someone's life. Children are often not born with too many options, because they are given what they are given and they must learn from it, in hope that it is an education.

 

As adults we often don't teach our children how to say I love you to someone who needs it most. We are so guarded and full of judgment and sometimes it is right to do so – however, naturally, children just love. Maybe as adults we can love someone who is without love, although they seem different and silent.

For all of my fellow friends who have been hurt as adults or children. My thoughts are with you.

 

I love you,

Diana Kurniawan

(Inspired by experiences working with low income youths in Los Angeles and Riverside, Southern California).

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