Remembrance

    Certain days in the life of a person are so memorable that the actual date on which these events take place are burned into their mind just as clearly as the events themselves.  One date that Samuel Morgan would always remember with awe was the 12th of November 2118.  
The previous night Sam had barely gotten any sleep, his room was deathly silent yet he had woken up during the night repeatedly, each time looking around as if expecting something to be wrong.
    Celestia had been Sam’s home for almost four years now and he had never had a restless night, it was a peaceful place and far more relaxing than the hectic world he’d left behind.  Now, Sam was the only person on the station who wasn’t asleep, it wasn’t because his mind was being distracted by dreams, he hadn’t dreamt in a while, he just had a foreboding feeling that something was not right.
    When Sam had woken up for the fifth time, he finally decided to give up on sleep.  It was early in the morning, much earlier than he would normally wake up but the time of day made little difference to him where he was.  For a while he sat huddled on his chair with his duvet wrapped around him as he watched TV, not the news though, he didn’t feel like it for some reason.
    As a substitute for sleep Sam watched a film, he patiently let it play in front of him for two hours, all the while expecting to drift off but sleep never came.  When it finished Sam watched the credits roll on because he had nothing else to do.  The many names of the people involved in the film drifted past his eyes and Sam found it amazing the amount of people necessary, he began to wonder what each person was like.  
He felt tired because he went to bed quite late last night; something kept him awake however, maybe for a reason.  Sam wasn’t a believer in fate but what happened that morning did make him re-evaluate his beliefs, just for a moment.
    Sam looked over at the clock, it said 08:39, a compulsion came over him and he switched over to the news channel that he had grown so accustomed to over the years.  What he saw affected every part of him and definitely made sure that he was fully awake now.
He saw the city where he was born on fire, he saw bodies slumped in the streets as if local residents had laid them on the pavement to be collected by the rubbish trucks.  These  images that were capturing Sam’s attention with a mixture of horror and interest were showing pouring rain cascading over the recently fractured buildings of the city.
    “The live images that you are seeing are the aftermath of the riots in London last night.  We do not yet know the total number of casualties, it is suspected to be well into the hundreds.  An official statement from the Mayor’s office said what caused the riots were the now infamous ‘Followers of Mantis’.  Apparently, early yesterday evening, the protesters that have been present on the streets of London for almost a year now began to suddenly attack without warning.  These religious fanatics started to burn buildings and assault civilians all across the city.  It was only due to the swift actions of the city police that further tragedy was prevented.  Riot police were first dispatched to quell the wrath of the cultists but the crowds of activists refused to be arrested, claiming that they were ‘Doing the will of Mantis’.  When the police were called in the men and women of the rioters grew more angry and attacked the police, causing many injuries and even some deaths of policemen.  At this point they had no choice but to use firearms to drive back these incredibly violent criminals.  The warning shots were unheeded by the now berserk rioters so the police were forced to open fire on the crowd for the good of the city.  Many of the Followers of Mantis lost their lives during last night’s conflict and those who have survived have been taken into custody.  Unfortunately, the situation has not been completely resolved yet.  Even though the conflict is dying down, some remaining groups of cultists are still battling riot police at this very moment in other parts of the city.  Some good news was that Mantis himself was among his Followers at the peak of the hostilities and was killed during the altercation last night.”
    The voice informed Sam of what had happened the previous night but he was more captivated by the pictures that the television had remained exhibiting throughout the report.  Sam was awestruck, occasionally he could see parts of the city that he recognised but they were highly unlike the images in his memory, he could see familiar buildings half-burnt and with corpses piled neatly out front.
    Sam couldn’t turn away, he didn’t understand why this was, it was highly unlikely that anyone he knew had been hurt yet he found the TV now impossible to switch off.  If this had occurred in any other city in the world Sam could just think what a shame it was and stopped watching before he became too depressed by what was going on down there among the humans.  This was different, just the fact that it was happening in his city, the place where he lived and in one year, would return to living there, made it impossible for him to ignore.
    Fresh images of the latest horror continued to roll past his vision, they seemed endless.  Sam could feel himself beginning to weep, not fully but his eyes had certainly started to water, he couldn’t believe it, he couldn’t even remember the last time something had affected him so much that it caused him to cry.
    The screen was gradually becoming harder and harder to focus on because of how blurry Sam’s vision was becoming.  He didn’t wipe his eyes, he found that the images were easier to bear with distorted eyesight.  Sam began to blink and the tears started to flow, he had almost forgotten what crying felt like, he had forgotten how much he liked it.  With tears clouding his eyes the world looked so blurry and unclear that it reminded him of a dream.
    Sam began to re-notice things that he thought not worth remembering the last time.  He noticed that if you squint with watering eyes everything that generates light, computer screens, TV’s, light bulbs etc. takes on an extra dimension, their light spreads out further than normal and gives the impression of having more light than it is letting you see.  Perhaps water-filled eyes don’t limit your vision, since they let you see more that certain objects have to offer, they enhance it.
    He couldn’t stand it anymore, the feeling of teardrops slowly trickling down his face bothered him too much.  It felt like they were purposefully tickling him so he wiped them away.
    The pictures that tormented him still remained on screen, this was a big story and Sam would be surprised if they didn’t stick with it for the entire day.  Sam was fascinated and disgusted by the grotesque and highly graphic images of all these bodies piled on top of one another in the streets of London.
    The rain falling on the bodies showed no sign of letting up anytime soon and the sight of the water mixing with the blood and flowing down the drains of the gutter where they were keeping the bodies until they could be taken away was particularly disturbing.  Sam found it incredible that there were such strict laws on when violent and explicit material could be shown on television but images of real violence could be shown so early because it was news.
    Sam did not envy the person who’s job it was to place all those bodies in neat piles like that, he wondered who it was who had to do it, it was probably left to lower ranking policemen.  It must have been done by policemen because they appeared to be the only living people in the areas that were being filmed.  Occasionally he would see the odd police officer patrol the zones of destruction.  Most of them on camera could be seen taping off large portions of streets with crowds of citizens milling around trying to get a glimpse of the corpses.  
Sam would’ve judged them for gaining interest from looking at the recently deceased but he was doing the exact same thing, he just had a better view from 400,000 kilometres away than they did from right next to them.
    As expected the news refrained from showing the faces of the dead cultists, they only focussed on ones that were face down.  Sam never understood why they never showed the faces, it might be beneficial in case someone sees a person that they know, then they wouldn’t have to phone up and spend all that time worrying as they found out if the worst had happened.
    This story was live, it was one of the biggest events London had ever seen so it was understandable that the usual rules of decorum on the news was sometimes forgotten.  Once in a while Sam did catch a glimpse of a rioter’s face and was amazed to see how young they seemed, he didn’t think there was a person there who was older than him.  Sam was starting to feel nauseous, he didn’t think he could take much more but at the same time he couldn’t avert his gaze, it was very fortunate that Hypnos interrupted the images.
    “Are you alright Sam?” he asked.
    “Yes, no,” he said.  “I don’t know.  Have you been watching?”
    “Yes,” Hypnos said.  “The information was first covered by the news at about 03:30 am and has been repeated ever since.”
    “It started that long ago?” Sam said.  “Why didn’t you tell me?”
    “You were having trouble sleeping and I didn’t want to see you upset and sleep deprived,” Hypnos said.  “I thought that it could wait until morning.”
    “I would’ve liked to know this as soon as possible,” Sam said.
    “I’m sorry,” Hypnos said.  “I did not know, I will remember it for the future.”
    “What do you mean ‘for the future’?” Sam said.
    “Just in the highly unlikely case that something else like this happens during your remaining time as my guest I will inform you the moment that something has happened that I feel you would like to know,” Hypnos said.  “No matter what the time.”
    “How could something like this ever happen again?” Sam said.
    “I know that it probably won’t but I like to be prepared for every eventuality,” Hypnos said.  “Are you still feeling tired?”
    “No,” Sam said.  “I think it’s safe to say that I’ve been fully awakened.  Last night was so weird, I’ve been here for four years now, have you ever known me to have trouble sleeping?”
    “Not once,” Hypnos said.  “You are a very heavy sleeper, you sleep more soundly than anyone who has ever stayed here, apart from the prisoners that is.  Last night you reminded me greatly of Mr. Thorpe, he frequently had restless nights.”
    “Don’t you think that’s strange?” Sam said.  “The only night I can’t sleep is the same night when these riots occurred in London.”
    “It’s unusual but there is no link between the two,” Hypnos said.  “The riots happened yesterday, before you even went to bed, the reports came in when you were trying to sleep.”
    “I suppose you’re right,” Sam said.  “It’s not the first time something strange like that has happened in my sleep.  I was born quite early in the morning on my birthday, once when I was a teenager on my birthday I had stayed up late the previous night and I was planning on having a lie in.  The weird thing was I woke up at the exact time, to the minute, that I was born.  At the time I didn’t think nowhere near as much as I’m thinking of what happened last night right now, I just thought that it was kind of weird and went back to sleep.”
    “I’ve heard many stories like that in my time here,” Hypnos said.  “Maria was a strong believer in conspiracies and the supernatural, she tried to persuade me but after five years with her I still think that events such as these are just coincidences.”
    “I think that too,” Sam said.  “I just feel a little weird, I didn’t expect this.  There’s been so many news stories that sound like they could cause massive destruction but they all fizzle out, I guess that’s what I thought was going to happen with those fanatics, I suppose I was wrong.  I suppose you were wrong, you said that nothing was going to happen, you said that they wouldn’t turn violent!”
    “I’m sorry,” Hypnos said.  “It appears I made a mistake, either I didn’t get the full story or I made a miscalculation in evaluating the demeanour of these people.”
    “A miscalculation?” Sam said.  “Hundreds are now dead.”
    “Hundreds die every day,” Hypnos said.  “More than that actually, you’re only focussing on these people because they died in a familiar environment to you.  I still don’t understand why they did it, they must have known that they would be killed.  I really thought that they would not turned violent if left unprovoked, maybe people aren’t as predictable as I would like to believe.”
     “As a rule religious extremists aren’t the most predictable type of people,” Sam said.
    “So it seems, I will learn from my mistakes in the future,” Hypnos said.  “What I don’t understand is why you care so much, did you know any of those amongst the list of casualties?”
    “No,” Sam said.
    “Did your property get damaged?” Hypnos asked.
    “No,” Sam repeated.
    “Then why?” Hypnos said.
    “I don’t really know,” Sam admitted.  “It’s just the thought of it happening where I live, this will probably change my home and when I do eventually get back there, I’m worried that I won’t recognise it.”
    “I thought you didn’t like where you lived,” Hypnos said.  “Isn’t that why you came here, to get a break from your life.”
    “Yes, a break,” Sam said.  “I didn’t want anything permanently changed, after four years among these surroundings I was actually kind of looking forward to going back home.  I thought that when I did return I might appreciate the place more.”
    “Don’t worry Sam,” Hypnos said.  “They have an entire year to clean up the city before you will see it again, that’s a long time.  I’ll be surprised if you could even tell anything bad had ever happened there when you look on it again.  I predict that the city of London will make a full recovery in a much shorter time than you expect.”
    “Just like your prediction of the actions of the cultists?” Sam said mockingly.
    “I made one mistake, it turns out that it’s quite difficult to accurately judge the motives of a religious sect,” Hypnos said.  “This is different, I’m talking about civil policy, I know plenty about that and can be very precise with my predictions.”
    “I hope your right,” Sam said.  “I would really like everything to be just as I left it.”
    “How’s your book coming?” Hypnos said.
    “Oh, I completely forgot about that,” Sam said.  “I’m getting near to finishing it but I don’t think I’ll do anymore writing today, I’m really not in the mood.”
    “Are you afraid that this book will get rejected as well?” Hypnos said.
    “Terrified,” Sam said.  “That’s why I’m taking so much time on it, I need to make sure that this is my best attempt to give me the best chance of success.  I think I need to put a lot of effort into the ending, I’ve already got an idea but it needs to be developed more.  Many writers seem to neglect the ending, which I think is the most important part.  It should be the first thing you think of before you start writing something.  It doesn’t really matter how anything begins; the way it comes to end has always been infinitely more vital.  I've read so many books that were clearly not planned out and just made up as they went along, with the author finally settling on any old way to end their story.  I don’t tolerate such laziness and I refuse to be like them, but I’ve still got some to do before I reach that point.  I keep finding myself retouching and polishing various parts in case they aren’t good enough.”
    “Very well,” Hypnos said.  “However, be careful Samuel.  If you polish something too much, soon you won’t be able to see past the shine.  A certain roughness to a creation can sometimes be a positive quality.  What will you do if it does get rejected?”
    “That would be horrible, five years work gone,” Sam said.  “I guess I would keep trying for the rest of my life, with the money I’m going to get I will have nothing but time.  Although, having a book that I spent five years working on rejected might indicate that I’m not meant to be a writer.  I may just give up and focus on trying my hand at something else, there was one thing that I really wanted to do and used to think about a lot, a sort of dream job I suppose.”
    “What is it?” Hypnos said.
    “I want to own a shop but a very specific kind of shop,” Sam said.  “An original shop.”
    “What would it sell?” Hypnos said.
    “You know how there are book shops and music shops, places that specify in just one form of media,” Sam said.  “I’ve always wanted a place that only sells films, that’s it.”
    “There already are places that rent films,” Hypnos said.
    “Yes, I know but I want a place that only sells them,” Sam said.  “I don’t think anyone’s ever done that before.  I really like films so I thought it would be perfect for me.”
    “I’ve noticed how much you like films after observing you watching so many during your stay here,” Hypnos noted.  “I must admit that sometimes I worry about your taste in films.  More often than not, they are quite violent.”
    “Why does that worry you?” Sam asked.
    “I just don’t think it must be good for you,” Hypnos said.
    “Most films have at least some violence in them,” Sam said.  “It’s difficult to find any without.  Actually, I believe it’s probably doing me some good.”
    “How so?” Hypnos said.
    “Violence is the only human desire that we are not permitted to express in civilised society,” Sam said.  “And we’re all the better for it.  I enjoy fake violence from time to time but I can’t stand the real version.  I don’t believe the former leads to the latter.  I think the opposite.  Humans have always been violent; it’s in our nature.  And by doing things like watching violent films, we can slake that animalistic impulse so we can sedately live our lives without returning to the old ways.”
    “I’m not sure my files on human psychology would agree but I suppose each mind is different,” Hypnos said.  “So what would you call it?”
    “What are you talking about now?” Sam said.
    “Your film shop,” Hypnos reminded him of the previous topic.
    “Oh…I don’t know,” Sam said.  “I haven’t thought about it that much, I never seriously thought about doing it.”
    “Why not?” Hypnos said.
    “I don’t think I would be very good at managing a shop,” he said.  “Besides, I wanted to open it in London but I don’t think there’s much of it left from what I’ve seen on the news.”
    “Do you know how much you tend to exaggerate?” Hypnos said.
    “Maybe I watch too much of the news,” Sam said.
    “You want me to turn it back on again don’t you?” Hypnos said.
    “If you wouldn’t mind?” Sam said.
    The pale blue translucent face of Hypnos disappeared again and the images that Sam planned on watching all day returned.  The story was being repeated again from the beginning in its entirety so Sam could hear the first parts that he missed.
    “Yesterday’s Remembrance Day celebrations were cut short by an unexpected violent outburst from the ‘Followers of Mantis’ who were, at the time, supposed to be protesting against giving global control to the companies.  Yesterday, the 11th of November 2118 was meant to mark the 200th anniversary of the end of the first world war but not many were celebrating come nightfall as that was when the Followers of Mantis decided that their protest was not enough and launched their unprecedented attack.  This sudden burst of aggression may have had something to do with the Remembrance Day festivities themselves, maybe they had something against the day itself or maybe they just felt that it was a good time to strike when everyone’s guard was lowered as they were busy celebrating.”
    The recording of the female voice may have been the same but the images were different, they were still live and kept the viewers up to date on the current situation.  The bodies were now being taken away by large trucks with the aid of men in white plastic suits, their faces covered by surgical masks.
    “A theory on the motives of what may have driven these people to commit such horrendous acts is publicity.  The Followers of Mantis have been protesting for over a year now and they may have felt that they were not getting enough attention.  Reports have recently come in that new branches of the ‘Followers of Mantis’ are cropping up all over the world because of this very public demonstration of hostility.  The true reason behind what happened yesterday will be attained when the few cultists that survived wake up from their comas and they can be interrogated by the police.  The live images that you are seeing are the aftermath of the London riots last night…”
    They began to repeat what Sam had heard earlier but he didn’t turn it off, the picture being shown were still up to date live images and he needed to keep watching in case anything new happened.  Sam knew that he wouldn’t move from his seat until they stopped covering the story, if that took up his entire day, so be it.  It couldn’t last that long, the bodies were being taken away and there weren’t that many remaining, he wondered what they would show after they ran out of corpses to exhibit, probably talk further about what happened he surmised.
    Sam wished he could’ve trusted with childlike naivety what the nice lady on the telly was telling him about last nights grim events, but Sam used to work for various newspapers and knew the truth.  He knew the many restrictions on what the media could report and how they reported it, he knew that there was a high probability that he was not getting the full story from these people.
    Sam trusted Hypnos and there was certainly no denying that Hypnos knew an awful lot concerning most subjects, but he still felt he couldn’t ask him.  Over the last four years Sam had learned that the Olympus Corporation informed Hypnos on very little that was going on back on Earth.  His artificial companion was very much like him, they were both rather lonely, they both craved for once returning to Earth and they both got most of their information from TV.
    A part of Sam thought that it was fortunate that this had happened in London when he hadn’t been there, it even got him thinking that there may be something in this fate idea.
    This made Sam feel rather special, maybe a higher power needed him to live, perhaps he was meant for something important in the future.  Even though he was glad that he had been out of town, out of the planet actually, when this violence occurred, a part of him still wanted to have been present at the time.
    Sam didn’t have a death wish, he didn’t want to go until he was forced to, but he still had a strong feeling that he missed an incredibly exciting night.  It would have also been useful to have been there from an informational point of view, Sam wouldn’t have to rely on a biased media system to discover the truth.  He would’ve had first hand experience of that fateful night and could’ve found out what had really happened for certain, instead he would never know for sure.