Caught In the Right Wrong
     “What if you could be a part of another world; where problems here do not matter?” Maverick asked
     “You cannot, so just focus on what is important.”  I replied.
     “Who said I cannot, did someone already decide for me?” Maverick countered with his usual strong-willed ferocity. “What is important anyways, is it not whatever I deem important?”
     “Maverick, I swear, this is why everyone believes you are crazy. You know you are not allowed out of the walls, no one is, so forget about it!” I retorted, abruptly ending the conversation.
Maverick was always that way. He had to know and question all. No one could tell him different; once he made his mind it was final. I tried to remind him of his place; remind him of the consequences for breaking the law. I did for a while tie him down. Until he decided enough was enough. He could not contain his curiosity. On a Tuesday, when they brought in the weekly fish, is when I learned he had been breaking out. Maverick would just follow behind the fishers; none noticed the following stray.
     The last door slid open, a rush of bitter cold, salty air sprayed his face. No sun was visible behind the smog. Endless acrimonious seas sprawled far beyond the horizon. Maverick turned back. I suppose Maverick felt if he only saw a little at a time, then he had more to look forward to. This continued for weeks. I had my suspicion of where he had been going, so I told him I wanted to go with him, or I would report him. He showed me all he had learned: the way waves rolled, how far the ocean stretched, what colors the sky was, all that the Superiors forbid us to see. He climbed as close to the edge as he could to seek a better view, often on the railing of the ship. I looked around awestruck. I turned and Maverick had vanished.
     “ Help, over here!” Maverick called out in an anxious yet composed voice.
     He had fallen off into the icy waters. I told him frantically to get out. I feared he would freeze or drown. Of course, Maverick was not in any state of panic. He saw a opportunity, to experience this world he had watched from afar all the while. I finally found a rope and convinced him to climb back up. From then on he jumped in on purpose. Only Maverick would jump out of a ship into the frigid seas.
     One night Maverick knocked on my door at around 2 a.m. I reluctantly gave in and answered my door. Standing in the hall he only motioned for me to follow. With his new stolen key he opened the numerous doors that led to the ship’s outer deck. He froze in his tracks, eyes locked on a net filled with fish. Every living animal that could be caught filled the net, small sardines, tuna, sharks, and even sea turtles. The desperate fishermen killed all that was edible. I was not concerned of where my food came from. Maverick however, could not forget the image. All he talked about after was;
     “ Why are we so desperate for food, is the world dying?”
That icy ocean he felt so free in now became a dying world.
My family are news reporters on our ship. It was not long before Maverick asked me for a camera. He hooked it up near the nets to catch the fish being brought in. His life now became a mission to share with everyone his newfound truth. I was worried at how involved he was becoming. However, he told me he never was even seen. I knew it would not stay that way for long.
     During one of Maverick’s routine watches of the nets he glimpsed an unfamiliar shape under the writhing bodies of dying fish. A slender smiling figure, he had only vaguely heard about. Maverick could not remember what it was called. The plastered on smile sent a chill down his spine. The creature stared at him in desperate spirit. Maverick knew he could not just watch this time. Maverick quickly ran for my aid.  I told him I would not involve myself. It was not worth it to me to risk opposing the law. He dove into the water, sawing at the bottom of the net with a broken bit of glass. The net was too thick to cut.
The fishermen soon noticed him. They were fuming at the thought of losing their rare catch. They commanded him to stop. Maverick could not turn back: he had to act on what he felt was right. They warned him again.
     “Crack”
     The sound of a gun split the air. Maverick’s lifeless body hit the water.
     When Maverick did not come to the refectory, I knew he was in trouble. I did not know what had happened until I retrieved the camera I gave him. All that happened was captured on it; from the fishing nets to my friend so quickly having his life snatched away. A camera is now the only glimpse into Maverick’s last moments. Maverick did not seek acknowledgement. He only wanted all of you to know what has been happening outside these walls. I ignored the sinister demise. I did not want to consider it important. Now I know I am wrong. We have to open our eyes. They are not telling us what really goes on outside our ship. The Superiors have covered up reality, only leaving holes of what they want us to know. Behind this false security lays a wasteland. It is our job to take it upon ourselves to learn and act out for what is right, even if we do not know where the consequences will take us.
     This was Maverick’s story. The message his life reflected. It was not all he did but the one moment that mattered most. Maverick fought a just fight for which he payed the debts. The Superiors decided he was wrong, I am here to say that they are wrong, and my friend was right. Standing in front of you all, against the law and knowing my body soon will also be thrown into the seas as my friends’ was, remember Maverick’s life. What do you really know and what are you willing to learn?