Ever feel like you’re trapped in a fish bowl? Like you can’t get away from the zillions of eyes that glare at you continually? That’s how I feel. Every. Single. Day. I don’t even have a house or something I can hide in to get away. I have less freedom than a goldfish. This is what my world has become, nothing more than a fish bowl. I can’t get away from any of it, because anywhere I try to run, they’ll find me.


No windows, cameras everywhere, people being watched like prey, vultures circling overhead, waiting for us to collapse. This is our world? Our beautiful world that used to be so full of hope and nature and dreams, gone. I used to feel so sorry for anyone who lived in 2012. The government was so controlling, so horrifying back then. I guess people didn’t realize that things would only get worse. Our overcomplicated government was the worst thing to happen to our already failing country. When the world didn’t end on December 21st, 2012 people didn’t know what to do with themselves, and there lies the problem.

After how long of our government becoming tighter and tighter on us, like a boa constrictor sucking more and more life out of a mouse, we finally reached the breaking point. Revolts started happening, and to everyone’s relief, the government started making some changes. Unfortunately these were not the kind of changes we were hoping for. The government enlisted the help of other countries, who, of course, were sick of our growing debt, and having other countries make the rules wouldn’t have been so bad if our fabulous *insert sarcasm here* government hadn’t agreed to every rule slapped down on the table in front of them. Just a taste of my torture; No flowers, they give people too much hope. No flags, too much pride. No swing-sets, too much joy. No animals, too much fun. No pools, too easy to cool off in summer. Not only these rules, but you must also have a camera in every room of your house, and yes, I mean every room. This is a little disturbing if you happen to be an average human being who likes to shower in private, and not having your nude body cast into a government viewing room.

School is now worse that it ever was. It’s my personal prison. A place where I can’t even think outside these four concrete walls. The teachers all have a special chip implanted in their brain, so they’re still ‘real’ people, but every word that comes out of their mouth is said by the government. “Always pay your taxes on time, our country needs money to keep up our great work!” The government says that the teachers ‘volunteered’ for this torture-I mean job. My suspicion? No, they never gave up their freedom willingly. All that’s taught is how the U.S. is obviously the best ever and how we, the future generation need to take care of our country as well as our ancestors before us. What a load of crap.

We also have a very unlimited amount of job opportunities. Normally they try to keep our minds on anything mind-numbingly boring. Our very small list of jobs usually consists of something like ‘teacher, plumber, accountant’ and wonderful thinks like that. I’m not even supposed to be writing this, I’m sure they are watching me as my fingers tap these very keys. That’s okay with me. Hey, um, government? I will make a difference in this country, and it will not be as a droning teacher with a chip implanted into my head. No, I’ll make this country what it used to be, not that any of you remember. The country focused on freedom? Equality? Any of this sounding familiar? I thought 2039 was supposed to be more advanced, you know, hover cars, living on the moon? Not this brown, barren piece of land inhabited by humans who can’t choose what to eat, much less what to wear.

Sorry for everyone who’s reading this and is not a part of the government. I get like that sometimes. I just want them to know that despite what they think, I am not one of those government issued robots patrolling the streets, making sure that none of us are being too overzealous. Like wearing dark gray instead of the government issued light gray, oh those rebels. Can you imagine what life will be like in 2050? Every single hour, of every single day, of every single year planned. 5:47 exactly we wake up and are expected to shower, and get dressed, and be done by 6:15. Breakfast commences at 6:18 and ends at 6:32. All of this down to the precise second. Our day continues on like this, no time for fun.

There comes a point where you are just done. Done with life, done with the gray, old, boring rules and just want to scream, or dance, or laugh, just for two seconds. Of course that is against regulations and you would get court ordered punishment.. Normally the punishment consists of standing in a room filled with ammonia fumes for 3-4 minutes, repeat offenders will get a minute more each time. My best friend, Dimitri, was killed two years ago. He was my inspiration for this whole thing. What he did? He wore blue. For two months straight. Every day, and everyday he still got punished. Until, eventually, he was beaten to death by guards. As I stated before, I will not be the governments little puppet. I will be creative, I will not sit here and I will not sit here in my life and not make a decision for myself.

I suppose that time doesn’t really show in a book, but I was gone for 4 days. I’m quite amused, actually. Apparently, much to my surprise (not really) they were, indeed, watching. I was punished. I’m so giddy with joy! Why? Because those little chickens are scared! Of me. Of me! Which means I have power, enough to make them worry, enough for them to know I can start a revolt! Of course for my own security measures, I had to create a firewall around my computer, one that only I could get around. Now I can write freely about my plans.

I hope that the government is scared, because I am planning a revolt, a relatively small one. Not anyone from my school, the grays will find out. You know the grays, every school has ‘em. Those either really super popular people who are so bubbly and think they are better than the air I breathe, and the suck-ups. The suck-ups are the ones that supposedly ‘like’ our government. How did you know? Yes, they are indeed the teacher’s children. Brainwashed, just like their parents. It’s repulsing.

Planning a revolt is quite tiring, but not nearly as tiring, I’m sure, as actually going through with it will be. My world is so painful, uncreative, what am I to do? There’s really nothing here for me, so why don’t I just kill myself you ask? I don’t want to be the selfish girl, the one that killed herself to get out of it. I want to end this torture for everyone. No more obeying these ridiculous rules, no more bowing down.

I think I’m ready. I’ve planned everything, 67 paces from the government gates to the headquarters. 29 from the base to the top of the building in case the elevators are too dangerous and we are forced to scale the building. We have a plan, and a very dangerous one at that. Now it’s just finding the right time to do it. I was thinking tomorrow, since it’s the summer solstice. All of the government employees will be incredibly drunk, and from my experience, drunken people will give you anything.

This will kill many people, but if they can’t even think for themselves, isn’t it just like killing the government over and over again? This government is like a bad weed that just won’t die, despite all the weed killer you pour all over it. I’m disappointed that everyone has decided to bow out and not even put up a fight for our freedom, so I guess I have to make the decision for them all, and stand up for what I know it right.

Tonight, the revolt will happen. My 2nd grade teacher, Ms. Washota will be helping me. Although she does have a chip implant, she had an illegal surgery to have it deactivated. It’s a very long, very confusing story that I just don’t have time to explain right now. Let’s just say it involved a pizza cutter, two sugar free ice cream cones, and 17 ½ bobby pins. I’m so lucky to have her, but I’m worried that my small revolt may be too small. Will it be enough? She’s so nice, but what if this requires more manpower than I had previously anticipated? Will everything work out? Am I getting cold feet? Oh, right, the plan.

We are going to sneak into the government headquarters, take the nuclear bombs, (after WWIII the U.S. confiscated all nuclear bombs for ‘safe keeping’ yeah, not so much) we will take the nuclear bombs and destroy us, everything, everyone. When the first revolt happened, the population reduced to just 600 people (don’t ask how) and so now we can fit into one little sliver of land.

Some may say that in less than two hours I will become a murderer, that’s true. I will kill 600 people, but I will save so many more. I’m stopping this all. The schools especially, they are prisons, not ‘safe’ places. No more feeling like I’m in a fishbowl. It all ends.

I will try to keep this updated, as we are scaling up headquarters. Yeah, I know, I’m so talented, I can write and scale a building at the same time! Looks like we’re in the bomb room, I was right, I asked very politely (being my ever so cunning self) and the nice, drunk employee just gave his keys to me. Too bad he’ll be dead in ten minutes. How unfortunate. Looks like Washota is ready to light the first bomb, so I’ll leave you with this: Look at what we’ve become, pawns in the government’s personal game of chess. Whoever finds this, please promise to yourself and to hopefully your future country that you will create, that you will never let it get this way again, promise that there will be no people thinking for other people, and promise to give people freedom. I want everyone to think for themselves. Don’t be discouraged by the challenges you may encounter, just overcome the hurdles. Don’t let the schools be this bad anymore. No more making students feel as if they can’t think for themselves, or not giving them any freedom, or by having cameras everywhere. You’re just pushing them away. If you will not follow these simple requests, walk away. Don’t come back. People are being tortured, the life slowly being sucked out of them, school, jobs, anything shouldn’t be a prison or a fish bowl, as it’s been for hundreds of years. Goodbye.

Virtual Announcement from President Lionel Trowheel (President, 2695): We found this book in an old abandoned warehouse, and I’m sorry to say that this girl’s sacrifices were in vain. School continues to be a prison, the government is still thinking for people, and everyone is still in a fishbowl. This is what our country is, I hoe you are all ashamed.