Short Story, written by Cathy Kostova
The silence was broken by the gentle sound of a cow munching on corn silage. The magnificent creature had a striking appearance, with her powerful black head and a pure white heart shape marking her forehead. Her peaceful chewing was soon interrupted by unsettling screams emanating from behind her. She turned around for a second, then went back to chewing.
The cow was caged, surrounded by others of her kind, all lined up facing a feeding panel. Sniffing forward, she caught a glimpse of the open hanger doors, revealing an expansive soybean field, ready for harvest. The air was thick with grain dust and dry leaves, stirred up by the strong wind. A colossal green combine roared through the faded-yellow field of soybeans, leaving a trail of smooth desert-coloured earth behind. The machine was not alone, as nine other identical giants, each marked with the “Happy Cow” company logo, worked alongside it, forming a perfectly aligned military-like row.
Suddenly, a bird flew over the field and reached the far end, landing on a wire fence. It falls dead immediately, electrocuted…
*
30-year-old Moyra Green appeared to be on a mission. Kneeling on the side of the deserted road, she wore a scarf to shield her face from the unrelenting wind and dust. Her frequent coughing fits were only temporarily relieved by her asthma inhaler. Despite her discomfort, Moyra’s gaze remained fixed on the spot where the bird had fallen, her was heart heavy.
As she looked around, Moyra saw a stark reminder of the corporate control over the land. The fence was covered in repeating signs, declaring “ENTRY NOT ALLOWED” with “Happy Cow” logos as far as the eye could see. The text was translated into multiple languages, ensuring that the message was understood. The graphic of a person jumping over the fence was struck diagonally with a thick red line, leaving no doubt about the consequences of trespassing.
Moyra carefully picked up a few seeds from the side of the road, and placed them in a half-full, hand-sewn pouch. She then slipped the pouch into a secret inner pocket of her leather jacket. Another coughing fit overtook her, but Moyra steadied herself and walked towards her scooter, which was equipped with a “Happy Cow” fast food delivery box.
Putting on her helmet, Moyra drove off.
As Moyra entered the high-rise city on her old scooter, the heavy pollution cloud hanging over the city was impossible to ignore. The night had not fallen yet but artificial lights flickered everywhere. The high-rise concrete buildings created an unappealing skyline. No green areas were to be seen. There was little space in between the buildings, creating for a smothering atmosphere. Most buildings were only half-way complete but their lower storeys were already occupied.
*
Lewis Green, a distinguished gentleman in his late 60s, is seated at a modest two-person dining table, crammed into the smallest, most cramped kitchen/dining room imaginable. His face appears flushed, swollen and tired, as he sits upright in his worn-out suit jacket. Behind him, a Lady Justice statue commands attention on a small bookstand, flanked by dusty lawbooks and a faded photograph of a younger Lewis posing with a police chief inspector. The table is set for two, featuring a chicken drumstick on the side of a beef burger without the bun, topped with one fried egg. Two large, vibrant orange pills and two full glasses of water sit poised next to each plate, ready to be taken. Lewis glances up at the oversized clock mounted above the front door, his impatience growing as he notes that it is already five past seven.
Just then, Moyra barges in, slamming the door behind her. She locks the door with multiple locks. She coughs and reaches for her inhaler, her eyes barely acknowledging Lewis. Frustrated, he wastes no time in dissolving the pills into their respective water glasses, creating a thick, syrupy vitamin drink.
“Sorry for being late” – Moyra brushed past him and went straight into her bedroom.
The bedroom is scarcely larger than a closet, just enough space for a modest single bed and a minuscule cabinet that doubles as a desk. Moyra enters and makes a beeline for the cabinet, opening the bottom drawer. With great care, she removes a handful of clothes and lays them out gently on the bed, before deftly removing a false bottom to reveal a hidden compartment. The compartment houses a vibrant potted lettuce plant, bathed in the ethereal glow of a LED light. Moyra tenderly plucks a few leaves from the side of the plant before carefully reassembling the cabinet and returning the clothes to their proper place.
Shrugging off her leather jacket, Moyra emerges from the bedroom and joins Lewis at the table.
Moyra placed some lettuce leaves on both plates and sat at the table. She chewed on one quickly.
“How was your day, father?”
Lewis remained silent, fixated on his leaves as though they were poisonous. He glanced at the clock and then the door, which was met with forceful knocking, interrupting Moyra’s content chewing. She swallowed hard, searching her father’s expression for any explanation.
“Police! Open the door!” – The knocking persisted, growing aggressive. Lewis remained rooted to his spot, staring down at his plate, while Moyra frantically removed the lettuce from the plates, stuffed her mouth, and disposed of the rest in the sink before running the food dispenser.
As the knocking turned into loud thumps, Lewis rose to his feet and opened the door, granting entry to two policemen who rushed into the flat. One of them, a sergeant, halted in his tracks as he recognized Lewis.
“Sir?” he addressed Lewis with a nod of recognition.
Lewis responded with a nod of his own, directing the sergeant’s attention to Moyra’s room.
“Search the place.” – ordered the sergeant to his constable.
Constable Jones, 30s, kind but fatigued faced, moved forward, while the sergeant started searching the fridge and cupboards. Jones sent an empathetic glance at Moyra as he went to her bedroom. Lewis and Moyra froze in their corners, surprised by the haze that was occurring in their flat. Moyra’s gaze shifted towards her father, filled with blame, as she began planning her next move. Lewis’s expression remained blank, devoid of any emotion.
“Sergeant, I’ve got something here.” Jones yelled.
The sergeant joined him in the bedroom, which by that time is completely turned over – mattress and sheets upside down, the wall decorations removed, and the clothes from the cabinet thrown on the floor. Constable Jones discovered the lettuce compartment. He proceeded to take the lettuce plant in an evidence bag.
Moyra was on fire inside, unable to cope with the injustice. The sergeant came in, looked at Lewis, then at Moyra.
“I trust this won’t happen again or I would be obliged to arrest you. ” – he meant Moyra.
Lewis responded in a loud threatening whisper “Sergeant, take what you came for!”
The sergeant evaluated the situation for a second. He gave the constable a sign to head out. The sergeant nodded to Lewis. Moyra watched them leave with her plant in a plastic bag and her eyes rested on the figure of her father. He didn’t look back but went back to the table to finish his protein full dinner. Moyra turned and went to her bedroom.
“You could do so much more with your life if you just comply with the law.” Lewis murmured sternly after her.
She ruffled through the “rubble” of what used to be a tidy bedroom. She found her jacket and pouch under the pile of clothes on the floor. The seeds were still there. She took a few in her palm, then hid the rest in her pocket.
Moyra took a large bowl from the kitchen cupboard. She pulled out a bag of pure cotton from a medical cabinet. She filled the bowl with cotton, then put a couple of seeds inside and padded the seeds over with more cotton. She added a bit of water from the tap and took the bowl back to her bedroom.
She puts the bowl under the LED light without caring much about concealing it anymore and threw herself on the bed. Lewis walked to the door and peeked in.
“Come, finish your dinner.” – he said gently.
She turned around and sank her face in the mattress.
Lewis looked at her for second, she was small, still his little girl. He took one step in and hesitated for a second. Then he turned off her bedroom lights and closed the door. Moyra turned around and stared at the LED lit cabinet. She noticed something she hadn’t seen previously. She went closer and discovered a folded piece of paper. She unfolded it carefully.
It said: “Leamington and Grey. Pass code: ‘Grey is Green'”.
Moyra was puzzled. She squeezed the note and laid back in bed staring up at the ceiling.
*
A couple of eggs and bacon sizzled in a frying pan. Lewis hummed as Moyra entered the kitchen quietly.
She sat at the table. A fast-food joint uniform sat neatly folded on the table, on top of it – a baseball cap with the familiar smiling cow logo. Moyra put a vitamin pill in a water glass and watched it dissolve in front of the logo. She gulped down the drink, as Lewis served her eggs.
He served himself too and sat next to her. Moyra started eating in silence. Lewis looked at her as if he was about to say something but he didn’t. He grabbed her hand and without looking at her he said:
“My dear child, I don’t know how we got this far… You must blame me for leaving such a horrible place for you to live in.”
“Father.” – she grabbed his hand as well.
*
Moyra rode her little scooter through town. People’s heads popped up from behind glass windows. They stared at her passing by – she was a rare breed to be outside. The occasional delivery van, but otherwise traffic was slow. The weather was sunnier than the day before, however the city was just as colourless and the air dust rocked on Moyra’s helmet.
“Leamington and Grey.” – Moyra read the street signs.
She parked the scooter in front of a small grocery store. It was situated on the corner of Leamington and Grey Street. She took off her helmet and adjusted her scarf to cover from the wind before she ran in.
The products in the store were mostly canned, dried and otherwise pre-made meats, processed mixtures with vitamin labels on them and other pharmaceuticals.
Moyra looked around, unsure of her next step. A customer in the corner smiled at her. He had bad teeth and patchy skin. She turned around. She saw Parker, as shown on his name tag, the store clerk.
“Hello.”
“Hello.” – Parker greeted her cheerfully.
“Grey is Green.” – stated Moyra.
Parker became uneasy. The other customer came from behind Moyra and put some cans on the counter.
Parker scanned the items quickly and waited for the customer to leave. The guy put on a mask and ran out.
Parker looked through the window to make sure no one was around.
“Come” – he invited Moyra to follow him. He led her into a storage room and locked the door. – “Who are you?!” – He put his hand behind his back as if reaching for a weapon.
“Moyra Green.”
“Green. Funny… What do you want? Why are you here?”
“Nothing. I apologize. This was a mistake. Someone just left this next to my lettuce…” – She passed him the note.
“Your lettuce?”
“Listen, I don’t want any trouble. I need to go now.” – but she didn’t move.
Parker stared at her for a long while before he did anything.
“They took it. They always do.” – she couldn’t hold her frustration.
Parker’s face was puzzled.
“The police.” – She clarified.
Parker suddenly relaxed and smiled. All his questions seemed to have been answered.
“Jones.” he said almost to himself “OK. Come.”
He pushed some boxes aside and opened a hidden door.
Moyra hesitated for a second but somehow figured she had nothing to lose.
Parker and Moyra walked down a long doggy corridor. Moyra looked back every so often, unsure for her safety. The corridor led to a sewer tunnel.
“We have chosen to eradicate ourselves from this Earth, and the Earth has gone nowhere. In time it will regenerate. All the lakes will be pristine. The rivers, the waters, the mountains, everything will be green again. It will be peaceful. There may not be people but the Earth will regenerate. Because the Earth has all the time in the world… and we don’t.”
Moyra ended up in what looked like to have been a part of the city sewer system. The place had been transformed – lit brightly as day. The sides of the tunnel were turned into planting beds, where lay strawberry plants, lettuce, tomatoes, eggplant, etc. Several people worked around the plants, picking the fruits and planting new ones.
The middle of the tunnel was still a sewer canal, but the water had gone through a filtration system and it now flew like a clear river from end to end.
Moyra walked around and touched the fruit that grew around her, unbelieving her eyes. A young woman encouraged her to try some.
