text: Imagination was outlawed in Steel City. It was as simple as that. Only the mention of the god-forsaken word could get you in trouble. This meant no bedtime stories, no creative games at breaktime and no fun. The Higher-ups' reasoning was simple; order as opposed to chaos, productivity instead of laziness, work instead of procrastination. So it was in a city like this that Jones woke up to, stone-faced and expressionless. Yet little did he know that this afternoon he would embark on an adventure that would change his city and himself forever. He would discover... Beep Beep Beep The deafening silence woke him up, and he yawned once, twice. As was routine. As was allowed. Marching downstairs in thirteen seconds, he sat down to breakfast. The familiar greeting of, "Morning, morning. Any dreams last night?" from his dad was what he heard first, and he saw the breakfast table lined with the necessary food; cereal, toast and water. Nothing better to start the day. "Not really," was the scripted response, the same each time. He sat down at the table and munched on some toast, ready to be reviewed. "So... You spent 12.87 seconds getting down here. A new record!" A half hearted smile plastered on his face, Jones resumed nibbling on the food and responded, "Yes father. I am proud of my record and will continue to strive for greatness." His father, one of the respected Higher-ups, had started training his son earlier. A thing would be unheard of if he did not possess such a title. Yet he did, and Jones developed quickly, outsmarting those in his schooling work. This was a mistake. Everyone was equal here. Everyone had the same abilities. Everyone had the same opportunities. Everyone was the same. And so it was written on the front gates of Steel City, named after the ore it was built on. It stood great and proud, as if a concentration camp (although this was - of course - never discussed) exactly the same height as the other cities. They had the exact same amount of letters. Saturn City. Spider City. Smiley City. All had the same letter too. So did the citizens. There was John, Jenny, Junifer, Junior (although this one was looked down upon) and Jannet. All the same. All the same. Yet Jones was different. Not that he liked to admit this fact to anyone. He seemed ordinary. Was ordinary in the eyes of all. Even his father. But he had one particular quirk that was undeniable... ... He dreamt. Dreaming was never discussed in Steel City, aside from the morning routine. It was prohibited, punishable even. Nobody dared speak of imagination. However, Jones' father had made a mistake. A crucial mistake. He repeated sentences so much to poor Jones that he was bound to repeat them back, without questioning their meaning. One day, at school, he had said the following, "I'm starving." Obviously, his teachers had scolded him, correcting him. "You're not starving, God forbid, you're hungry. Repeat after me..." And so he did. Every day. For the rest of his life. Until today. Jones recalled the dream with a tinge of joy. He had been flying across the sky, the vast collage of blue his canvas. He would paint on it, his own presence. He towered above all others, and was the master of flight. He was like a bird. Free from the compound and chains of life, the shackles of society. He was air-borne. Of course, he did not say these things to his father. To think of the shame! Instead, he finished his morning breakfast, and right on the chime of the bell that resounded across the city, he opened the door of his home. As did the rest of the citizens, perfectly on time. Aside from one. One dared disrupt the serenity of Steel City. Immediately, guards sprinted up to him, delivering a hasty blow to the head with a club. The man cried out, not used to the burning pain that now flooded across his body. As was routine, all citizens nearby watched and egged the guards on. Shouts of, "Get em!" echoed across the town. It was the one time everyone was allowed to express the true nature of the human spirit, declare their differences without being punished. Jones excitedly retold the event at his school, whispering the news to all that would listen. His friend Jessica eagerly listened, and opened her mouth wide before snapping it back shut. "Then blood trickled down his neck, and he lay dead across the floor!" "Wow. That must have been exciting." "It was..." This would be a story retold for generations to come, all throughout his family. As would the story his father had passed on, of a builder who trapped his hand in machinery and had it snapped clean of. Violence was sensational to these people. Annual fights were hosted for all to come to watch. It was a phenomenon! Victors took their prize money, and gladly donated it to the Higher-ups, tallying it up in the national competition. Steel City was always number one. It was how the city proudly presented itself, so high up on the podium. High in the sky. Perhaps as high as Jones in his dream. He recalled it now, vivid in his mind, nearly as vivid as the violence he had viewed. Would he dare tell Jessica? No. Nobody must know. He marched in perfect strides to the science labs. Today, he will be learning about animals. 'Such a funny sounding name,' he thought. "Indeed," exclaimed Jacob, their tutor. Jones had not realised that his tutor was using a reading device. Reading devices were used to read someone's mind, as if a book (although the people of Steel City did not know what a book was). It enabled others to access your thoughts. For a split moment, Jones feared the worst. Had Jacob overheard his fantasies about his dream? But the tutor swept by, his dark cloak nearly folded behind his back, and assessed students on their illustrations of chameleons. "These wonderful creatures..." he began... " "Sorry, sir. Define creatures." It was Jessica. "Creatures refers to an animal with an unusual ability. This one, as if it was about to explain, can camouflage themselves. Does anyone know what this word means?" John, the smartest member of their class, answered. "Yes, my mother told me. She works on the outside..." He has proudly repeated this fact many times. "It means it can change colour based on its surroundings." A smug smile appeared on his face, correct yet again. He was always correct, and also the son of Jacob. No doubt had their tutor explained the answers to his precious child beforehand, so that he would have an advantage over the rest of the class. Such bribes were common in Steel City. So common in fact, the guards did not bother outlawing it. It happened, nobody complained, and nobody prevented it. It was as simple as that. When class had finished, the students promptly set out for break. They would not be allowed to play. Instead, it was a common sight for students to study in their spare time. It was what they came to school for, after all. Why not task themselves with completing homework? Yet Jones got curious, and ventured toward the outer edge of Steel City. A crack. In the wall. Jones braced himself, took a deep breath, and stepped outside the wall for the first time ever. For once, he would begin imagining to imagine.