Winner 5

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. I had been hearing screams all afternoon, and it was really zooting me off.

….

Yesterday, after hearing I was the lucky winner to go to Muskton Empira-5, on an all expenses paid 7 phase holiday, I had looked at my shameful pile of Fortitude Power Bar wrappers in a new light. My lack of cooking skills and absolute laziness at clearing away filth had won!

My ‘proof of multi-purchase’ hologram had been submitted only the other day, and after winning, I wasn’t wasting any time. Folding my bed back into the dome’s wall, I grabbed my back-sack and looked for clothes. Ergh; no clean ones again; not to worry, they’d have the faster hydro-blowers there anyway! I scooped up whatever was wearable off the floor and stuffed it in the sack, along with my charging mats and ear clamps; put my Ogglewebs on my head and looked up to the shelf.

My habits were different with my notebook and genuine replica pencil. These I took down carefully and put in my new carbon, 'fold table' bag, which I had gotten specially printed to keep them safe.

They were precious. Yes - they were very rare, but that wasn’t why they were special to me. My great grandma had taught me, when I was small, how to hold a pencil stick and write down words; like they used to when her grandma was young - by holding it in your hand. I learned her love for writing down, with my hand, the stories in my mind. As far as I knew, I was the only one who grew up on Satellite Green who knew how to. I might be the last.

After a hectic transportation from my dome zone to the Interstellar Launch Port, I finally pushed through to the Muskton Empira-5 gate sign, excited for the peace and quiet awaiting me on my holiday. I stopped dead. The gate-hold in front of me was filled with brightly dressed tweens; all complete with school-issued holo-cuffs keeping them within arms reach of each other; the robo teacher screens rolling around the rooms issuing pleas for good behavior.

“Delta C, Delta C, snap back, heads whack, big boo tee!” High voices squealed together. Not only were the tweens singing, loudly; they also danced and mimed. They even did the little snap and wiggle.

“Alpha said they gonna, Alpha said they want, Alpha said they thought they could but in the end they DON’T!” The room of what must be Delta's erupted in claps and giggles. The robo teachers rolled in loops looking stressed as they asked the tweenagers to please put their chewing spice in the composter.

I reached up, pulled down over my eyes and double-checked my Ogglewebs - yes, right ticket, right gate. Please no. No. No, just no.

A check in, attendant-bot rolled over. The screen powered on when nearing me and scanned my goggles. A friendly lady’s face soon appeared on the holo screen, smiling at me as colorful party poppers exploded virtually around her head.

“The lucky winner!” She sang out happily. More popping as the face suddenly glitched and became an elderly, bearded man for a split second, before resuming with her smile again.

“You are our lucky winner! Celebrate by eating Fortitude Power, the no-nonsense food for no-nonsense lifestyles. Five a day keeps the cooking at bay!” She turned her head to the side as an image of the power bars twirled around her. The screen then powered down unceremoniously, and it rolled awkwardly backward to the charging bay.

….

That was only yesterday. Now it is today.

Celebrating my win to this Muskton outposting, and looking out the glazing window over the beautiful nearby Hera Nebula; I sat with my notebook and pencil replica ready to write my thoughts.

Zoom. The tweens were there. Zoom; again.

Zoom. Riding back and forth in the hover coaster; which happened to be directly outside my window. They were singing.

“Delta know the moves, Delta don’t go dolo, Delta peeps are here together and a rocket is our LOGO!” Squeeling erupted.

Oh. My. Gods. That didn’t even rhyme.

I wrung my hands again as I look down at the only words written in my notebook today. “Destroy the DELT-ORONS!”.