Obsidian Shards: Afro-Horror Tales

The Philosophy of Childhood Mischief

Author's Note: 

This story actually has two endings. One was a bit too cliche, so I didn't go with it. I may post the alternate ending in the future. For now, just enjoy this little tale about two trouble-making boys causing trouble and finally suffering the consequences for the trouble they cause in their Utopic future city.

Jam and Ty jumped the turnstiles at the Solar-Rail station and ran into the train before any of the station workers could stop them. Jam could feel his blood coursing all throughout his body as he stumbled into a seat on the train. He thought back to his vocabulary list and picked a word to describe the sensation: exhilarating. He was happy and full of energy as if he'd swallowed a whole bag of ThunderFruit candy.

"Why'd we do that anyway," Jam asked his companion, Ty. The two became fast friends when Ty transferred to his Learning Community last year. Ty always seemed to know a more fun way to do anything and everything, and Jam had learned life was more fun if he followed Ty's lead.

"What do you mean, man? Wasn't that awesome?"

Jam laughed, "Yeah, it was, but we didn't have to pay if we don't want to."

Jam was correct, skipping the fare was unnecessary. The City's tax system took care of keeping all the public transportation running. Fares were basically donations to the transport system and didn't have to be paid if a person didn't want to. The turnstiles didn't even lock, they only stalled every once in a while to prevent large crowds from swarming to the trains all at once.

"It's the philosophy, man," Ty said. He didn't say explain further, because he knew he didn't have to, Jam understood the philosophy very well. Ty's belief was that everything that was done wrong was done better. Breaking rules made life more fun because it meant that everything a person did carried the risk of punishment. There was nothing better, in Ty's opinion than the feeling of escaping punishment, and the more Jam hung out with Ty, the more he agreed with his friend.

"Here, take one of these," Ty said to Jam. He reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a bag of ThunderFruit candy, encouraging Jam to take a few.

Jam didn't bother asking how Ty got it, because he already knew that it was stolen. Stealing candy was another activity that it took Jam a while to fully understand. All his life, whenever he wanted candy from a store but lacked the money to pay for himself, he could just ask the shopkeeper or a passing customer for some small job to do, and they'd give him the candy in exchange. It was the same all over the City, for all children and adults. Even the ascetics that chose to live on the street and sleep in the park were often given free food and clothes by people in exchange for some small daily assistance.

Jam happily took a ThunderFruit from the bag. His head jerked when he bit into the sour candy shell and felt the spark of electricity in the center of each round, blue pellet. He'd eaten ThunderFruit hundreds of times before and had never come across one so powerful. The electric shock had actually hurt him much in the same way that it had the first time he'd tasted one, back when he hadn't yet gotten used to the flavor.

"Ow!"

Ty chuckled, "See? Even stolen ThunderFruit tastes better when you're eating it on a stolen train ride with your best friend. It's the philosophy, man!"

Jam eagerly picked up another piece. With a large smile on his face, he raised it to the sky and said, "To the philosophy!"

Ty and Jam rode the train for a bit longer than usual. Ty thought it would be fun to explore the City for a bit before going home, and Jam suggested they go to Border Street. He didn't really plan to cross into another sector, because he knew kids weren't supposed to. He really just wanted Ty to think that he was brave enough to want to do it. Jam reasoned that if it looked like they might actually cross into the next sector, he'd just make up an excuse to go home instead.