School (standard:science fiction, 1676 words)
Author: Andrew R	Added: Jun 16 2002	Views/Reads: 3385/2228	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Ever stumbled across something you wish you hadn't seen and been powerless to do anything about it?

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

a growl and started to lose his human form, spines appeared out of his 
back, ripping his tweed jacket to shreds.  The ferret man cowered back 
at that, whimpering in his guttural code.  The other students where 
trying not to look, suddenly finding the ceiling very interesting.  
Ferret man got up and bolted out of the door, screaming in dialect.  
The room went silent and the spiny giant looked around sheepishly, his 
face had changed into a bird on a bad weekend look.  I think he tried 
to smile at me but I can't be sure.  He mumbled something that might 
have been "Sorry everyone, my wife's just had a baby and we've been up 
all night," or it might not.  But he left the room anyway. Colin and I 
didn't know what to do; the rest of the room seemed to have settled 
into a stunned silence.  We got up and quietly crept out.  Faces peered 
at us from the other doors so we held our heads down and tried to look 
natural. Someone blocked our path as we went for the door to the 
factory floor; it was the purple-headed man, looking slightly calmer. 
"Don't forget your voice inhibitors gentlemen."  He handed us two black 
watches, I looked at mine and noticed the time was wrong.  He insisted 
we put them on; we did, just so he would leave us alone.  I thought at 
the time that we'd been busted and we where in for real shit, but it 
never happened.  We walked out of that place and never went back. That 
was when I should have told someone; instead I went to the pub with 
Colin.  We got into some conversation about the fact that one in three 
farmers' tries bestiality at some point and one in ten sheep is 
supposed to be gay.  We tried to work out the percentage of bestiality 
cases that could be considered 'gay relationships' compared to the 
percentage of cases that would be classified rape.  We didn't mention 
what we had seen at Central Avenue Industrial Park, we didn't talk 
about alien training centres.  I looked around at the people in the pub 
and wondered how many might be aliens, and then I shook my head putting 
the thought away.  We must've imagined it; it was the only possible 
explanation. 

Over the next few months I spoke less and less to Colin until we lost
contact altogether.  My paranoia escalated daily.  The news was filled 
with stories of the rising cost of the welfare state due to the influx 
of foreign refuges etc and the fact that the government was barely able 
to support the country's needs anymore.  When the budget came out all 
hell broke loose.  The government announced it's plans to scrap the 
welfare state altogether.  Riots started, which turned into looting.  
The army was called in to calm things down, but instead the violence 
got worse.  That was how the revolution happened.  It was strange how 
good people felt at the time, despite all the violence and killing that 
was going on, there was an atmosphere of hope, like things were finally 
going to change for the little people, the shit pile was about to be 
reversed, top would be at the bottom of the new hierarchy. 

That's not what happened though, is it?  When the dust settled and we
looked around to see who was still standing it was us, the no hopers, 
and the dregs of society.  A few individuals seemed to know what to do, 
so we followed them.  I should have realised then, oh god I should have 
known.  I curse myself now because I wasn't clever enough to figure it 
out before it happened.  Once the new government was in place and 
bureaucracy ruled supreme again they chose to reveal their true 
colours. (Mostly purple, but a few yellow and green ones too).  The 
aliens signing on, the ones who flooded the welfare state beyond 
capacity had incited the revolution.  It was there master plan and we 
fell for it, we were no hopers without any leadership qualities, they 
manipulated us and took over. They are the government now, the ones in 
power.  We are the ones begging on the street and wrangling any 
benefits they care to dole out.  It's not so bad I suppose; I get my 
food coupons and my complimentary cinema ticket.  I've got a sleeping 
space in factory block houtra vi sentrai.  I still haven't got used to 
the language though, but I'm getting there, they've sent me to school.  
I'm lucky that I know not to make the spiny ones mad, and the ferrety 
ones just go purple and shout a lot. 


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