He awakened at last on the first day of December…

The morning was bitterly cold. The dry winter air clung to his skin while relentless winds drifted low across the frozen earth beneath a sky that seemed to grow grayer with every passing minute. His bed faced the outside world, where the curtains hung partially open. Beyond the cracked window, the sun struggled to break through the heavy clouds. Gone was the warmth of summer. Even daylight seemed exhausted.
The howling wind had robbed him of a peaceful night’s sleep. His window, like the curtains, had remained open, allowing the freezing air to creep through the apartment and settle into his bones.

December 1, 2055.
Election Day across the Lands of States.

His homeland had not possessed a true name for decades. It had become nothing more than a title—a collection of territories ruled by governors who no longer bothered pretending they served the people.

Election Day still carried a strange significance, though not the kind it once had. There were no crowds standing in long lines. No campaign advertisements flooding every screen with half-truths and polished lies. No heated debates between neighbors or families divided over opposing beliefs.

For the last ten years, every election had already been decided long before sunrise.

-excerpt from Certain Moments of Time (He Awakens At Last)

By KG Bethlehem