The sea shimmered like glass, until the sun dropped down on the horizon.
For reasons only science could explain, the sky was a unique swirl of red and magenta, but Ash did not have time to admire its beauty.
With nightfall quickly approaching, Ash busily collected enough firewood to keep the flames strong until dawn. He stashed the wood back at the campsite and crashed down in the sand, preparing for another sleepless night ahead.
For the past few nights Ash had suffered from insomnia, unable to switch off his brain. Ivy, on the other hand, seemed to sleep for half the day without any trouble.
She had grown restless though, and for most of the afternoon she had been walking up and down the coastline – pacing, really – while holding a stick out in front of her to find her way, desperately trying to adjust to her lack of vision.
Ivy had lost her footing a couple of times, but was always quick to rise to her feet again. The woman was determined not to let blindness stop her from doing what she wanted.
When you get dealt the most undesirable hand, you have two choices – fold or rise to the challenge.
Ash watched as Ivy made her way towards the campsite. She must’ve heard the crackling of the fire, or perhaps felt the change in the sand beneath her feet because she was back and sitting opposite him in no time at all.
“I finally feel like I’ve got a bit of energy back,” she said, slipping her boots back onto her feet. “I’m still not a hundred percent, but I’m far better than what I was.”
Ash pulled his mobile phone from his pocket and checked the battery level. He was tempted to salvage its energy rather than waste it on yet another Morse conversation, but she seemed to give him little choice.
“Hey, can I ask you something?” she began.
After hesitating for only a few seconds, he replied,
Yes.
“What do you think about The Shutdown?” she asked. “A good thing, or bad?”
She was of course, referring to the complete shutdown of the internet, across the globe, just shy of three years ago. After more than forty-five years of connection, it had been switched off, indefinitely.
The decision had divided all nations, and all individuals within those nations.
There was no right or wrong answer to Ivy’s question, so Ash dared to be bold.
Do you want me to be honest?
“Yes...”
I think it was unnecessary.
“Really? See, I don’t see it that way. I think it was the right thing to do.”
Intrigued, he asked,
What makes you say that?
“Quite simply; the world wasn’t ready for the internet,” said Ivy. “It was too much power too soon. It enhanced our lives for a while, but then we started losing ourselves in the process...”
Out of billions, only few abused the power.
“No, we all abused it to some extent. I just felt like – I don’t know – I stopped thinking for myself. The internet dehumanised me. I’m not anti-progression or anti-technology, but it created more problems than it solved.”
But it was such a convenient source of information.
She laughed. For quite some time.
“Information? More like misinformation, mate. Too many opinions were presented as fact, too many people chose to cherry pick data from unreliable sources and then use it to reaffirm their own views. Dangerous things happen when we close our minds...”
Maybe all we needed were tighter restrictions.
“No, it was too late for that. Besides, we’ve been seeing the world through rose-coloured glasses for decades,” she said. “The last thing we need is more censorship. People deserve to know the truth.”
What truth?
“That we are all doomed,” she said, quite simply. “We’re fighting to stay relevant, killing others to claim dominance, but we’re all going to die in the end. Mankind is the worst thing that ever happened to the planet and our species was never meant to last.”
She was far more pessimistic than what he first realised. However, he still disagreed with her. The Shutdown had thrown the world into disarray for some time, and although you could argue the world had functioned before its creation, it still reduced the ease of communication.
It was a major step back in time, at least in his eyes.
Since they were already discussing controversial topics, Ash decided to take a chance and discuss something considerably more dangerous.
Do you believe in God?
“Risky,” she said, almost smiling. “A question like that could get you killed on the streets of Queensland.”
Do you?
Ivy took a while to reply.
“My dad had no religion, but my mother was Hindu. I looked into religion as a child for a while – many different religions – but it wasn’t for me.”
After the statement, they fell into silence, and it was uncomfortable. Feeling braver than ever, Ash chose to reveal one truth about himself.
Keeping his hands steady, he keyed in something dearly personal to him.
I am Catholic.
Her reaction was immediate. Ivy’s entire body went stiff.
“What-?” she said, searching for words. “Even now?”
Yes.
“Shit. You might want to keep that on the down low.”
I already do.
“Then why did you tell me?”
I trust you now.
The silence fell back in, and lingered for a minute until Ivy found her voice once more.
“That’s refreshing to hear, Ash, because I trust very few in this world. Hell, you must have bigger balls than I thought.”
To be free, is to speak our minds, right or wrong.
“Hey, I believe in freedom of speech – trust me – but you’ve also got to understand that what we say has consequences.”
Then are we ever truly free?
Ivy shuffled in the sand, looking like she wanted to end the conversation, but she didn’t know how. She ran a hand through her untamed hair and considered her reply. As predicted, Ivy tried to challenge him.
“So, does that mean you still pray? Do you think prayer alone will get us off this island?” asked Ivy, but the questions were unkind. “The world is far better without religion; why do you think they made it illegal? They divided us, always causing more harm than good.”
Since the start of the war, practising a religion had been strictly forbidden in many countries across the globe – including the UK and Australia. Only a few select countries still allowed the freedom of religious choice.
In the last three years, churches had been burned to the ground, mosques torn down and synagogues left in ruins. Places of worship had been abandoned and forgotten.
For centuries, the difference in beliefs had caused friction amongst people and their communities – just one glance at a history book would prove that point. In recent times, governments had spent years preaching tolerance, but eventually the laws went to the other extreme and the practice of any religion was banned completely.
Ash had firmly opposed the laws, but there were many more in favour of them.
Besides, in his eyes, the whole idea of banning religion was ludicrous. It was not possible to abolish a personal faith from the hearts and minds of each individual.
You can control where a man prays, but you cannot control what he believes.
“And that’s all it is – just a belief,” said Ivy. “And what if you’re wrong?”
But what if I am right?
She laughed again, shaking her head.
“Well, then I’m screwed, aren’t I?”
I would rather take a chance on something than dismiss it completely.
“Whatever. Each to their own, mate.”
Without more to say, Ivy moved away from the fire and crawled into her shelter. Ash was not sure if his honesty would have repercussions, but admittedly, it felt good to tell her something honest, rather than spinning another lie.