Prologue to Manitole and Santé Diego

Manitole and Santé Diego

Problem of the Air Tank

(Authors Note: This is a draft of a longer story I might write about.  Manitole is like present day police but stricter. And Santé Diego is like present day sun. In possible later chapters you will understand why the sun is called this.)

Earth had become a burden, if Christopher Columbus only knew what was to come he would have hoped the Earth really was square so he could sail off the edge into infinity. Even before that: Mother Earth would have ceased to continue caring for all of the inanimate life for it was only to go to waste in the next three thousand years.

Santé Diego had risen high into the sky and blotted it with light.  Everyone waited on their doorsteps along with the other two families assigned to live with them and chanted the morning prayer:

“Santé Diego we see your rising, we accept the rays you have offered. And if you….Santé Diego… ever not rise we shall ever mourn in the darkness.”

Manitole marched down the street assuring everyone’s mouth was moving in unison. Just last month, Little Tommy stood silently during the Morning Prayer and was taken away by the Manitole to jail.  No matter how much Tommy’s mother would have screamed-Manitole wouldn’t have even glanced back. 

                “Lea now we must go to the Breath Catcher, grab your tin.” Lea rushed inside under her mother’s orders and grabbed the awaiting tin on the counter which she connected to her mouth for her transporting air supply. Eventually the three families got into the back of a Manitole truck which took them to the BC Factory.  Lea took her mother Eva by the hand and got into the back of the line.  This is where Lea often read over the rules to occupy her time.

1.       Three air tanks per household.

2.       If you cannot pay the fee, you do not get your air tanks.

3.       Wait patiently, if any rowdiness occurs there will be no air tanks for one day for that particular household.

“Next.” A sturdy man called from behind the counter. Eva slipped him the coins. “Here is your air tank.” Eva took it slowly and scurried with Lea in hand to their Manitole truck.

Once home, Eva set their Air tank on the table and switched it to on.  Luckily, they were to have another day with fresh air unlike the poor who could not pay for this and were slowly dying of smaller and smaller amounts of quality air to breathe.

                No care. No helping. No easy way.  It was simply fighting for your life every single day.