Breed The Secret Design To Maintain Racial Inequality Among The Despised Classes (29 page)

Chapter 10
-
Everyone thinks of
changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. - Leo
Tolstoy

We were now three months into the project.
The badgers were of tremendous help in the construction of the
wall. Their experience in building strong dams was much
appreciated. At first the idea of surrounding Utopia with a wall of
stone was met with resistance. However after I explained to
everyone that it was absolutely necessary for our protection, the
mood changed. Many had even become anxious to complete the wall as
soon as possible. It was around this time that an unfortunate event
took place that would altar Utopia’s future forever. Now this next
part of the story is a little blurry to me. I’ll do my best to
relate it to you exactly as I remember it. I hope you’ll forgive me
if it comes off as a bit surreal.

It was a bright sunny day. The air was fresh.
Molly, the children and I decided to take a walk towards the
caverns. She had been promising this trip to the little ones for
some time now and today seemed like the perfect day for it.
Everything seemed perfect. We probably looked like the happiest
family in the world. Though unbeknownst to me, my life was about to
be turned upside down. Leading the way, I approached the entrance
of the caverns. I was just about to lead the group into the large
opening, when I turned around to give some last minute safety tips
to Molly and the kids. As I turned to face forward I felt the
ground shake, there was a deafening thunderclap and the opening to
the cavern was gone. I suddenly found myself staring at a wall of
stone just inches away from my face. My legs began to feel weak. I
jumped back and rushed to make sure that Molly and the kids were
ok. That’s when I realized what had happened. It wasn’t the cavern
wall I had been staring at; rather it was a large boulder that was
now partially plunged into the ground. I quickly looked up to the
top of the mountainside that opened into the caverns. As I tried to
catch a glimpse of what caused the boulder to fall the sun’s rays
filled my eyes. Squinting I thought I made out the silhouettes of
four or five beings moving around the mountain edge. I placed my
paw in front of my eyes to shield them from the blinding sun.
Peeping out between the spaces of my fingers I fixed my gaze on a
solitary figure looking down at me from the top of the mountain. It
was a dog. I knew this dog. “It can’t be,” I thought. But it was.
It was the same dog I had spoken to years ago when the threshold
guardian first gave me the tour of Lumpenproleteria. Back then he
was just a puppy but I was sure it was he. He was there for only a
brief instant then he too disappeared. I don’t remember all of the
details surrounding how we exited this area but I do have vague
mental snapshots of ushering Molly and the kids to safety. The
following week was an obscure combination of images. There were
various animals with worried faces looking down at me, the feeling
of being forcibly held down as I struggled in a cold sweat, and
furiously barking orders as I raced to and fro in a delirium.
Gradually I experienced extended periods of lucidity where I felt
my mind clearer than ever before. I remember a distinct sensation
of understanding secrets that had been hidden from animals from the
beginning of time. However I would inevitably relapse into delirium
and when I awoke the secret was forgotten. During one of my periods
of lucidity it was explained to me that the assassination attempt
was likely sponsored by one of the new militant groups that had
emerged in Utopia. This particular group I was told had a
philosophy called Chaoticism, which was opposed to any forms of
animal order. This group wanted to roll back domestication, which
they claimed, would bring about paradisiacal conditions. All of
this sounded absurd to me but I was sure about one thing. These
ideas could not have come from within Utopia. Outside influences
were at work. In frenzy I requested to know the status of the
construction project. To my surprise and delight I was told that
the wall was almost complete. Apparently even in my weakened state
I had the presence of mind to order the construction project
completed. I’m told there was some resistance in carrying out the
orders but that I was so convincing even in my fragile condition
that the citizens capitulated. In fact they had been working in
shifts so that the work continued nonstop ever since the attempt on
my life. The attempt, by the way resulted in a strange chain of
events that left me once again in a state of isolation. Allow me to
explain. Rumors were spreading that Molly had something to do with
the attempt. I knew this was preposterous so I of course stood by
my love and defended her, tooth and nail. To my dismay the rumors
were too much for her to bear and she left me, taking the children
with her. I was beside myself. “Where could she go?” I thought.
“Her close association with me made it impossible for her to return
to the Union of Animals. She must be somewhere in Utopia. But why
didn’t she just stand by me?” I wondered. “Together we could ride
out this storm.” I ordered a careful search to be made for Molly.
She would certainly realize her mistake and return to me. After
days of searching it was reported to me that she had returned to
Kliev. It didn’t make any sense to me but I was informed that
Socrates welcomed her back with open arms. This unwelcome news had
a debilitating affect on my mind. I felt unsure of myself. I had a
general idea of the direction I wanted Utopia to take but something
was holding me back. It was like some kind of mental block. I
called for Stanley and he cheerfully strutted into my chambers. I
gently gripped him by the whiskers in my characteristic way. By now
he had become accustomed to this procedure. I had to be sure that
Utopia was going to be all right. I first peered into his eyes.
Everything seemed to be normal. His eyes appeared to be a little
glazed over and his pupils were dilated but he was completely
relaxed. His wide smile put me at ease. I thought, “Utopia is going
to be just fine!” and I sent him away. But after I was alone my
worries began to plague me. “Utopia’ jail’s are now brimming with
animals. Our friends are demanding an explanation for the large
stone wall surrounding our borders and to make matters worse both
Socrates and Zarathustra are using a new strategy against me that
I’m not sure how to handle. They are spreading propaganda that
makes me look like a tyrant but paints them as moderates. Can you
believe that?” I didn’t know what to do and I didn’t have anyone to
talk to. I could have gone to my mentor but I felt ashamed. What
could I do? A deep depression gripped my mind. It made me unable to
even get out of bed some days. I remember sitting in dark rooms for
days at a time without the energy to even move. If someone or
something didn’t rescue me from this condition soon I knew I would
come undone. I felt as if I was just about to lose it, when
suddenly the light to my room was turned on. It seemed strange to
me because the door had not opened and I was sure I was alone.
Standing before me was a cat who looked familiar to me but I
couldn’t remember where we had met before. He was about my size and
age. He had green eyes and a coat of white with large black
patches. “Hello?” I muttered. He responded, “Hello,” echoing my
words. I asked, “Who are you? How did you get in here?” He
responded, “I’m Joab. I’m here because you need my help.”
Recognizing the truth in his words I decided not to bother pursuing
the question of how he gained access to my private chambers. “I
doubt if anyone can help me at this point?” I groaned. “I can help
you,” stated Joab confidently. “But first I need your permission to
do what needs to be done.” Puzzled, I replied, “I have no idea what
you’re talking about. What is it that needs to be done?” After a
brief silence Joab replied, “You know what needs to be done.” After
an even longer silence I found myself reluctantly nodding my head.
It’s not easy for me to explain to you why I did this but I will
try. The physical body performs all sorts of actions. Many of these
actions are involuntary. For example, no thought goes into the
action of the heart pumping blood throughout the body. In order to
survive the action is carried out without needing the approval of
the mind. I believe this same force is what caused me to begin
nodding my head without even understanding my reasons for doing so.
After being given permission, Joab turned off the light and exited
the room. I found myself feeling a little bit easier and I soon
fell asleep. All that night I had nightmares filled with the most
barbaric torturous images imaginable. I’ll spare you the graphic
details but I will tell you this. All of the nightmares had a
reoccurring theme. I was the one inflicting the torture on others.
I awoke in a cold sweat. At that point I wasn’t sure if my
encounter with Joab was also a dream so I decided to make it a
point to inquire if anyone had actually entered my chambers or not.
Upon standing up I expected to feel nauseous and weak. To my
surprise I felt pretty good. Both my body and mind felt relaxed. I
was inexplicably free of stress. After stretching and a few yawns I
felt ready to face the world. I still couldn’t get over how good I
felt. The first citizens I ran into after exiting my chambers were
a couple of guards whose assignments included not only guarding
prisoners but also handling surveillance throughout Utopia. One of
the guards was a golden brown striped tabby with green eyes. The
other was a jet-black cat with yellow eyes. I asked the tabby,
“Citizen, are you aware of anyone entering my chambers last night?”
The guards glanced at one another nervously then stared at the
ground. The tabby answered, “No sir. Not to my knowledge.” I
thought, “These guards are acting strange. Why are they avoiding
eye contact with me? I’ve seen this look before. That time when
Niccolo first invaded Fostoria his animals had a similar look on
their faces.” I replied, “That’s odd because I could have sworn
that I saw a cat with black and white patches…” Divining that his
friend had given the wrong answer the black cat interjected, “Sir,
I saw a cat with black and white patches.” Surprised and a bit
relieved I asked, “You did?” He quickly responded, “Yes he was a
cat, and he had black and white patches.” Suspiciously I inquired,
“Did he enter my private chambers?” The black cat glanced at his
friend then replied, “Yes?” A sudden wave of relief passed over me.
“So I’m not crazy after all,” I thought to myself. “Very well,” I
said. “As you were.” The guards cautiously passed by me and around
a corner. I could have sworn I heard the scuffling sound of cat’s
running as soon as they were out of my sight. Their behavior struck
me as odd but my mood was so elevated that I refused to let it
bother me. As I walked through Utopia the next citizens I ran into
were the Siamese twins Truth and Justice. With our bumpy past I
expected this to be a very awkward encounter. To my surprise there
was no awkwardness at all. In fact the twins talked with me very
cordially. The discussion was free of veiled threats and suspicious
glances. It was as if the twins had somehow acquired a whole new
respect for me. I took my leave of the twins feeling strange. It
was as if I had awakened into a different world. I won’t lie. It
was a welcome change. My old world was full of anxiety and stress.
The next citizen I ran into was Secretary of State Bruno.
“Christopher!” he exclaimed excitedly running up to me. He quickly
checked himself. Averting eye contact he quickly looked to the
ground. “I mean… Commander, I just arrived. Is there anything I
need to know?” Reluctantly he raised his eyes and gazed at me
inquiringly. “This is strange behavior,” I thought. Bruno
continued, “Sir, rumors have spread throughout the international
community that Utopia has been… emptying our holding cells.
Everyone has been approaching me to make a statement on these
rumors. I honestly didn’t know what to tell them seeing as I was
not informed of a change in our policies. Early this morning I went
to see for myself if the rumors were true.” Bruno gave me an
intense look. “I must say that I noticed the number of prisoners
appeared greatly reduced from what I expected to see.” I smiled to
myself, “This must be Joab’s work.” I said, “Don’t worry yourself
Bruno. The prisoners are being rehabilitated and released back into
society. You didn’t expect us to hold them forever did you?” A look
of surprise then relief registered on Bruno’s face. “No sir. I knew
we couldn’t hold them forever but I wasn’t informed that we had
begun tackling this problem. If you don’t mind my asking, who is
handling the rehabilitation project?” I smiled. “His name is Joab.
I think we’ve finally found an official who cares about Utopia as
much as I do.” Bruno frowned slightly. Picking up on this I
interjected, “That wasn’t directed at you. You’re doing a fine job
as Secretary of State, but when you have to work harder it means
others are not doing their jobs. I’m expecting Joab to make both of
our lives a whole lot easier.”

For the next few weeks my nightmares
continued. I would often be awakened by my own voice shouting in
frustration at characters conjured up in my dreams. I must have
also begun sleepwalking because a few times I would inexplicably
awaken outside of my private chambers. I would suddenly open my
eyes and find myself in strange locations with no memory of how I
arrived there. Despite these minor irritations, life in Utopia
seemed to run smoothly. Whatever Joab was doing appeared to be
working because all the citizens I spoke to would fall all over
themselves to express to me how satisfied they were with Utopia’s
reforms. I thought, “If things continue like this, we will reach
perfection in no time.” However, just when things couldn’t seem to
be going any better, we were confronted with yet another
catastrophe. One morning after waking up particularly free of
stress, it was reported to me that citizens were throwing
themselves off of cliffs in large numbers. Many were reported to
have been shouting slogans before they jumped. For example some
shouted, “Down with tyranny!” When I heard this I was astounded.
“Tyranny?” I thought. “This is Utopia not Cuyamonga or the Union of
Animals. There doesn’t exist a less tyrannical state than Utopia.”
I soon found out the cause of the crisis as reports began to
surface from abroad. Both Zarathustra and Socrates were apparently
spreading propaganda that I was some sort of brutal dictator. Some
of our own citizens had in all likelihood been taken in by the
propaganda. Irritated, I thought to myself, “Are you so easily
taken in? You would rather believe reports from abroad than
evidence from your own eyes?” I was infuriated. For the first time
in a long time I felt a loathing for these animals. For a brief
moment I entertained the idea that Hannibal had been right all
along and that some animals are inferior to others. Coming to
myself I shook my head vigorously. I chided myself, “What are you
saying Christopher? All animals are equal. You know this.” I then
summoned my generals to forcibly put an end to the crisis. They
seized anyone walking too close to the cliffs. Suicide was
outlawed. Heavy fines were placed on any animal who attempted to
commit suicide. Despite these drastic reforms Utopia gradually
found itself in international isolation. Bruno reported to me the
sudden change in how he was being received abroad. Everywhere he
went he was being shunned. Finally I decided not to send him out
any more. I became frantic so I did what I always do on occasions
like this. I called for Stanley. Gripping him by the whiskers I
stared deeply into his eyes and asked, “Stanley, tell me
truthfully, how are you doing with your problem?” Stanley smiled
and said, “I’m doing great! I haven’t had a single relapse.”
Suddenly as if I was struck with a bolt of lightning something
occurred to me. “You’re lying to me!” A look of terror spread
across Stanley’s face as if he had been caught in the act of
committing a crime. All at once his eyes began to fill with tears.
“Its true!” he exclaimed. “I’ve been lying to you and I’ve been
lying to myself!” Beside myself I exclaimed, “Why?” After a long
pause the broken animal finally spoke up. “I didn’t want to let
everyone down. I believed in the Utopian dream. I felt that once
Utopian rule was established everywhere I then would be cured.” I
released my grip on Stanley and collapsed into a sitting position
on the floor. “It’s all over,” I muttered as I buried my face in my
paws. “All is now lost.”