Aanan, who was ten years of age, stopped dead in his tracks and watched in horror as his little brother Nathan, who was five, ran straight into the town square where “The Megaphone” was positioned atop a black marble base. Around its perimeter was a macabre decorative pattern that was identical to signs that were placed conspicuously throughout their little town, each with a singular camera-eye in the middle. Although not stated overtly, the meaning of the signs was absolutely clear: “Beware, we are watching.” Everyone knew that proper behaviour decreed that all citizens must halt at the perimeter of the circular pattern, bow, and then kneel before continuing on their way.

Two loud “Pssst, Psssssst’s!” from Aanan, followed by a piercing whistle soon caught Nathan’s attention. Aanan was frightened that the sirens positioned atop The Megaphone would blare at any moment.

“What?” Nathan called as he turned nonchalantly to look at his brother.

“Come here!” snapped Aanan, with a wave of his arm.

“Uh, uh,” said Nathan, “I gotta do somethin’ first.”

Aanan rolled his eyes as his little brother disappeared from sight on the far side of The Megaphone. Nervously, he waited…and waited. Less than a minute later, his little brother strolled into sight on the other side of The Megaphone.

“Don’t you ever–EVER–do that to us again!” snapped Aanan. “You could have gotten us into BIG trouble!” He grabbed his little brother’s shoulder and yanked so forcefully that Nathan momentarily lost his balance.

At home that night, when Nathan was lying in his bed, tears flowed down his soft cheeks as he hugged his teddy bear and thought of his mom and dad. They were both “gone” now; but his thoughts flowed to a night when his mother had hugged him close in their cozy living room and told him the following:

“You’re a dear child of God,” his mother had whispered as she stroked his hair, “the same as all of us. You’re not owned by any human. In this household, your father and I live respectfully; we express loving compassion to everyone to the best of our ability. When we look at others, we see ourselves because we know that we come from the same Creator. We give thanks to God for our very life.”

His mother’s words, which intuitively felt right, were directly opposite to those of his older brother. “No!” Aanan would exclaim repeatedly, “we belong to The Megaphone. We must do what The Megaphone tells us to do!” Aanan had heard stories about what could happen to those unfortunate beings who refused to submit. In his heart, he even wondered if that’s what had happened to his parents.

Nathan hugged his teddy bear more closely, and his tears ran in such abundance that his teddy’s face soon became damp. Nathan was afraid, so very afraid. What if the rumor was true, that The Megaphone really did know if we went number one or number two when we went to the bathroom? Unbeknownst to Aanan, when Nathan was on the far side of The Megaphone he had peed against its base. It had felt so good, so very good. A few minutes later, Nathan rolled onto his side and snuggled under the covers; but even with his head covered, he could hear the heavy sounds of the tall-booted Megaphone Soldiers marching past his window.

***

Dear FamilyOfOne,

Regarding the darkness that is represented in this fictional story, perhaps we might ask ourselves what type of “world” we are building this moment, this day, this week. What potential consequences might arise from our thoughts, beliefs, and actions–or inactions? Are we expressing compassion, consideration, and respect for everyone, or are we part of The Megaphone Society that hopes to win–what?!–by domination of our brothers and sisters? The choice (perhaps forgotten) is ours. HERE and NOW we may exercise awareness and put the POWER of LOVE toward shared good intentions.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Copyright © – 2021 – R. Arthur Russell

P.S. Please share this article if you enjoyed it. If you’d like to view my latest book (This Taste of Flesh and Bones–released September 8, 2020), press here. May it help you in your spiritual journey. 🙏🤍

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”