Zygmo's Adventurers

The government had steadily been taking power away from the people since the 2014 elections. This was a fact that I knew all too well, as my father worked at the ministry of justice in Berlin. He would tell me about how things were changing every night when he came home from work, and I did not like what I was hearing. The most recent changes had to do with our freedoms. It seemed that every week or so, there was less and less of them left.

I decided to leave Berlin for a few days to visit my childhood home in Potsdam. My mother still lived in the old house where I grew up, and it would be nice to relax for a little while after all of the stress at work. My parents had owned a strawberry farm for my entire life, which provided us with enough money to live comfortably. I remember being a young boy and helping my mother pick strawberries on hot summer days, while my father sat in the shade with his book, reading silently.

It was June 29th when I arrived at my parent's home in Potsdam, and I hadn't seen them in close to two months. My mother greeted me with a warm embrace when she answered the door, and she looked happy to see me. She told me that my father was out working in the fields, but he should be back soon for lunch. After eating lunch with my mother and catching up on old times, I decided to go outside and say hello to my father before going back to Berlin. As I walked down the dirt path towards his strawberry fields, I noticed something strange: he was not alone. Five men were standing around him while he worked. They stood quiet still and paid no attention to each other, but they watched him work intently as if they wanted nothing more than to stare at him while he labored over his strawberries. They wore black suits and carried guns strapped across their chests, but they did not have any badges visible on their clothing that would indicate who they were or what their purpose was here. Suddenly one of them spoke up:

"He hasn't taken any breaks today."

Another one responded in turn: "That is good." He then turned his gaze back towards my father and continued: "I want you working until sundown tonight."

The first man nodded his head in agreement as he spoke again: "Your family will be getting their first messages tomorrow morning."

My heart sank as I heard those words; messages? What does that mean? Are they sending messages from radio towers? My mind raced trying to figure out what this meant as the five men walked towards me until they were within ear shot of me standing behind one of the trees that lined both sides of the dirt path that led into the fields. The first man spoke up again: "You can take your break now." He then turned his gaze towards me and stared directly into my eyes as if he could sense that I had been watching them this whole time. He then nodded towards me before turning away and walking off towards their car parked near the end of the dirt path near where we stood working earlier today. His four comrades followed suit without saying another word; they just walked off without looking back once while their leader stood silently by the car watching them walk past him until they reached their respective cars parked somewhere down the road from mine and began driving off into town leaving only silence behind them wherever they went next. My father waved goodbye to them before turning around and beginning to walk towards me as well before speaking up himself:

"That's odd," he said aloud as he walked closer towards me "I thought someone else worked here with us?" The look on his face told me everything that I needed know: there was no way these men worked here with us at our farm today because we haven't hired any new help lately; it's just been him and myself working these fields lately ever since my brother left for America after finishing university last year and has never returned since then so far despite our letters sent back home asking him if there was anything wrong between us or if we'd offended him somehow during this time yet none of those letters have ever been answered either so far! We didn't even know if he was alive anymore! That thought alone brought tears to my eyes because I feared for his safety during this time given all of these new laws happening in Germany that were taking away our freedoms from us day by day! And now these men showed up today all dressed alike with guns strapped across their chests who don't work here with us today but are telling us that we're getting messages tomorrow morning!? What does that mean!? Are they sending poison gas through radio towers into Germany!? Are they sending viruses through the airwaves into our homes!? Who are these people!? Why are they doing this!? Where is everyone else!? Is everyone else okay right now!? Did we do something wrong!? Did we break some law without realizing it!? These thoughts ran through my mind over and over again while I tried to hold back tears because I wasn't sure if these men could see me crying behind this tree or not! Then finally His Majesty spoke up again:

"Well son," he said aloud "let's get back to work!" With those words spoken aloud by him we both turned around together walking back towards our strawberry fields continuing where we left off from before those five men showed up earlier today leaving those questions unanswered behind us wondering if our family is okay or not during this time!