The Unlawful Country

Prolouge: Old Memories

I had heard stories of a reality where we were civilized and organized. I never believed them though. I don't think I could imagine a world where we had basic rights, freedom, and fair leadership. My mom had told me before she died that it was all true and all the listed and more, were insured by this thing known as a Constitution. My home, the country known as the United States of America, does not contain such a thing . This leaves me, a lowly citizen living on the streets, to fend off my fellow countrymen.

The first right my mom told me about was the first of a ten-clump known as The Bill of Rights and insured the people the right to freedom of speech, religion, and assembly. How I have dreamed for this. In my home, you are required to worship God, and God only, if caught worshiping anything else, death was a promise from the King of State. This was a problem for me as a Pagan.

The freedom of speech would be a blessing in its self, to be able to speak your opinions without punishment, would be amazing. As I run down the streets relaying this information in my head, I am reminded that we are not provided with that freedom.

The reminder is cruel as I watch a guard reprehend a shopkeeper discussing how we need to have more lawful rules in place. I stop in the shadows and watch.

"You dare have the audacity to question our great Ruler of State!" The guard screamed, "He'll see to it that your death is painful and slow."

"You can't do this!" The shopkeeper cried, "This country is so unfair, all I did was state my opinion! Now you're going to kill me for it? Well if that's how this country is going to be, I say good riddance to my life! Hopefully I will live a better one in that so-called heaven you preach so much about!"

"You don't deserve to see his majesty with a mouth like that!" The guard growled before pulling out his sword and ramming it through the man's chest.

The worst part was, the scene caused no disturbance. People walked around the blood-soaked body and ground as if it were a harmless rock in need of removing. The removal of the 'rock' was not their job, hereby not their problem. This happened way too often in order for them to care. Slowly, I approached the body and laid a wilted rose from the deceased man's own shop across his chest.

"May his soul be reincarnated to a more peaceful world, maybe the one my mother talked about." I whispered to the man with my hand wrapped around my pentacle. "May his spirit be free and not bound by the ties of this dreadful world and mother nature welcome him as a part of the universe."

After, I walk away from the body that would lay there for weeks to come. As I begin my walk once more, I'm drawn back to the last part of the first right, the right to assembly. I scoff at this unfathomable possibility where we should be able to gather and discuss without a guard. Here, the only way to converse with a group was if you asked the King of State and a guard accompanied you. Failure to do this and get caught gathering, results in a death like the shopkeeper's.

The second right, or amendment is what my mother called them, was the right to bear arms. Now, I don't know how this would not end in violence, unless certain rules were put in place to regulate this and as my mom told me, there were. Here if a citizen were handed a firearm or sword, a massacre was ensured before even the King's lapdogs could appear to neutralize the threat. This country is in a constant state of civil war, but nobody cares. Here the people look out for, me, myself, and I. No companionship and patriotism is bread. Death is constantly looming over our heads and fear breeds inside us, bringing out the savages in us. Hand them a gun, and they shall hand you death in fear of kill or be killed.

The third amendment was said to be that no soldier can barge into your house without consent. That also seems like a joke to me. Even though, I may have never had a home and lived on the streets my whole life, doesn't mean I haven't seen an occurrence exactly like the one stated.