Fictionarium 12. Episode 2, Law of Distraction (Original Story by @therealpaul)
Arlo had either washed his hair or cut it-- possibly both. With his beard shaved, and wearing what could have been a clean shirt, the master of disguise now drove a green car, wore glasses, and kept his hands at ten and two o'clock. He knew how to look ordinary in an ordinary town, because he was a trained professional.
In the back room of the Bean House Cafe, Arlo professionally noticed a sudden hush in the conversation at the table in the corner. Whatever it was that they didn't want anyone to hear, Arlo decided to amuse himself by listening in on it.
Arlo had printed dozens of microphones that looked like Bean House coasters, and had been switching them out over the months, so that now, practically every table was equipped with at least one of his surveillance mics.
The secretive talker in the corner was a guy they called Herch, a sort of conspiracy buff, who's often-lowered voice had made him a frequent target for Arlo's coaster/microphones over the last year. (Herch had learned that if he spoke in a hushed voice, people tended to listen better.) Arlo had learned the same thing in his Observer classes, and he activated his earpiece to listen to what Herch was talking about from across the room.
Arlo's eyes grew wide for an instant as he listened, but then he laughed through his nose at the irony of what he was hearing.
"They have microphones everywhere, and agents… listening in all the time to our conversations… but this is what's going on. She got kicked off the police force for saying too much… a real whistleblower… risked a lot telling this info to us, and it's our duty to spread the word… it's the only way to stop them!"
For Arlo, Herch had always been the perfect gauge as to the effectiveness of the Science Board's disinformation campaigns. Herch hadn't always been so focused on conspiracy theories, a few months ago it had been the "Law of Attraction" that had him excited. He had been telling his friends about this secret technique that was being hidden from us all, about how the things that we think about are what become real. So far, so good.
At this point, however, Herch had been led astray. While he'd rather correctly made the science sound magical and forbidden, his excitement was based on selfishness-- he was feeling empowered, but then he'd directed that power towards an illusion; that he could simply wish for prosperity or a new car, and these things would materialize.
Everything Herch was saying was based on reality, but there is a law in a Fictionarium that he had been forgetting. Depending entirely upon the potency of any 'Law of Attraction' was the 'Law of DISTRACTION', wherein you will think about and materialize whatever the Science Board damn well tells you to materialize, and you can wish for that car all you want in between work shifts.
When ordinary life precedes any momentary dreams of prosperity or new cars, then the Ordinary Life is produced in large quantities, but there's no time to dream of anything else.
This was why Herch had been fed the Law of Attraction in the first place; so that he could spread it around with much enthusiasm, but then become discouraged-- and with no new car or prosperity going on, nobody could blame him if he never mentioned the Law of Attraction again. He hadn't.
Now it sounded like agent White was telling Herch what to create , and Arlo listened with some amusement to "the stuff they don't want you to hear." It was getting scary, according to Herch, as he explained it all to his huddled group.
"The Science Board is planning on taking over Hill Valley. They've built a concentration camp somewhere out of town to round everybody up... and drive them in. It's where all the food will be, so everybody will go willingly. People like us, though? Other plans."
Herch looked at the floor for a second, and paused. (He'd learned that dramatic pauses kept people listening, but it was irritating for the eavesdropping Arlo) Leaning into the table, Herch got to the good part.
"Now, they've always been able to control earthquakes here, that's no secret. What they plan, is to let-- or MAKE one happen, and have a reason to send in the SB troops, to round up the survivors. That's all she could tell us right now-- it's too dangerous… she's risking everything to tell us!"
Arlo had heard enough, and went outside to have a smoke. He knew that the only reason he still smoked was because it had been part of his job-- to listen to the particular talk that went on out in the smoker's world, but now he was utterly addicted-- craftily puffing between the raindrops-- and he wasn't really even an SB agent anymore.
As a former SB agent, though, Arlo knew that Herch was also a smoker, and that he would be coming out that door any second now. Arlo was beginning to like the idea of being a retired agent. Who knows, maybe he'd become a real whistleblower. Or maybe just have some fun with it.
"Hey man… got a light?"
Herch didn't have a light. Arlo already had a fun idea, and a lighter, and now he had a little helper in his mischief: nicotine. Holding the lighter out, Arlo quickly pulled it back, and looked carefully at Herch. "Earthquakes, martial law, camps?"
Herch looked horrified and actually turned white as Arlo continued.
"They know who you are Herch… they know what you are capable of. Do YOU know what you are capable of, Herch? They do! They need for Hill Valley to live in fear, and they need for YOU to spread it. Herch, they can't afford to wreck Hill Valley with an earthquake, they need for you to spread the fear of it instead. FEAR, Herch. It's the world THEY want you to live in, and they have succeeded. The camp is built, and you were herded in Herch. You are already in the camp! The Science Board isn't coming for you Herch… they have you already. You didn't think the Law of Attraction was real, but look at what you are thinking about, and your fearful world… the SB doesn't have to come here and bring the terror, Herch. They have you to do that. They have you to teach everyone to bring fear into the world, attracted from a future that only exists in your mind. But look around now, Herch. Look! There's not a disaster, it's the sunny day that YOU manifested. They want you to dread the longer shadows all day, and they want you to tell everyone, every day. They want you to ruin Hill Valley, so they've ruined your imagination… ruined your world."
Arlo held the lighter out again and lit Herch's forgotten cigarette, and added a little more, having paused, for dramatic effect.
"The main reason they don't use the earthquake machine, Herch, is because they know that we would all spontaneously help each other-- we would survive, and we would become way too strong for them to manage anymore. They like things the way they are now."
------------------
thanks for reading this episode of FICTIONARIUM
previous episode LINK
image source above Pixabay
follow me! @therealpaul