Museum of Ideas, Exhibit One
© 2022 by Walter Reimer

Thumbnail art by  dragonmelde, color and background by  marmelmm


There was the bright flash of a magically-powered teleport, and the paladin and the mage stood blinking in the sunlight for a few moments before looking around.

“Hmm.” Meredith looked up at the vegetation-covered wall behind them. The wall was, at an estimate, twenty meters high, and stretched from horizon to horizon. It was covered in ivy and other creeping plants that served to hide the stone substrate underneath. “This is interesting. Keeping people in, or out?”

“Or both,” Varan reminded her, the mage’s feline pupils closing to mere slits in the bright sunshine. They were standing on close-cropped grass, apparently part of a park, while off in the distance a city – sparkled? “Aka,” the vir said, “that’s certainly interesting.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I see what you mean,” Meredith said.

From where they stood, it appeared that the entire city appeared to be entirely of glass.

The golden palomino mare’s ears swiveled as Varan chuckled. “What?”

“Transparent buildings,” she explained as her prehensile tail made a certain gesture.

Meredith giggled. “Yeah, privacy wouldn’t be an issue, that’s for sure. Can you find a portal out of here?”

The mage’s staff lit up and Varan slowly turned around. “Yes, it’s right here,” and she pointed the gem on the end of the staff at a heavily overgrown spot on the wall. There was a corresponding glow from the pouch at her belt as the portal was marked on her map. “We’re going exploring?”

“Yes, we need to see what this place is all about.”

They hadn’t walked very far through the park when two felines, male and female, were seen approaching them. They weren’t speaking, or holding paws, and they were wearing identical light gray jumpsuits with triangular badges over the left chest pocket. The female stopped, grasped the male’s sleeve, and pointed at the two adventurers.

Meredith waved.

The two felines spoke to each other briefly, and the male patted the female on the shoulder. She turned and ran back down the path the way they’d come as he walked toward them. He had a wary expression on his face as he said, “Hello?”

“Hello,” Varan said. “What is this place?”

The male feline’s ears swiveled. “This place? Why, this is the Unified State.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “Have you come from beyond the Green Wall?”

Meredith half-turned to look back at the wall still towering over them. “Yes, we have.”

“Oh,” he said in an uncertain tone. He paused as if in thought before he said, “My designation is D-503,” and he pointed at the triangular tag on his jumpsuit. “What are your designations?”

“We don’t have designations,” Meredith said, “we have names. I’m Meredith, and this is Varan.” The feline looked confused, and the mare asked, “Why is the city transparent?”

D-503 blinked before the question sank in. “Oh! The Unified State was created by the Benefactor, who calculated the design for maximum efficiency and established the equations and formulae that govern every aspect of the inhabitants’ lives. Would you like to see?”

The mage and paladin looked at each other, and Meredith said, “Please.”

“Right then! Follow me.”

Their first impression had been accurate; the entire city – floors, walls, roofs – were transparent. “You are even watched while having sex?” Varan asked, her tail swishing as she gazed up at one building, where two canines were vigorously coupling.

“Yes.”

“What about privacy?” Meredith asked.

D-503 blinked. “Pri – va – cy . . . privacy’s illegal in the Unified State,” he said, stepping aside as a column of furs marched past in lockstep. “I was right to send O-110 to alert the Guardians.”

“’Guardians?’” the mare asked, resting a paw on her sword.

“The Bureau of Guardians,” D-503 replied. “You are from beyond the Green Wall, and therefore you will be subjected to the Great Operation. It is a form of psychosurgery to make you more reliable,” and the mare’s ears went straight back.

“I’m not sure I like this,” the paladin said.

“Likes are not a part of the equation,” D-503 said equably as several furs armed with batons marched around a corner. His designation tag chimed, and the feline suddenly turned and walked off.

“I think I’ve seen enough of this place, Varan.”

“I agree. We run?”

“Yes.”

They took to their feet and hooves, pelting down the street toward the park and dodging around other files and columns of marching furs as the club-wielding Guardians pursued them. Meredith had her sword out and fended off a few assailants who emerged from side streets as Varan cast shields to knock over the column that was chasing them.

They ran across the park toward the portal, and Varan came to a stop and cast the spell required to open it. Meredith dove through, followed by the mage as the portal closed.

In the brief interval, the two adventurers saw a series of words go past them.

The words advised them that they had just left a section called The Dystopia in Literature.