Samantha's life

Samantha was filled with glee as she accepted her diploma. The commencement speaker's address had stirred her heart.

"I did it." She thought to herself. "I will get a good job, I will make a positive difference in the world and I'll even start a family! The adventure begins!"

Five years later.

Samantha was startled when she saw the time on her alarm clock. "I'm late" she exclaimed, "I will surely be fired now!" She sat up in bed, filled with fear. But then, a strong sense of calm.

"Wait, no I'm not," She whispered with an air of relief, "I have plenty of time." She giggled to herself and curled up under the covers of her bed. She felt safe there, in her own little world. "Thank you, subconscious, for giving me this peaceful morning moment. I hate being awakened by that loud alarm." "You're welcome." her subconscious replied.

After an hour or so, she looked at the clock and groaned, as it was now time to get up. She pulled herself out of bed and prepared herself for her day.

"It's okay." she told herself "It's not so bad once you get there."

After completing her morning rituals, she got in her car and drove to work. She enjoyed driving. She found her commute oddly peaceful. The vibration of the car helped her think. This peace was interrupted by the sight of new toll places on the highway to work.

"That will be twenty dollars." the toll taker said.

"What? There were never tolls on this road before." She replied.

"It's been privatized. The highway is now owned by the Bucknam corporation and they charge for its use."

She let out an exasperated sigh and paid the toll.

When she got to work, she heard a co-worker going into a rage over the company's policies being written in both Spanish and English. He bothered her, but she was too tired to argue with him. She sat down at her desk and got to work on her computer, when her boss stopped by.

"You haven't quite been hitting your quotas lately." He said.

"The new rules and procedures we are using make that difficult." She replied.

"Others in the office are meeting their quotas."

"But I see a lot of them breaking the rules."

"Just get it done."

She thought he was being a jerk, but she kept her mouth shut. She went back to work, willfully violating and bending the company's policies when her friend Amy stopped by.

"Hey, Sam." She said cheerfully. "They are looking for volunteers for a big project. Not much extra pay, but it's a great way to get noticed. It could really help your career."

"Maybe I don't want to be noticed." Samantha replied.

"What's the matter with you, Samantha? You never work harder than you need to."

"Of course! Working harder than you need to is practically the definition of inefficacy."

That wasn't how Samantha always thought. She once went above and beyond, but it often seemed the oft-promised rewards get further and further away. Life now seemed empty. Time seemed to move more quickly. She wanted to achieve something significant, but she wasn't sure what. She wanted to be a part of something bigger, to belong to a group, but she didn't know which one. She needed to take action. Maybe the group she wanted to join didn't exist. Maybe she had to create it. A secret, covert organization would be exciting, she thought. What would this organization's goal be? To end corruption, somehow.

She hurried over to her friend Amy's desk.

"Want to join my organization?" Samantha asked.

"What does your organization do?" Amy replied.

"Fight corruption!"

"How?"

"How should I know?"

"It's your organization!"

"We'll think of something."

"How many are in this organization?"

"No one else, yet"

"I'll pass."

"C'mon! It will be fun. We'll spy on people."

"That sounds perverted."

"But exciting, right?"

Amy sighed. "I'll join your 'organization'", she said reluctantly, "but mainly just to stop you from doing anything crazy."

After work Amy joined Samantha at her home.

"Now it is time for my special martial arts training."

"What is that?"

"A special meditation I heard about. It will help us in our fight... whatever that is. First take a few deep breaths in and out."

Amy did just that.

"Now imagine yourself in a beautiful field.

Amy did just that.

"Now imagine ripping out your own intestines"

Amy did not do just that.

"That's morbid!" Amy exclaimed.

"Exactly the point!" Samantha replied. "We must cleanse ourselves of excessive fear to overcome our enemy."

"Who's our enemy?" Amy asked.

A breaking news report appeared on the TV.

"The President has just awarded a medal to a banker for insider trading. He said that the banker's ability to sell worthless stock to people who don't know better for a large amount of money is an inspiration to us all." Said the reporter.

"That." Samantha replied. "Society is glorifying the corrupt!"

"What are we supposed to do?"

"Intelligence gathering."

"Doesn't sound like your thing."

"Oh, but it is!"

Samantha took Amy to a small backroom filled with computer monitors and processors showing various areas around their town as well as a telescope positioned right in front of a window.

"When did you put this together and how?!" Amy yelled with a tone of bewilderment.

"I don't have much of a social life. I got plenty of spare time and I have... unconventional means of getting funding."

Amy was becoming increasingly concerned. She always knew that Samantha was a little off-center, but now she suspected her friend had crossed over into total insanity.

"Are you feeling alright?" She asked gently with great concern.

Samantha did not hear her, she was too absorbed in what was happening on one screen.

"These guys talking at the park look suspicious. Let's investigate." She said.

They put on masks and went to the park, over Amy's objections, and tried to listen in on their conversation.

"I can't hear them well." Sam said. "I need to get closer".

"Can I help you?" One man asked.

"uhhh...." She replied nervously. She stood there frozen in fear and confusion, then she had an idea.

"Bleh!" She yelled as she threw some special dust/confetti on him and ran away.

When they arrived back home, Samantha had a revelation.

"We need to change our strategy." Samantha said.

"We had a strategy?" Amy replied.

"We need to be calm, think things through and find..."

Samantha became distracted by something on another monitor.

"Let's move out!" She exclaimed before grabbing a sword and running out of the house.

[Later]

Samantha was feeling dejected and sad. She had scared Amy away with her insanity. It was how things usually went for her. She generally meant well, but she never knew quite how to act. It was like the world was not meant for her. Was there hope? Could she achieve her dreams? Could she at least matter? Have friends? Have family?

The next morning, she woke up and gazed at her alarm clock.

"I'm late!" She exclaimed. "I really am late! Neither my alarm clock nor my subconscious woke me up. This probably isn't going to be a great day."

As she drove it to work she again came across the toll booth.

"Twenty dollars." The attendant said.

"I don't see why I should have to pay you guys anything. You didn't build this road, and even if you did, it's really not possible for me to avoid it."

"You looking for a handout?"

"Like what the government gave you?"

She reluctantly paid the toll and went into work.

At her job, her boss once again came by to complain about her not meeting her quotas.

"Look," she said, annoyed. "Most of the other employees who are meeting their quotas aren't doing their jobs. They are taking shortcuts and dumping their problems on the customers and other departments."

"Like I said, it's not my problem." He replied.

"Ass." She said, unknowingly speaking aloud.

Her boss stood in shock.

"Come with me to my office." He said.

They went to his office.

"People like me are titans. We built the world. We are the lifeblood of society." He said.

"Uh, this is an insurance company. You don't really build anything."

"But you see, I pay people to build things. Paying someone to do something is the same as doing it yourself."

"Are you on crack?"

Her boss gasped at her tenacity as she had become frightened stiff by what she had done. It was hard getting this job and if she got fired, it could be a while before she gets another.

"You're fired." He said.

Her heart sank. She fought back tears as she got up to leave the office. As she left, her friend Amy looked on and became overwhelmed by a sense of pity. Maybe if she stood by her friend more, things would have turned out different, she thought.

At home, Samantha laid on her bed, feeling defeated. She thought about her life. She wondered what she would do next. She felt her impulsiveness; her lack of social skills and general demeanor would stop her from getting another job. She thought maybe there wasn't hope for her in this world. Then, came a knock on the door. It was Amy.

"Listen, I thought about it some more and I would be willing help with your 'organization'."

"Right now, I need help getting a job."

"Maybe the organization could make some money or I could help you out a bit"

"Maybe I should just live in a hut somewhere and forage like an animal."

"Uhh... maybe we should try the making money idea first."

"I think I'll stick with the animal thing for now. Where's my squirrel costume?"

Amy sighed.

She put on her squirrel costume, which consisted of a big fluffy fake tail, ears, and claws while Amy looked on in disbelieve.

"Why do you have that costume?"

"I think, deep down, I've always known this would be my destiny."

Amy buried her face in her hands.

Samantha spent several days in the forest in costume. She gathered food to eat, but not much. On her first attempt she fell from a tree. She "cheated" a bit by buying food here and there with her savings.

One day, Amy came to visit.

"Is this how you really want to live your life? In filth and squalor? Running away from reality?"

It was a valid point. She was cold and hungry. She felt calmer at first, but that calm had since been overwhelmed by boredom. The forest didn't exactly provide a lot of intellectual stimulation. She knew that Amy was right. Sealing herself off from the world would not fix anything. It would just make things worse. But what would make things better? It was a question that she often struggled with, but now she had an idea.

She went home. She took off her costume. She showered and went to bed. The next morning, she went to Amy's house.

"You were right," Samantha said. "I shouldn't run away from my problems. I'm going to start my own business: a bake shop."

"It's nice to see you taking some initiative."

"I've got a great business plan: payment optional."

"What?"

"It will be a charity bake shop. I'll bake stuff to help people and fund it through donations."

"It's a big risk."

"Revolution always is."