Excerpt from dystopian novel Flying Ant Day

Read a chapter from my dystopian novel Flying Ant Day - Book 1 in the World of The Powers series.

In a world run by machines, human life becomes of secondary importance. If the rich no longer need the poor to work for them, humans become expendable. And in the dystopian World of the Powers I’ve created in my novels Flying Ant Day and Dead Headz, the youth-led government turns a blind eye to the concept o Unfair Funfairs. In short, these give people a chance to end their life in a fun/enjoyable way.

The lack of value that is attached to human life by those in power who prefer machines to manpower because it's faster and cheaper, is a subject that needs discussing head on. The world of the Powers is a depressing world for people, so much so that many are happy to end their time in it early.

Here’s an excerpt from the relevant chapter in Flying Ant Day. WARNING: It contains discussion of assisted suicide.

23: The Unfair Funfair

Battersea Park on the south bank of the River Thames

in Sector 3 played host to the Global Gloomers’ keynote

London event on FAD. Mac moaned for the majority of the

ten minute journey from Chris’ apartment, insisting he

hadn’t expected to do so much walking.

“There’s no buses anymore, Mac. No taxis or trains. So

how do you expect to get around?”

“I don’t know, I thought there’d be something. Horses?

Actually, what a great idea that is. You’d make a fortune

today. Horse-driven taxi services. It’s the future of

transportation under The Powers.”

“Great idea, Mac, apart from our slight lack of horses.”

They entered the park through one of the arches at

Queen’s Circus, following a steady stream of visitors

talking in hushed tones. Hastily drawn arrows on the

ground pointed the way to the fair along Carriage Drive,

the sound of yells and screams getting louder with every

step. Some people paused on the drive, a few turned back,

shaking their heads. Kent and Mac followed the curve of

the road to the left where it narrowed, trees and shrubs

closing in from both sides while the Unfair Funfair sign89

announcing a free for all for over 18s only arched over the road

and flapped in the gentle summer breeze.

Kent turned to Mac who looked straight ahead.

“What is this?” Kent asked. “Everyone looks so pale

and ill.”

They passed a car park on the left, a few vehicles taking

up a fraction of the fifty or so spaces. The path darkened as

willows arched their branches over the route into the heart

of the park from both sides of the path until it widened into

an open space bright with colourful attractions and

sideshows, some flat, others tall, all with lights blinking and

old school organ tunes blaring. Three people carrying a

blue tarpaulin rushed in front of Kent and Mac, hastily

erecting a screen around a bundle on the floor near a stall

called Hook A Mine.

“This looks like a fun fair minus the fun,

” said Kent.

“It’s a serious event with a serious purpose,

” said Mac.

“Global Gloomers are running this and they expect

people to come?” Kent asked.

“I thought there’d be a better turn-out,

” said Mac,

sounding disappointed.

“It’s still early,” said Kent. “Fairs don’t normally open

this early. Shall we go and meet KC01 or whatever she’s

called? Where did you arrange to meet her?”

“At the Bump-Off Cars. She said she’s working the ride

for the first two hours then has an hour off.”

Kent scanned the park.

“There it is.” He pointed ahead

to perhaps the noisiest attraction of them all, with coloured

bulbs running the length of a low, flat roof. The lights

weren’t quite so alluring in the daytime, but the loud music

drew attention to the ride. Kent and Mac cut across the

open ground, flattening the overlong, sandy coloured

grass. Unlike bumper car rides Kent had experienced

before, the sides of this attraction were closed off with

colourful boards blocking the view of the driving arena. No

voyeurism watching cars crash into each other here.

“There’s no way I’m going on one of these, by the

way,” said Kent. “It’ll shake up the fluid in my brain.”90

Mac ignored him, looking instead into the booth at the

entrance to the attraction, a man sitting behind the yellow

tinted window.

“I’ll go and have a word with him,” said Kent. “See if

he knows where she is.”

“Don’t bother, Kent, she’s not coming.”

“How do you know?”

“I just know.

”

“Let’s wait. Maybe she’s been held up. There’s no

buses or taxis or trains. She doesn’t own a horse, does she?”

“We didn’t get around to talking about horses.”

“How about some candy floss?” Kent pointed to the

sign.

“I wouldn’t. Some are laced with arsenic.”

“What? How about a toffee apple?

“They’re grenades.”

“Live grenades?”

“Some are. Others are blanks. All covered in that red

sticky stuff. There’s a one in a hundred chance that you bite

in and it blows up in your face. That whole stall is like

Russian Roulette with confectionery.

”

“But it’s all a joke right?”

“No. Deadly serious.”

Kent jolted as an explosion rocked the park.

A team of medics rushed across the green and

disappeared behind another hastily erected blue screen just

outside the Walk The Plank ride.

“What’s going on here, Mac?” Kent asked pointing at

the ride.

“That’s like a helter skelter but when you get to the top,

there’s no slide down, just a plank you have to walk.

”

Kent craned his neck to view the top of the conical

tower with bright red and incendiary yellow diamonds

forming a pattern around its outer shell. “That’s about fifty

foot up that plank. What’s underneath, a pool, a crash

mat?”

“The River Thames.”

“People jump off into… Is this all about what I think91

it’s all about?” Kent asked Mac who remained staring up at

the top of the tower.

Kent felt a chill flash down his back. “You surely can’t

condone a place like this, Mac?”

Mac glanced back at the Bump-Off Cars booth, the man

leaning out of the window, pointing a customer in the

direction of another ride.

“And what about The Vertical Drop?” Kent asked.

“Is

that another Walk The Plank type attraction?”

“That’s a rollercoaster that goes even higher. About

eighty foot up.”

“And it comes down…”

“Headfirst into the ground.”

“But that’s gonna kill everyone onboard.”

“And completely destroy the compartment. That’s

why they have to wait until it’s full.”

Kent shielded his eyes from the glare of the sun as he

looked up and tried to glance into the compartment.

“This is sick.”

“It’s for a good cause.”

“Is it fuck. People are dying here today, Mac.”

“People are coming here to voluntarily Remove

themselves. Look at them. You said already that they look

ill. That’s because many of them are. Look around. People

are here because they want to go out with a smile on their

face, Kent, not die at home alone in their beds. It’s their

choice to be here and to go on a ride. Why not end it here

rather than go back home at the end of the day and be

locked up in total misery for who knows how long?”

“I know it’s called the Unfair Funfair. But this is more

than unfair. It’s fucking barbaric, Mac. Did you know the

rides were going to be like this?”