#58 — Dead or Alive | Seedling Challenge #3 | Microfiction: < 300 words
A Rebel’s Call to Action: Version 3
“Who wouldn’t want to ensure starving children are fed?”
“I heard They offered Jakobsen three times what his farm is worth.”
“I heard Freder got more, and everyone knows his land’s rocky as shit.”
“I heard Belowski said, ‘no.’”
All eyes at the dimly-lit, corner pub table turned to the speaker. “They tried cash, They tried threats. Then They sent a bunch of big airtankers at night. Buried his fields in salt and chemical retardants. Claimed it was some kinda flight training accident, but he can’t grow fuck all.”
“Good evening. I’m Candy Clarkson and this is your News at 6! Recent polls show the majority of Americans are supportive of new government policy aimed at centralizing food production and eliminating food insecurity. Cost-of-living increases continue to destabilize our country with recent statistics showing 42% of Americans are experiencing a daily hunger crisis. 70% of those are children.
“Unfortunately, a small but increasingly radical faction is speaking out against these government initiatives. Agricultural Minister, Steven Johnson, speaking at a press conference this morning asked, rhetorically: ‘who wouldn’t want to ensure starving children are fed proper, nutrient-dense food? Haphazard and undependable farming practices are a thing of the past. We must ensure that food products meet the new standards. Anyone who disagrees is spreading conspiracy theories and propaganda. We will take action if they persist in their attempts to mislead the American public.’”
Stedman returned home from the pub, agitated. His mind kept looping back over the names of other farmers in his area: Jakobsen, Freder, Belowski. He was beginning to see the patterns the Government didn’t want them to notice. Through the window, Stedman could just make out the rounded shapes of calf hutches against the midnight sky. This farm had been in his family for generations and he’d be damned if he was the one to lose it.
Thank you for reading! This story was written for Bradan Writes Stories’ Seedling Challenge which involves rewriting and growing the same story from 50 words all the way up to 1000+ words. You may want to check out Version 1 and Version 2 of this story to see how it has been expanded up to this point. Continue on to Version 4 to see how it continues to grow.
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