Ancil“The first responsibility that devolves upon you is the protection and promotion of your democracy. Democracy means more, much more, than the right to vote and one vote for every man and every woman of the prescribed age. Democracy means recognition of the rights of others. Democracy means equality of opportunity for all in education, in the public service, and in private employment–I repeat, and in private employment. Democracy means the protection of the weak against the strong. Democracy means the obligation of the minority to recognize the right of the majority. Democracy means responsibility of the Government to its citizens, the protection of the citizens from the exercise of arbitrary power and the violation of human freedoms and individual rights. Democracy means freedom of worship for all and the subordination of the right of any race to the overriding right of the human race. Democracy means freedom of expression and assemble of organization. All that is Democracy. All that is our Democracy, to which I call upon all citizens to dedicate themselves on this our Independence Day. This is what I meant when I gave the Nation its slogan for all time: Discipline, Production, Tolerance. Indiscipline, whether individual or sectional, is a threat to democracy. Slacking on the job jeopardizes the national income, inflates costs, and merely sets a bad example. The medieval churchmen had a saying that to work is to pray. It is also to strengthen our democracy by improving our economic foundations. That democracy is but a hollow mockery and a gigantic fraud which is based on a ruling group’s domination [of] slaves or helots or fellaheen or second class citizens or showing intolerance to others because of considerations of race, color, creed, national origin, previous conditions of servitude or other irrationality. Our National Flag belongs to all our citizens. Our National Coat of Arms, with our National Birds inscribed therein, is the sacred thrust of our citizens. So it is today, please, I urge you, let it always be so. Let us always be able to say, with the Psalmist, behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”
The recording then stopped and the face of the Midnight Robber appeared. He started. “Citizens of San Fernando. Every single citizen of San Fernando will have a story to tell. A story just like the great Dr. Eric Williams had a story. A story of democracy. A story of hope. A story of freedom. But allyuh can’t do it all by allyuh self. Allyuh too frail and egotistic. Allyuh need me. Allyuh need me. For I is freedom. For I is democracy. For I is hope. For I is the Midnight Robber. The city of San Fernando needs its freedom back. San Fernando need to reclaim their independence that was stolen by the government. It’s San Fernando turn now. The people of Arima, Sangre Grande, Valencia, Cumuto and Rio Claro already reclaimed their freedom.” Pictures of all the areas that he mentioned appeared on the screen as he said them with the dead bodies on the ground for all to see. “Now is San Fernando turn to reclaim their freedom. Time for the proclaimed Capital to feel the sweet touch of independence. Unless the Prime Minister of the Twin Republic surrender heself to me within the next five days between now and the 30th of August 2562. This is allyuh fate. On the stroke of midnight, I come.” The television then shut off and there was silence. The silence continued on for a while after the television shut off. But Melanie broke the silence as she came hopping on one leg into the living room. “What was that noise?”
No one answered.
“What was that noise?!” She repeated raising her voice a little more.
“Go back and sleep sweetie,” Marsha said to Melanie softly.
“Allyuh know what this shit means?” Asked the half naked strange man. “This means we have to find we skin out of this city.”
“Who are you again?” Rajiv asked the man rudely.
“You must be Rajiv,” the strange man said. “I hear plenty things about you. Anyway, I is Ravi, your mother man.”
“You mean fling thing,” Rajiv scoffed.
“Rajiv! Where did all that rudeness come from?” Marsha said in shock. “Don’t forget I am your mother and I could beat your ass in front of all your friends. Don’t play mad for me here you hear?”
Rajiv scoffed.
“Don’t worry. He young, he suppose to act so,” Ravi said.
“Not in my house.”
“What were you saying?” I asked Ravi curiously.
“I was saying that this means we have to get out this country. I have a boat. All of we could probably sail to Jamaica or something.”
It sounded like a great idea. It was definitely better than waiting on the Midnight Robber to kill us all.
“I love that idea. We could finally get out of this shithole,” Rajiv said.
Marsha instantly hit Rajiv across his head with her right hand.
We all decided on the idea of sailing out of the country. I felt a bit guilty about my decision to just abandon the country but I really didn’t want to die. We all quickly packed our bags and got ourselves ready to leave. It was lunch time and before we left we decided to have a quick eat. It was really inconvenient however that as we were about to leave the sky darkened with black clouds ready to fall. There wasn’t any rain but the sky looked ready to burst. We quickly made our way to Ravi’s boat which was parked right outside by the dock in front the house. His boat wasn’t much of a big boat. It was more of a motor raft. It barely had space for the six of us and our bags but we made it do. Ravi gave us all bright red life jackets to wear, he started the engine then we took off.
