The Real World

by Bess Korey © 2003

"In 1980, Jimmy Carter won the Presidential Election by a landslide," the video said.

"Why are they making us watch this?" Cassie whispered to her friend Joe. "Everyone knows that Carter won in '80. This is such a waste of time!"

"It’s better than having to listen to Mr. Frank lecture," Joe whispered back.

"Yeah, I guess."

But as the video droned on about how Carter had brought peace to the Middle East, and how he had ended the Cold War, Cassie felt her eyelids growing heavy, and was soon asleep.

She woke up when the bell rang. Most of the class, including Joe, had already left the classroom. She slowly grabbed her book bag and trudged out of there. She was practically half asleep as she walked to her next class. Since she wasn't really paying attention to where she was going, she bumped in to someone.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"It’s ok, Cass. Actually I'm glad you bumped in to me. I was looking for you."

"You were?" She gave the girl a puzzled look. Only her close friends called her Cass and she had never seen this girl before in her life.

"Yeah, I wanted to know if you were planning on going to the anti-war rally after school."

"Huh?"

"You know, the rally against war in Iraq. We talked about it yesterday. You said you might go." "War in Iraq? There hasn't been war since the '80s, and also I've never seen you before in my life!" The girl laughed. "Very funny, Cass. I wish that there hasn't been war since the '80s. That would be so great!" Cassie stood there, feeling completely baffled, and found herself unable to utter a word.

Since she didn't respond, the girl said, "Well I've got to run. If you want to go to the rally, meet me at my locker at 3:00."

After the girl left, she started running. She ran straight out of the school. She didn't care if she got in trouble, she had to find out what was going on. She kept running until she got to the 7-11, which was half a mile away. She would check the date on the newspapers. She must be in the wrong year. That had to be it! It was a completely illogical explanation, but illogical problems do call for illogical explanations.

She caught her breath for a few seconds, then went inside. She looked at the newspapers and the date on all of them was March 11th, 2003. It was the right date. All of the newspapers had headlines which had to do with the War on Iraq, and some guy named President Bush was mentioned a lot. There had not been a president since the late '80s. The people governed themselves now. What was going on?

She was about to have a panic attack, when she noticed something very peculiar outside the window. There was a girl who looked exactly like her approaching the store. She went outside immediately so she could get a closer look.

"Who are you?" Cassie asked the girl, who had stopped right in front of her. The resemblance was uncanny up close as well. On a normal day it might have caused her to faint, but this was not a normal day.

"I’m you," the girl said, "but I'm from this dimension, not the one you're from. I traded places with you because I wanted to see what it would be like to live in a world without war, hatred, and poverty. You take your world for granted. You don't even realize how lucky you are, and that's why I swapped places with you."

"Why is there war here?"

"Because in your world Jimmy Carter was re-elected president in 1980, which led to the resolution of all world conflicts. In my world, Ronald Reagan won the 1980 election, which led to all the previously conflicts staying unresolved, and even more world conflicts being caused. Reagan caused a negative domino effect, so things keep getting worse and worse here, where as in your dimension Carter caused a positive domino effect."

"This Reagan guy sounds horrible!"

"He was, but our president now is even worse. He is more like a dictator than a president. He does what he wants, and doesn't care what the American people think. The majority of the American people, as well as most countries in the world, do not want him to start this war, but he doesn't care, he will do it anyways."

"I am so sorry. How can you live in a place like this? In my world, we govern ourselves. The presidential system was abolished due to how corrupt it can become when power is put in the wrong hands."

"I have no choice but to live here. I hope that when you go back, you will remember everything that I've told you, and will not take your world for granted anymore."

"I will remember. When can I go back?"

"Now."

Cassie opened her eyes. She was back in her history class, and the video was playing. She watched it intently as they talked about President Mondale, the man who was elected in 1984, and was America's last president, before the presidential system was abolished.

"Hey Cass," Joe whispered.

"Ssh! I'm watching."

"I thought you were bored by this. You even fell asleep for a few minutes."

"I don't think it's boring at all."

"Um...ok," he said, looking confused, then left her alone.

After class was over, she said to him, "I had this horrible nightmare when I fell asleep in class. I dreamt of a world where there was war!"

"Man, that is a horrible nightmare!" Joe said.

x x x




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