Clockwork by Fatima Azeem

Clockwork by Fatima Azeem

The world isn’t real. Fate, as we know it, was created by an algorithm of zeros and ones coded into a system that shapes our lives. And this isn’t the first Earth to be made. After much trial and error, the higher-ups of reality finally, finally made the perfect simulation to observe humans: their emotions, their morality, their struggle to live—humanity now is a result of thousands of experiments conducted by bored, envious researchers. Envious why? Because human beings have the privilege of ignorance that many others don’t have. 

Humans didn’t know the world was fake, but one man, ONE MAN, was all it took to ruin the millions of years of work I put into this study: his name was John Doe. How did he do it? I don’t know either, because I took a 5-year power nap, and now everyone on Earth is rebelling against the rules I created… and the worst part? I have to make another world all over again. Why can’t they just stay oblivious?

 I’ll start with the sky. I’ll break up the blue ceiling, and maybe I can create a green one next time. It’ll work, it has to, because I can’t keep doing this research over and over again! Now I just need to wipe most of humanity out for the billionth time. John Doe is at the top of my list, but my body will probably end up at the bottom of a cliff before him because my boss is really mad. 

The world may not be real, but neither is my sanity.