GREEP
July 09, 2020 - 372 words
Greep knew his time had come. It was time! He had been staffed as a Scout Mobber way out on the Graeeeer Plains, where nothing exciting happened. Nothing but the occasional thunderstorm and broken box master from time to time. He hated being assigned out here.
Except for this time. Because this time was a new time. Reports had come through that the Enemy, the Enemy Himself Indeed, was making his way through the Greeeeer Plains. LINK, the fabled destroyer of the peace, the disruptor of the status quo, was coming through. ALONE!
"I see him," Seregant Nuckerm said. "Okay everyone, in position. This is happening much quicker than I thought. But we can do this."
"What do we do?" asked a nervous and edgy guy.
"You remember your training," Greep replied. He felt a wave of contempt for the unknown guy. He didn't even know his name because he hadn't bothered to learn anyone's names. Naming things creates definitions: defining something creates labels, and you attach yourself to labels. You could not afford to be attached to your coworkers when they were eventually destroyed. The laws prevented it anyway. Names were illegal. Greep had named himself, and only secretly, because he needed a sense of identity. Without it, he had no purpose. With no purpose, how could he be confident in his opinions? He knew what was right and what was wrong, but if he could not identify who in fact was holding the opinion, who indeed were heroes and villains? And why had he chosen the side he had chosen?
Because Greep had named himself (at least in his own mind), he was able to identify his desires and his values. He was able to make decisions. He knew what was reasonable and what was not. He could follow his orders because he knew what they meant instead of simply succumbing to their psychological power. When the war was over he would retire and try and publish his journals from this time. He had a lot to write about. He would travel the world and write of his experiences.
Link came riding in on a horse, thundering along . His sword was out and swinging! It ripped off Greep's head.