Part One

“Don’t worry honey, everything will be okay,” Julius stated to Danielle.

Julius was sitting in the living room of his house. His wife in his arms with slippery tears running down her face. Julius said everything would be okay, but he had no plan. He was dazed and lost in a world of amazement. How was he going to manage a wife, a son, and a daughter with no job?

“There are more jobs in the world,” Danielle said to Julius.

“Yes I know, but all the jobs are in the city of Etanutrof. Being a sanitation worker was my life. That is what kept this family going. I was lucky enough to even have a job in the first place,” Julius replied.

“Well maybe if you just try to find a new one. Who knows, one may just appear right out of nowhere.”

“Okay, I’ll try. I will go see if I can go negotiate with my ex-boss and try to get my job back.”

Just then, Julius’ kids walked in. Jonah, the son was covered in dirt and smelled of vegetables. He spent a long day in the garden trying to help keep his family going. Mary, the daughter was covered in dirt also, but smelled of clay from sculpting. Both children were dressed in torn rags and looked like torn up ragdolls that someone found on the road. Jonah had plump cheeks and was short and stubby. His face had sort of an angry edge, which didn't show his true personality. He was a fantastic son, who always obeyed his parents. Mary was the polar opposite of Jonah. She was very tall and lanky with a tall skinny head. She had red rosy cheeks, which made her look happy all the time, which was absolutely not true. Mary hated her life completely. She hated living in the shaggy city of Ekorb where everything reeked of garbage and manure. Both children stared at their parents in pure amazement, not knowing what to say. Julius looked at them, stood up, and started to walk out of the room.

“Dad where are you going?” Jonah questioned.

“Not now Jonah!” Julius roared.

“Someone’s a little grumpy,” Mary joked.

“Mary, go outside. Now is definitely not the time!” Danielle shouted back

Julius looked across the room with a stern face and walked out. Many thoughts were rushing through his head. He had so much on his mind. Right as he left his house, he turned and stared up at Etanutrof. The city was towering over Ekorb, with it’s tall skyscrapers and flying machines, while Ekorb had broken down huts and mounds of garbage with an appalling smell spreading throughout the awful city. Julius turned and started down the street with one thought crossing through his mind, “Why was I chosen to live a terrible life like this.”

Julius walked down the street, zoning everybody out. He could see everybody in their disheveled houses staring out the window at him. Still that one thought kept creeping through his head. He was just so confused and astonished at how the citizens of Etanutrof wouldn't help the citizens of Ekorb. After all, they were neighboring cities. Julius turned the corner and was at the junkyard. He stared at it and his eyes filled up with crystal clear tears. Just then, a slimy tear dripped down his face and dropped to the ground. It all happened so slowly. All the memories were rushing through his head and before Julius knew it he was on the ground with his head in between his legs and he was wailing.

Julius stood up and walked toward the little shack with his ex-boss sitting in his chair. He was turned around facing the wall. His head was hanging on his chest with his arms crossed and his feet up on the desk.

Julius approached and said, “Boss, can I have a few words with you?”

When Julius saw his boss’ face he jumped back and hit the wall with a thud. The boss’ eyes were wide open and his head was just dangling. Julius could not believe what he was witnessing.

“Boss, are you okay?” Julius asked.

Just then Julius noticed something sticking out of his boss’ chest. A 6 inch knife was pierced through his boss’ chest with drops of blood dripping down his chest. His shirt was now crimson red and his pants were slowly changing. Julius didn't know what do. He was trying to stay calm, but he just couldn't hold it together. His first reaction was to walk up and pull the knife out of his chest. He used all the strength he had left to pull the knife out of the boss’ broken down sternum. Julius got the knife out and fiery red blood was now dripping on his hand. There was a string tied around the shaft keeping a note in place. Julius slid the note off the shaft and unfolded it.

The note read:
You little bastards will never be good enough. You will never be one of us. You were born into poverty and you will stay there your whole life. Ekorb will never be good enough.





Signed,
The citizens of Etanutrof


Julius folded up the note and shoved it in his pocket with a heap of force. Julius left his boss there, dead not knowing what to do. He turned around and started into a jog, which then turned into a sprint. He was now rushing through the junkyard at a great pace.

He ran past one mound of rubbish and took a sharp right and came to a barbed wire fence. The fence was standing tall with it’s rusty silver looking at him square in the eye. Julius stared back, stood there and walked up step by step. He slowly approached and then reached out his hand. His hand was trembling vigorously, but he managed to wrap his fingers through the stone cold fence. He stepped closer and shoved his watery eyes up to the holes in the fence. He stared up at the city of Etanutrof and collapsed to the ground. With many thoughts running through his head, he slid his left hand down the left side of his body and reached his hand in his pocket. He slowly moved his hand around trying to make out the texture of the paper. Julius pulled his entire pocket out of his pants and the only thing that came out was a paperclip and a plastic straw.

Suddenly, Julius heard a voice coming from behind him.

“Looking for this?” a man who was standing behind Julius said.

“Who, who are you?” Julius quivered.

“My name is William and I am the mayor of Etanutrof,” William said.

“How did you get that note? That was mine,” Julius said in reply.

“It fell out of your pocket when you were running through the landfill.”

“Well did you know about the note?”

“You’re such an idiot. Who do you think stabbed the little bastard in the first place?”

Julius couldn't believe what he was hearing. He turned around and ran straight at the 13 foot fence. Julius sprung onto the fence in one leap and started climbing at a maniacal rate. He got to the top and flipped over. He slammed the ground on his back and you could hear Julius’ grunt from a mile away. William was staring at him laughing. Julius stood up in an instant trying to hide the pain in his face. He looked down at his hands and they were slit from top to bottom. The barbed wire cut him up atrociously. Blood was now leaking out of his hands so badly that he started to lose coloring. Julius ripped his shirt off and wrapped it around his hands. Julius’ face was now the color of a ghost. He turned around and started to walk away from the landfill. William was staring at him with a grin on his face stretching from ear to ear. Right as Julius thought he could get away he collapsed on the ground unconscious.



Julius woke up and he was struggling to breathe. He opened his eyes but all he was seeing was black. Black surrounded him from head to toe and Julius didn’t know where he was. Many different textures were rubbing against his body, but he could still not make out where he was. Julius then noticed a gruesome smell, but it wasn't the first time he noticed it. Julius remembered the smell from somewhere in his past. He remembered the first time he ever smelled that horrible smell. Right as Julius remembered that stench, he knew exactly where he was. Julius swam up to the top of the blackness and swiveled his head to the light. Julius was squinting because of the bright lights that were shining in his face. Julius recognized where he was and a wide smirk gleamed across his face. He was sitting on top of the largest garbage mound in the entire city of Ekorb. He was looking down on everything. For the first time in Julius’ life he felt like he was greater than everybody else. He felt like he ruled the city of Ekorb.

“Snap out of it, Julius. You don’t rule anyone. You are just as equal as all the citizens of Ekorb. You help them and you make them feel like they belong in a community,” Julius mumbled to himself.

Julius picked up a shiny tin can in his left hand. He let it dangle by his side and slowly brought it up to his face. Julius stared at it long and hard. He was thinking about how William killed his boss, how broken down Ekorb was, and most importantly how selfish the citizens of Etanutrof were. Julius then understood he wasn't just staring at a tin can, he was staring at a reflection of himself. Julius looked even longer with more and more thoughts running through his head. Julius realized something again. He recognized that he wasn’t just looking at Julius, he was looking at the man who could change the city of Ekorb forever.

Julius took a long, deep breath and began to slide down the mound inch by inch. When he reached the bottom he didn’t know where he should go from there.

“Well, I guess I haven’t seen my family all day. They are probably wondering where I am and how the discussion with my boss went,” Julius said to himself.

Julius started to walk back towards the main shack. Right as Julius was leaving the fenced in landfill he came to a halt. Julius turned to his right and looked in the little shack. His boss was still lying in the chair dead. The only difference was that a blood puddle was forming underneath the chair. Julius decided to walk into the room and look around. He walked up to the desk and saw plenty of folders with papers overflowing out of them. He picked one up and opened the folder. Within an instant Julius dropped the folder and papers were soaking through with blood. Julius’ jaw was dropped to the ground.