Dear People of the World (formerly Dear Americans)

Please read from Introduction to Chapter 4.

 

Sounds of footsteps were heard. Several of the soldiers were running. Then sound of breaking a door was heard. Big muscular guys wearing uniforms and metal jackets and holding rifles appeared in the room. They were U.S. Marine rescue team.

“Everyone, face down on the floor. Don’t make a move” yellowed Marines.

The Iraqi guys made moves to hold their weapons. One U.S. marine guy pointed his rifle at Kashim.

“Don’t shoot. They won’t hurt us.” Fernando shouted and came in front of the Marine.

For the marine guy, Fernando wearing Muslim cloth, who spoke in Mexican accent looked like one of Iraqi insurgents.

“You, Al Qaeda, terrorist!” The Marine guy shouted back and shot at Fernando.

Fernando fell down on the floor. The blood oozed out from his chest. Fernando died.

The Marines noticed other three Americans sat still and several Iraqi guys making moves on the floor.

Kashim and some of the other guys took the guns. The Marines aimed their rifles at the Iraqi guys.

Suddenly, “Don’t shoot them” screamed Loretta.

She stood up and put her body between the marines and the Iraqis. She was looking at the Marines face to face. Behind her back, the Iraqi guys aiming their hand guns at the Marines.  

Right after her screaming, she heard bang, bang, two shots. She felt the strong pain and found herself falling down losing consciousness. She got shots. The bullets got through her body. She felt the bullets came from front, not from back.

She said to herself “This is the last moment of my life.”

 

  

  Loretta woke up. She was sleeping on the bed. She found herself alive. She also found herself in the hospital room alone. Her body got several tubes inserted. The respirator was on her mouth. Seemed like she got surgery.

She moved her hand. Looked like that was the only movable part of her body. She found nurse call button. She pressed that by her thumb. Then she took the respirator off her face.

   

Sounds of the running steps were heard. She got frightened. The soldiers were coming. She could not make move except her right hand.

 

The door of the room was opened. Following a nurse woman, familiar face showed up.

“Daddy” She wanted to shout but could not raise the voice. Her throat got totally numbed.

“Loretta, you woke up. Great! We’ve been so worried about you” said Loretta’s father, Timothy Bolton, the president of HOX TV, Bolton family’s broadcasting company, and Bolton Industry Corp.

“We are now in secured Green Zone. We’ve already arranged transfer back to the U.S. Don’t worry. After all, you proved yourself hero of our country.”

“Hero?” she could not understand the meaning of that word. She knew she never was because she defended the Iraqi insurgents which the U.S. army call “Terrorists.”

She wondered what happened after she was shot at that site. What happened to the Iraqis and other people? She remembered Fernando died. He was killed by the Marines. Where were Kevin and John? Were they safe?  

“Why don’t you have something to eat? You haven’t had any for a few days” said Timothy to the nurse.

“I will make a call to our home in L.A. and make announcement that our hero daughter Loretta woke up and still alive to the public.” Loretta wanted to respond but only what she could do was dropping tears from her eyes. Timothy understood the situation and then kissed his daughter’s cheek.

“I love you, Sweetie. I will be back in a minute.”

  

Timothy left the room. Loretta became alone in the room. She found TV screen in front of her bed and remote on the right side of her bed. She picked up the remote and switched on. HOX news channel was aired.

“Our Hero, Loretta got out of critical condition after she was being shot by Iraqi terrorists two days ago. Although she is still in coma, she is in the process of recovering and transferred back to her homeland soon.” A famous anchorman, Jim O’Really spoke.

“What is going on?” she shouted in her mind.

“Let me speak with Mr. Kevin Graham, the president of New Age Technology. He was captive with Loretta at the terrorists’ house. Thank you for joining.”

Kevin showed up on the screen and responded. “Thank you, Jim.”

“Kevin, what do you want to say to Loretta when she recovers?”

“Well, all I want to say is “Thank you for saving my life. You are America ’s Greatest Hero. She really was. She stood in front of the terrorists and got shot down by them. She blocked the bullets from me and even Marine rescuers. It was right after Fernando was shot by the terrorists. Then after she was shot, the Marines killed all of the Al Qaeda terrorists. We were saved. The things wouldn’t  have worked that way without Loretta’s brave action.” Kevin said smiling.

“Oh, you really have to thank her all your life. She was a very brave woman. She was not just good singer or actress” said O’Really inspirationally.

That is not true, Loretta shouted in her mind.

“Hey, wait a minute! Great news came. Loretta recovered from coma condition. She is awake and able to speak. Here is a message from her. “Dear American People, I apologize for making anti-America statement for the Al Qaeda although I was threatened to do so. Now I am freed thanks to the Marines and the U.S. government. I thank all of you for what I am now. God bless America !” Oh, what a wonderful woman she is! We are all proud of her.”

She could not resist seeing O’Really’s face. He was like puppet. Being told to say what her family wants to tell the public, not his opinion. O’Really continued.

“The United States government is considering awarding Loretta with a medal for what she did.  Meanwhile, John McCaine, U.S. ground force soldier was charged with treason for not making good efforts to guard Loretta and Kevin while escorting them to the base. He even became corporative with the terrorists. He was like Micheal Moore. Now we will continue the interview with Kevin after these messages” and then screen turned to be commercial.

The commercial for corporate mainframe security software started. After 10 seconds, logo and copy of the sponsor company appeared “New Age Technology Inc, Most reliable System in the World.”

Kevin, such knavish! He made up all of this with her family. But not for Loretta but for his own good.  

   

Loretta changed the channel. It was MTV airing pop song video clip. The song was John Mayer’s “Waiting on the World to change.”

 

“Me and all my friends
We're all misunderstood

So we keep waiting
(waiting)
Waiting on the world to change

It's hard to beat the system
When we're standing at a distance
So we keep waiting

And when you trust your television

What you get is what you got
Cause when they own the information, They can bend it all they want

It's not that we don't care,
We just know that the fight ain't fair
So we keep on waiting
(waiting)
Waiting on the world to change”

 

She was impressed by the song. She realized the world she was living was all illusion. She realized how she was being spoiled and ignorant.

 

THE END!

This story is copywrighted by Masagata, Don't steal or copy it. Thanks for reading.