
15 minute read
The Adumreb
from Adumreb
Intro:
The year is 2024 and it still feels a little weird… I never thought I would be forced out of America. It was my home… my life… it was all that I've ever known. Just when I thought I was about to lose it all, they saved me. They saved us! My family and I are forever in debt to the elders and this society. I don’t thank the heavens for finding Adumreb… Instead, I thank the heavens for IT finding ME!
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The year of 2020 was by far one of the worst years of my natural born life. I was 22 years old and still trying to find my place in America's society. For me, this was the year of drastic change. In 2020 I graduated college, moved out of my moms house, and started a new job teaching in New York City. life was going great! Well, you know what they say, “all good things must come to an end”, and it did. In this year the unthinkable happened. I thought the four years prior to this was enough for people to witness the dangers that ignorance can cause. I hoped that people would have used the four years prior to put hate aside and let love shine through, but I was dead wrong. In this year, the year of 2020, on Tuesday November 3rd, Donald Trump was elected back into office. I thought that his awful four year tyrannical reign was enough for people to get rid of him before his four years was over, but no.This sick and twisted evil man would be the president of the United States for yet another term… yet another four years.
If you lived in America during his first election you knew one thing to be true. The man known as Donald Trump was absolutely underqualified for the job. He lacked a lot of things that would have licensed him as a “good president.” his use of language was extremely poor. It was way too casual and informal to be used on a presidents platform. His demeanor and the ways in which he interacted with the general public was just as poor. He would disrespect and dismiss
anyone who disagreed with him. Worst of all he could never tell the truth! Imagine that. The leader of the free world not being able to speak the truth to its citizens (well America was built off of lies, but that's another story). If he was ever called out for his wrong doings, or confronted about a lie that he told, he had the power to flip it back onto his accuser, and make them out to be the guilty ones.
Despite all his clear flaws, he did have one thing that he owes much of his success to. His timing! He came into the limelight at a time when white people were desperate. From the year of 2009 to the year 2017 Black America was experiencing what I like to call the golden years. For those who don't know, these were the years of the Obama administration. In these 8 years the spirits of blacks in America soared. For the first time ever, in America's history, a Black man was commander and chief. This two term election was probably the worst thing that happened to the fragil idea of white supremacy, since the abolition of slavery. For 8 years, Whites had to watch the evolution of people of color. They had to witness the power of equality. They had to see what happens when you give people a chance. These 8 years forced them to come to terms with the fact that they were not born better. Instead they were socially apted to advance.
So, Donald Trump used this to his advantage. He used his aura to make white people believe again. He promised to restore to them the “natural” order of America. With four simple words he funded them the hope they needed. He pledged to them to “Make America Great Again” by any means necessary. If you’re black like me, you know America was never great. This slogan was used to counteract all the advancements made during the Obama years. This slogan was a direct attack on equality.. Truth.. And anything not white. His goal to “Make
America Great Again” is what awarded him a second term. It proved that hate is still what fuels the hearts of many Americans.
The same effect Obama had on Black americans is the same effect trump had on Whites. Many white supremacist groups felt like they needed not to hide their true feelings anymore. Their belief that white people are superior to people of other races and therefore should be dominant over them was now socially acceptable. These racist groups felt unstoppable with the president of the United States backing them.
During these years, social injustice was at an alltime high and showed no sign of stopping. It’s main victims were those with the darker skin like mine. We refused to take such blatant disrespect and harm towards our people, so we continuously spoke out against it. We formed a group known as “Black Lives Matter” as means of support for our black people. It started out as a non-violent activist organization strictly meant to campaign against violence and systemic racism towards black people. Despite all the turmoil we as Black people faced when dealing with the American government, we promised to keep our peace. We pledged to make a difference only through harmony and order. However this vow was well forgotten after the assassination of the black hero.
It was the year of 2024, meaning trump's presidency was coming to an end. Which also meant an end to blatant white supremacy. This revelation made White America restless. They began to act irrationally. In the early months of 2024 black America was under full attack. They began to destroy us politically, economically, and socially. The government began passing laws that resembled those of the Jim crow era, which slowly, but surely, took away our representation in government. Affirmative action became a thing of the past, which made it legal for
corporations to discriminate against things such as race. This made it impossible for Blacks to secure stable jobs that promised economic stability. This forced them to migrate to neighborhoods experiencing high crime and low resources. We were on the verge of losing mobility. Until one day a leader in the black community emerged. Her name was Xine Wats. She was the one who refused to let the fate of the black community diminish into nothing. She began speaking life back to us and feed us the with the hope that was needed. She motivated us to reclaim our positions in the American society that we help build. Just when things started to look up for us the unthinkable happened. While leaving her apartment in Harlem a stray bullet hit her chest leaving her to die on the spot. As much as the media tried to portray it as an accident we knew the truth. We knew who ordered the hit and why. Life for the black community was finally taking a turn for the better and they just couldn't let that happen.
The assassination of our black hero caused extreme social unrest. We threw down our picket signs and began to bear arms. We realized that peace would only keep us still. If we wanted them to hear us we would have to meet them at their level. The murder of Xine Wats brought what about what was known as “the great divide” and the start of Americas much anticipated race war.
Chapter One: The escape
The war was bloody. If you were Black, you were made out to be public enemy number one. On the first day it was reported that at least 12,000 people lost their lives, and that was only in NYC. For the next couple of weeks the daily death toll would climb and show no sign of stopping. I always wondered how the winner of this war would be decided. I didn't know if it
came down to the last race standing? or what? Well me and my immediate family didn’t stay long enough to find out. I figured since racist white people always told us to “go back to where we came from”, we should set sail to the Bahamas… at least until everything in the states calm down. My immediate family didn't own any firearms and we weren’t wealthy enough to buy protection, so we were left defenseless. Sooner or later we would all end up dead if we didn’t think of something and quick. So, we all boarded a that was inherited from my late, great, uncle samuel and set sail. We cruised to where the hudson river meets the Atlantic and made our way to the Bahamas.
The first two days were very smooth. Thank God we didn’t have to do much of the sailing part. It’s 2024 now, so our boats work much like cars. They are built with a GPS system implanted in them, so all you really have to do is steer it. Everything was going great up until that third night. While I was asleep on the deck I was awakened by the sound of loud rolling thunder. Lightning bolts constantly lit up the sky and rain began to pour down. I instructed my family to seek refuge inside the boats cabins, in hopes to hide from the storm, but that was pointless. I tried desperately to steer us out of the path of the storm, but it was too late. In less than one minute our boat was in the heart of the storm with no escape in sight. The waves surrounding us towered the boat by at least 5 times its size. The heavy and never ending pour down of rain made my vision a thing of the past. Before I knew it my boat was turned completely upside down going bottoms up into the water. I said a quick prayer before submerging into the Atlantics cold waters.
I knew what was coming next. I knew that death was in my immediate future just waiting to embrace me. I tried as best I could to fight and climb my way to the sea level, but it was no
use. A brief moment of regret flashed through my mind. I told myself I should have never even got on this stupid boat in the first place, but then I asked myself, would I have rather drown to death or bleed to death? I had no answer. Instead I just accepted as it came. What I couldn’t understand was why it was taking so long to get here.
Chapter Two: Talking With Stranger
When I opened my eyes I thought I would see the things I grew up learning about in bible study. I thought I would be in a long line that seemed to stretch beyond infinity awaiting my turn to come face to face with heaven's gates. I thought I had finally died and was about to be judged by Jesus Christ himself. Thankfully, I was wrong. Instead I was greeted by a man with decorative paint on his face.
“Where am I” I asked. “You're in Adumreb” he answered. This didn't make any sense to me. It just sounded like he was making up words. I stood up in a panic and almost fell out. My body still felt weak. “Wheres my family?” I started to scream. “Relax” he told me. “They're still asleep.” “Asleep” I thought. The last thing I remembered was heading face first into the icey black waters of the Atlantic. How could they be sleep? They should be dead, just like me! “Asleep!?” I asked. “How long was I out for?”. “You’ve missed four moons”. It felt like the crash knocked me unconscious for only a few hours, when actually i’ve been unconscious for four days. My head began to spin faster. How in the world was I still alive? “Maybe I really did die” I thought to myself. “Maybe this is what Heaven really looks like and Divine is my guardian angel. “Am I dead?” I asked him. He looked at me with a wide grin on his face and replied “no
because my name is not Jesus, my name is Divine”. I asked him if he's not Jesus, then how didhe manage to save me and my family from the terrible crash? He told me he didn’t. “It was thework of the ancestors”.
Chapter Three: getting to know Adumreb
Divine was like my tour guide. He took me around Adumreb and helped me explore this new land. He answered every and all the questions I had about Adumreb.
I observed the people here to be masters of the sea. This made perfect sense seeing as they were surrounded completely by water. Not only did the water encapsulate them, but it also filled their streets.They all had their own personal connection to the water, as if they were born in it. I also noticed that each Adumreb seemed to have a luminescent aura that followed them. These lights shined in one of three colors… purple, Black, or yellow. So I asked Divine what these auras meant. He told me that they represented the predestined gifts bestowed onto each citizen at birth. The purple light represented the visual arts. These are art forms such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, photography, video, filmmaking, and architecture. The Black light represented music and rhythms. Thos with these auras specialize with elements such as pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture. Lastly, those with yellow light represented dance. This was the activity that utilized the body and the range of movement of which the body is capable.
We made our way through Adumreb not by bus or train, the way I did in America, not even by car. Instead, their main source of mobility was Shor’s. I would describe Shor’s to look like what we call seahorses but much much bigger. These overgrown seahorses had a physic that
was just about 8 times the average human size. This and the fact that Adumred was almost all water made them perfect for means of mobility. Outside of the Shor’s, the Adumreb only had two other domesticated animals... Canes and Felix’s. I got to observe and interact with these animals up close and personal when devine took me to his resting establishment. The canes were slender long-legged animals with long muzzles, bushy tails, and erect pointed ears. The canes look exactly like our dogs. The only difference here is that they only seem to have one specific breed… Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. This specific breed is known for being extraordinary swimmers. They have legs that are slender yet strong with webbed feet that helps them master swimming. Their fur coat seems to be pretty much waterproof by virtue of their oily, harsh outer coat and dense wooly undercoat. The Adumreb uses them when going fishing because of their keen sense of smell and sound even in the waters. The Felix is a friendly, playful, active, loving and independent animal. Its main use here in Adumreb is to help relieve depression and anxiety. Their fur sets of a physical response in the body of the ones touching them, causing dopamine levels to skyrocket. They are strictly domestic and never leave the house.


While in his establishment I noticed something large and black on the floor. I thought itinitially to be another animal and so I observed it for several minutes waiting for it to move.
When it didn’t, I grew curious. I asked divine if it was a specific kind of animal he told me “not quite”. He explained the thing on the floor to be Aquatic Debris Leeches. These ADL’s are among the Adumreb’s leading technologies. He told me that they are one of the new laboratory constructed product to be completely submerged into water. Their insides encase wires and cables that are coated with water absorbing technologies, along with a stomach like sac. The sac is built with a digestive system that was constructed to work just like ours. The lining in their stomach like sac, was made to produce hydrochloric acid the way that ours do. This helps to completely break down all the debris that is eaten by the leeches. The outside of the leeches has the ability to take on two forms. When inside the water it is very worm like. The outer skin goes soft so that the leech is given the chance move through the water effortlessly. It allows for it to blend in seamlessly with other aquatic life. When taken out of the water this outer layer goes hard, as a defense mechanism. While in the lab, each and every leech has a small tracking device implanted at the center of its head. This is so that at the beginning of the day, each Adumreb citizen is responsible for collecting their ADL and disposing of its waste properly. The waste takes the place of cement and is used to build this worlds infrastructures. I thought this was ridiculously cool.
We were in his resting establishment for about two hours now and nobody came in or out of his crib. I started to wonder again. I asked him if he had a wife or any children. He told me no and that he had no desire for either. In response I asked him if being gay was something that was “socially acceptable”. I noticed the confused expression on his face and asked him what he was thinking.He responded by asking me what the word gay meant. Then it hit me! Here, they don't have silly labels for things like we do. He told me that “love is just love.” The Adums way love
together is simpler than ours. I tried to explain to Divine, all the social limitations that America places on love. He explained it to me as simple as he could. He said “here, love is not for just anyone to define. It is up to the two hearts involved to agree to be together.” so I asked him if he knew where his other heart might be. He told me that he’s still praying to the elders hoping for his prayer of love to be answered. This was the first time that anything related to spirituality came up. I asked him if they believed in gods here or anything related to them. He explained to me that they don't pray to Gods, but instead their elders. The ones who they believe hold the answers to all problems. Their prayer cycle works like this… When they pray, they do so on their knees, face to face with the body of water that surrounds them. They speak their prayers and all their hearts desires into nothing but the water. They do this because they know the sun heats the ocean waters. Given enough heat the water will begin to evaporate into the air. Once the the water vapor, along with their prayers, cool and condenses, it rises into the clouds where the elders rest. When the elders feel like it’s time, they send down the answers to the Adumrebs prayers by way of rain.
Chapter Four: Interview With An Elder
The entire day I spent exploring Adumreb with Divine was filled with nonstop amazement. I felt like I already learned so much about them, but needed a little more. Finally as the day was coming to an end I had one request… I wanted to meet one of the Adumreb elders. I begged and pleaded with him until he finally agreed to introduce me to one. The elders of this world are called the “Leste” and they hold the most rank. You can always tell a true Leste from the permanent scarring on their neck, ankles, and wrist. These scars are a result of the chains and
shackles that gripped around their limbs during the middle passage. The scars a shine a bright luminescent copper which is impossible to hide. They hold with them the knowledge of their people and how their hidden world came to be.
He took me to the former establishment of a Leste by the name of Sacar. She was said to be one of the most knowledgeable. I learned that the leste are no longer alive, but instead they live on through spirit. They can come back and interact with those that are still alive whenever there spirit is called upon. They make the choice to appear or not. To call ono the spirit you must first gather three things… Three ounces of atlantic water, a clean heart, and an a drop of pure blood. Pure blood is defined to be anyone who was born and raised in Adumredb. Luckily for me Divine had all three. Once all three are put together a chant from the clean heart must be spoken. “Ome ot su”, Divine said over and over. He repeated this chant for over five minutes and still nothing happened. In despair I started to think that the Leste Sacar was refusing my request. Finally, a funnel of water began to stem from the sky above. It was her. It was Sacar!
Sacar: Why did you call on me? Divine: (head bowed) my friend here had a few questions for you. Sacar: What friend? Divine: The one you saved from the shipwreck. Me: (head also bowed) Hello Your majesty Sacar: Pick your head up child. How can I help you? Me: well… I just have a few questions for you. Sacar: (laughing) I know that, What would you like to know?
Me: How did this place come to be? Sacar: We were the seventh slave ship to cross the atlantic ocean during the middle passage. We didn’t all speak the same language, but we all knew we didn't want to go wherever it was these strange men was taking us. The heavy and tight chains made it nearly impossible for us to move, but that didn't stop us. By the grace of the elders before us, we managed to overthrow the ones who held the power on the ship. Out of the hundred or so of us, only 85 survived. We crash landed on this triangularly shaped island that would now become our home. Me: So all the slave “mutinies” we learned about in school? Sacar: That was us. We wanted to save as many of our captured brothers and sisters as we could. So, we infiltrated the ships, freed as many of our people as we could, and sent the white skinned devils, along with their tethered ships back to the outer banks of Adumreb… after wiping their memory of course. If they managed to somehow survive, all they would remember is encountering a terrible storm while at sea. Me: Are all the elders dead? Sacar: We aren’t dead my child. We still live on in spirit. Me: Will me and my family be able to stay here? Sacar: The choice of staying is yours. We won’t keep you against your will. However, in order to keep our status covert we will wipe memory of yours and whoever else decides to leave us. Me: one more question… Why did you save me? Sacar: I discovered your light. The other elders and I heard the quick prayer you said while your ship was going down. Your light shines in a way that told us you were a descendant of those who we couldn't save at
THE END
Citation
1. Adeyemi, Tomi. Children of Blood and Bone. Henry Holt and Company., 2018.
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3. Lowry, Lois. “The Giver.” The B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog, Barnes & Noble Reads, 5 July 1404, www.barnesandnoble.com/w/giver-lois-lowry/1100295882.
