Uniforms Control Your Mind
by Mr. Scade
Victory for the Team
Thoughts came into focus. It felt like waking up, but Mel had never closed her eyes. Must watch and be educated. A voice that sounded like her own said from far away. It faded before she knew what it said. Her eyes could see again.
Where was she? Who was she?
I graduated. The voice said before fading into nothingness.
Mel felt overjoyed, for some reason.
She took a step, and the world became material. She was in what looked like a classroom, and at the same time changing rooms in a pool. Why was she here? I was being re-educated. I graduated. The voice faded. She no longer questioned, and felt happy and right. It wasn’t strange she was here. It was best if she didn’t question her re-education. Whatever that was.
It was right.
It was perfect.
Perfect.
“I am perfection.” She whispered without realising it. The phrase made her double over as her entire body was aflame with sensations—dipping into cold pool water at noontime, tasting a cheesecake after a diet, a massage by your first boyfriend, grass and fresh mud between your toes, childhood plushies found years late - and she moaned loudly.
For some reason, she was perfect. She knew this. She understood it.
Something was off. Something was wrong. She could feel it, on her skin, on her head... everywhere! Why couldn’t she recall her house? Her hobbies? Why?
I have been re-educated. I am perfect.
Doubt was dispelled. Things were as they should.
She walked down the room, aimlessly, finding directions from the nice voice that reminded her of what she needed to know. At some point she realised nothing covered her legs, not even hair, but she knew that was normal. Had always been. And so was the feeling of what she was wearing, whatever it was.
In time she reached a door. She knew she had to cross it. Needed to.
You have been re-educated. You are perfect. You are ready.
She could taste all those feeling again, and something new. Something better than sex, better than life: victory. She could taste victory in her mouth. She crossed the door.
She was met by a woman wearing exactly the same thing she did. Tight swimming cap over her head, covering hair and ears perfectly; tight swimsuit, made as if crafted for her body alone; and goggles over the cap, goggles that wouldn’t let you see anything but the education required to win, to be victorious. And most importantly, the woman wore the blank, mindless stare over her eyes. Everything was blue.
Mel found herself loving the woman, loving her like a sister, a mother and a lover, and so many things she couldn’t put a name to a single one.
“You’ve been re-educated.” The woman said. In the background, there was the sound of swimming and a crowd. A big crowd. The air tasted of chlorine. It was a sweet taste.
“I’ve been re-educated.” Mel intoned, mindlessly.
“You’ve been trained.”
“I’ve been trained.”
“You’re one with the team.”
“I am one with the team.”
“We are swimmers.” Blank eyes looked into Mel’s blank eyes.
“We are swimmers.” Blank eyes looked back.
“We’ll be victorious.” The woman said, voice strained.
“We’ll be victorious.” She said, panting as if aroused.
“We’re perfect.” The woman said, and she felt all those feelings.
“We’re perfect.” She repeated, and the woman felt all those feelings.
There was a loud cheer, and the sound of a clock.
“Put on your goggles, Blue Mermaids 08.”
She obeyed without question. Blue Mermaids 08, that’s my name. My number. I am one with the team. I am Blue Mermaids’ Number 08. Swimmer Number 08 in the Blue Mermaids Team.
She walked, robotically, without expression, towards the pool. She took position, in row with several other women, none of them re-educated. They didn’t stand a chance. In front of her eyes, on the goggles, the words victory, win, team, victorious flashed over and over.
The horn sounded.
She jumped.
The water embraced her.
Every feeling but conviction washed away.
She won.