June 21st 5:37 PM Central Time. Arthur lies awake in his bed. His solemn anticipation of the Summer Solstice has finally reached its conclusion. He hated this day with all of his heart. Each year, all he remembers is the shrieking screams of his mother as two inquisitors sit at their doorstep and inform her that their father is dead. Arthur was too young to cry, or even remember what their dad looked like. But the screaming resonated in his head for years after.

Arthur always did his best to console his mother. He knew the pain she was going through somehow. Despite Paul's lack of empathy, Arthur did his best to make sure his mother knew he was there for her. So every year he works extra hours for a small amount of change to buy his mother something nice. This year it was a scarf. With energy prices rising, sometimes the heat is shut off in the winter. So Arthur thought a scarf would be an absolutely perfect gift for his mother. The scarf was midnight black with a blue seam. Blue was his mothers favorite color.

He rolled out of bed, grabbed the scarf from his closet and marched downstairs. He found Paul and Ramsey sitting around the table eating supper as usual. Arthur took supper off today to conserve rations, but was disappointed to see that Ramsey was eating two servings.

"Ramsey, you're a fat pig." Arthur said as his stomach rumbled. Ramsey smiled back at him. The same conniving grin he gives everyone when he eats their food.

"Arthur... don't worry! We all will be eating our fill soon. Go grab a ration. Eat up!" Arthur wasn't sure what he meant but brushed it off and called for his mother. She was sitting in the study room. Likely looking at pictures of dad. She quietly walked in with tears streaming down her eyes.

"Mom! I got you something!" Arthur said with an over exaggerated enthusiasm. Arthur pulled out the scarf from behind his back and handed it to his Mother. And just like every other year, her expression stayed the same. No matter how many gifts Arthur gave his mother, she still had the same dead eyes.

"Thank you Arthur... Love ya." She said back while wrapping the scarf around her neck. It was the same response that she gave Arthur each and every year. Paul was always disgusted by this. He knew how hard Arthur worked to make sure she got a present each year, and it was always the same outcome. Paul stood up, fuming with anger.

"You know mom... maybe show just a little more gratitude. Arthur works really hard each year for those presents." Paul said, trying to contain his rage. Mother looked at Paul with her soulless eyes and then back at Arthur. She managed to put together an obviously forced grin.

"Paul, it's fine... Please don't make this a whole thing, ok?" Arthur chirped back at Paul. But Paul was reaching his breaking point.

"No... No, no, no. She doesn't understand Arthur. Don't you get it? She could care less whether or not you got her a gift. When was the last time she went to work extra to buy her own children a gift? Never. And despite all of that, you find it in your heart to give your mother a scarf on the solstice when she doesn't even know we exist! I mean... I don't even remember the last time we had a genuine conversation—" Paul stopped abruptly when Ramsey smacked him on his arm. Mother was sobbing, holding onto her scarf like it was a precious jewel. Paul instantly felt regret. Arthur looked at him with sadness in his eyes and then went over to walk their mother back into the study. Paul sat silently at the table, he lost his appetite so he decided he would give the rest to Arthur. Ramsey finally broke the silence.

"You needed to get that off your chest... You could have worded it better by all means... but that was important. So can you promise me something, Paul?" Ramsey said with sobering intensity. Paul looked at him with anticipation. "Don't go back in time and take those words back." Paul looked shocked at what Ramsey had just said, they haven't spoken about the fourth dimension in weeks. 

"Why?" Paul responded.

"Because it's important."

Arthur strolled back into the kitchen with a crestfallen look on his face. Paul slid him his supper as he sat down. Arthur obliged.

"Listen Art... I didn't mean to ruin—" Arthur cut him off.

"Stop... just let me eat. And tell me what's happening tonight."

Both Paul and Ramsey were shocked.

"Nothing? What do you mean?" Ramsey said in a nervous laugh.

"I listen to you guys, you know that. I'm not invisible. Paul, you have no right to tell mom she doesn't care about us when you also act like I don't exist also. Giving me food every other night won't make me disappear." Arthur said with razor sharp eyes. Paul felt attacked but never considered that was how Arthur felt. Paul of course did not want his little brother to disappear, but the more he looked back the more he realized the extent of their interactions were him giving Arthur food. Paul remained silent. Ramsey spoke up.

"Ok... listen, there is a party tonight at the pits. We are going to just go for a little bit, say hi to some friends and be back by 11. So please keep this between us, ok?" Ramsey's eyes darted towards the study.

"I wanna come with." Arthur said immediately.

"No." Ramsey said back. Paul looked up at Arthur. He must have not been paying much attention to his little brother at all since he didn't realize how old he looked. What was his last birthday? 16? No... he just turned 18!

"Arthur can come with." Paul said back. Ramsey looked at Paul like he was crazy.

June 21st 10:15 PM Central Time in the 5th Midwestern District of the Soviet Commune of America. On the far south east corner of the northern most precinct lies a small wooded area. Within the heart of this wooded area is a small abandoned copper mine. State officials refer to it as CM4*46 but the locals call it the pits. The pits were a hidden treasure for anyone brave enough to make the trip there. Due to the surrounding woods, secret social gatherings were frequent and hidden from the peering eyes of the Inquisitors. For the first time, Ramsey, Paul, and Arthur all snuck out of their house to make the trek over to the pits.

All three of them were fitted with all black clothing to blend into the deep night. Ramsey knew the way to the pits from studying maps on the bus dashboard for two weeks. He told Paul and Arthur it was a mile hike. Despite the short distance, it still felt like forever. Paul couldn't shake the feeling that inquisitors could show up at any moment and on top of that, he remembered the old man's words from the windmill very clearly.

"If you want to keep your loved ones safe, stay inside on the summer solstice." Paul was unsure what was going to happen, but he trusted his fourth dimensional abilities if something went awry. In fact he practiced a couple times the night before just to be sure. Paul concluded that he needed to just think back to a time in the past, close his eyes, and boom. Each time he did that he was in the same scenario with the singularity falling on top of him and at this point it didn't even startle Paul anymore. So with his new mastery of the fourth dimension, Paul told Ramsey that if anything went wrong he would travel back in time and tell Ramsey a code word. If that happened, then they would stay in for the night. However, Ramsey assured Paul that he would not need to do that.

The three boys finally made it to the wooded area. And for a party that was happening just a couple yards away, it was eerily quiet. Nevertheless, they marched on. When they reached the pits Ramsey told them to stop. Before them laid a half mile wide hole with hundreds of cave entrances and rusted up train tracks. Paul could see shadowy figures walking in and out of the caves. The whole area was barely visible from the faint glow of the moon.

"Ahhh... that makes sense. The party isn't at the bottom of the pits, it's in the cave systems." Paul whispered to Arthur. Arthur smiled back with optimistic anticipation. All of the sudden Ramsey let out a whistle that resembled a bird call. Three men who appeared to be inquisitors stepped out from behind trees. Paul instantly grabbed Arthur's arm and backed away. His heart was pounding. Ramsey looked back at them and motioned them to calm down.

"Groundhog has its shadow." Ramsey said calmly to the guards. The guards nodded and led the three boys down the pits. Paul realized that the guards were fake and their facade kept actual inquisitors from entering the pits. The plan was water tight, and whoever organized this was a genius. But how did they manage to get ahold of actual inquisitor uniforms?

Paul's mind kept on racing as they wandered down the paths towards the cave entrance. They finally reached the bottom and entered into a small cave with cobwebs stringed from the sides. At this point, Paul could hear chatter in the distance. Hundreds of voices buzzed from the innermost depths of the caves. Paul couldn't remember a time where he was this excited. All of his life the only social thing he did was talk to Ramsey at home or listen to Abel drone on and on about electronics.

Soon enough, they reached a clearing through the small entrance. There must have been a large deposit of copper here because the cavern was enormous. Hundreds of people were walking around and talking to one another without fear of being reprimanded by an Inquisitor. A wave of freedom swept across the three boys as they intermingled with the other guests. In the middle of the crowd was a short man standing next to a giant keg. He was filling bowls with what appeared to be some type of ale. Alcohol was prohibited nationwide as soon as the Soviets took control of America. It was one of the most serious offenses to own and distribute any sort of alcoholic beverage. Seeing people drink it leisurely was truly a sight to behold.

"Paul!" Paul knew that voice from a mile away. It was Abel. Close behind him was Ida. Paul couldn't help but jump for joy. This was the first time seeing his friends outside of work or school. He ran over and gave them a hug.

"Someone is happy to see us." Ida said with a smug grin. She handed Paul a bowl of beer. Paul took a sip and his face contorted with disgust.

"It gets better after the first couple drinks. Trust me." Abel said with a chuckle. His face was bright red and his words were a little slurred. Paul quickly introduced them to Arthur and it didn't take long for Abel to start drunkenly explaining how motion sensors work as Arthur listened with genuine interest. Ida and Paul wandered off towards the back and watched as crowds of people mixed together and talked each other's ears off.

"How are you feelin, Paul?" Ida said. Paul was on his third drink, at this point his face was warm and he somehow felt braver.

"I feel great. I remember my dad reading me a book about life in the 1920's. Back then they called it the roaring 20's and apparently parties happened all of the time. Is this what it was like?"

"I'm sure it was a little like this... but back then, people partied every weekend. Life was one big celebration. For us it's different." Ida responded with a softened expression. It was as if she remembered she had to go back to work tomorrow.

"But that's what makes this even better than the roaring 20's... we can fully appreciate freedom when we've been starved of it our whole lives. What if we could have this everyday now," Paul said with a melancholic voice. Ida looked at him with a smile.

"You're starting to sound like a rebel, kid. Don't go doing anything with those dangerous ideas of yours." Paul looked at the ground and smirked.

"You're right, let's just enjoy the night." Paul responded. All of the sudden a booming voice sounded from the center of the crowd. It was as if someone was talking through a speaker. The voice sounded familiar. It was the old man at the windmill.

"Welcome patriots! Welcome." The crowd quieted down. "My name is Kristoff Aaron and I wish you all a happy Summer Solstice... In years past, this day has been stained with blood. Our forefathers marched on this day in righteous retaliation. To them, they would rather face death than be squeezed by the tight grip of our tyrannical government. Year after year, blood was shed in hopes of a brighter future. Eventually, the protests stopped and all of that sacrifice seemed in vain. Tonight, that changes." Paul looked startled as Ida grabbed him.

"Paul, we need to go." She said as she searched through the crowd for Abel and Arthur. Kristoff continued his monologue as both Ida and Paul searched frantically.

"Tonight we carry on the will of our past patriots. Their sacrifice is NOT LISTLESS." The crowd roared. "A new day rises and spring is upon us, and the person who organized this event is the one who will lead us out of our chains into freedom! Let's give a round of applause for the man himself. RAMSEY ERIKSON."