Chapter 13

"There we go." I whisper to myself. "In plain view for all to see."

I carefully place the folded note card and a vial of food near Magna Gratia's border. It reads:

'Gone for the day, back later tonight.'

'Food for the day is here --->'

'Already missing you guys!'

Tiptoeing towards my closet I quietly grab some nice clothes and change into them.

I check the time.

It's five thirty in the morning; much earlier than I usually get up.

Though considering today's commute, I'd say I'm right on time.

I put on my backpack and check that I've got all my things with me.

Most importantly, I confirm that my bus ticket is in the side pocket, right where I left it.

"Okay! Time to go."

By five forty-five, I'm on the bus heading west to the capital of New Brobdingnag.

It'll be a three-hour journey coming from the eastern side.

It's such a long and boring trip that I rarely take it.

I've got no family or friends all the way over there, nor am I interested in their museums.

If it weren't for this class trip, I'd be fast asleep in bed right now.

I quickly find my best friend, Sara, sitting near the back.

She's got that “I'm only awake right now because I didn't sleep last night” look.

I'll never understand how she manages to function on so little sleep.

Honestly, it's impressive.

"Hey Sara. Mind if I take the window seat?"

"Sure, babe. You look like you need it."

She lets me in and then takes her new seat to my left.

"Thanks. Wake me up when we get there, okay?"

"Yeah. Will do." She yawns.

I pop my wireless earbuds into my ears and play some music.

My still sleepy head falls over to rest on the window as I passively stare out of it, not really focused on anything.

Soon enough, I doze right off.

Next thing I know, I feel a hand on my shoulder gently shaking me awake.

I groggily blink my eyes and stretch my arms, letting out a suppressed moan.

Once my eyes focus again, I'm met with tired Sara's face in mine.

"I wish I'd slept last night. Seriously regretting it now." She groans. "Can't believe I'm halfway across the country just to hear some Lilli's speech."

"It isn't just any Lilli, Lillia Brudeaux is the ambassador of Lilliputia. Give her some respect, will you?"

I grab my bag and follow her and the rest of the Poli Sci students out of the bus.

I must have looked irritated since she suddenly changed her tune.

"Sorry, Jeannine. I know how serious you are about 'equality of the races' and all that"

She yawns again and smacks her lips.

I'm sure she doesn't mean it but she looks like she could care less.

If I didn't love the girl so much, I would have just walked away.

Instead, I just roll my eyes at her.

"Just remember that they're people too. That's all."

Our group gathers near the entrance where Dr. Lam is waiting.

She looks slightly irritated.

I can only imagine how she must feel coming to a place where Lillis have authority.

Not only that, but she's going to have to sit through a speech by a government official.

The university probably pushed her to chaperone this trip since it falls under her department.

Where's all that sizist talk now, Dr. Lam? You seem awfully quiet.

The sheer irony makes me smile.

Who knows?

Maybe she'll come around and see the light?

Probably not, but at the very least she'll have to be respectful.

If her or any of us act up, it'll be serious.

Government institutions are the last place you want to be causing trouble.

Judging by the level of security, they mean business.

The Lilliputian embassy is one of the most carefully protected places in all New Brobdingnag.

Despite the general public's dismissal of Lilli rights, they are upheld by the law.

You can't publicly say or do anything that you couldn't also say or do to your fellow Brob.

There wouldn't be a black market for trafficking Lillis if it were legal.

Despite this, it's surprisingly easy to circumvent the law, just not in places like these.

Our government is very serious about maintaining their image on the world stage.

After the war, the Gulliverans nearly broke ties with us for our crimes.

You can't exactly annex another country unprovoked and expect the rest of the world not to react.

They're no better than us in the way that they treat Lillis, but they spoke up and they spoke loudly.

We had no choice but to listen.

Due to our size disparity, it's basically impossible to have a Brobdingnagian embassy in Lilliput.

There are no Brobs living there for obvious reasons, whereas there a ton of Lillis living with us.

It's no wonder this place is so well protected; the most important Lilliputian, other than their president, is inside this place.

If anything were to happen to her, it would be catastrophic.

War would surely follow.

None of us want that, so even people like Dr. Lam will hold their tongue.

We line up single-file and walk through the metal detectors.

I put my bag through the X-ray machine and then a female guard does a thorough pat-down as part of the security screening.

A few minutes later and we're all through.

We gather inside around a smartly dressed man with a clipboard.

"Welcome, students. The ambassador's speech will begin in fifteen minutes. Please follow me to the conference room."

"Quietly! Let's not make a scene, everyone." Dr. Lam warns us.

Our group follows him to a large room unlike any I've ever seen before.

It's big enough to fit fifty of us or maybe more.

There are rows of seats all facing what appears to be a huge screen, almost like a movie theatre.

I didn't immediately notice it, but there's a small glass box embedded in the wall, just under the screen.

Our 'guide' takes notice of my interest.

"That's where the ambassador will give her speech. You see, this room was built to accommodate people of all three races. Through modern technology, even the tiniest of voices can be as loud as they need to be."

"If we were meant to hear them then they wouldn't need to be made louder." A male voice from our group calls out.

"Who said that?!" Dr. Lam snaps. "Another comment like that and I'll have you suspended. Is that clear?"

Some guys in the back snicker, clearly not taking the professor's threats seriously.

How could they, given how she acts during class all year?

It's such a joke.

I turn my attention back to the guide.

He seems visibly bothered.

"Do we have a problem, young man?" He says, staring straight at the culprit. "Attendance is a privilege, not a right. I'll be happy to escort you out."

Our group goes silent, clearly shocked that the man knew exactly who said it. He's sharp, that's for sure.

"As I was saying, please take your seats. The speech will begin soon. I remind you to be respectful of everyone here. We have many Lilliputian and Gulliveran guests sitting just above you." He gestures to the other glass boxes along the walls. "As well as many armed guards around the room. They have very good ears too."

He leaves us with that threat hanging in the air.

For about two minutes, none of us can muster the courage to speak.

We all take our seats and I decide to sit next to Sara.

She seems more sleepy than afraid, already leaning her head on my shoulder.

I pat her head gingerly and stare at the dark screen, waiting for it to light up.

A few minutes later, the lights dim and the screen blares to life.

I see the face of a young woman with her short hair done in a bob.

It's surreal, seeing a Lilli like this.

It's almost as if I'm in a video call with a Brob.

If I hadn't been told that she was tiny I could have gone my whole life believing that she and I were of the same race.

My eyes strain, hoping in vain to spot her in the tiny box under the screen.

My attention shifts back to the screen when I hear her begin speaking.

"Good morning. Firstly, I would like to thank Police Chief Nolan as well the officers of the NBPD for their efforts. It's because of them that people like me can sleep a little easier at night. I feel nothing but admiration and pride."

The ambassador goes through the formalities, thanking everyone she's working with, giving them the credit, they deserve.

I hear a bunch of unfamiliar names followed by a lot of clapping.

I'm astounded by the optimistic energy in the room, given the topic of her speech.

I didn't misread it, did I?

Suddenly her expression changes and her tone becomes very serious.

"Just yesterday I had a meeting with your president to discuss the 'Equal Rights Act'. As many have already heard, there has been an alarming three hundred percent rise in size-related abuse in New Brobdingnag, particularly outside the capital. Put simply, the rights provided by the ERA are not being protected."

The next few minutes are agonizing for me.

She goes on to explain in more detail citing specific crimes from all over the country from this year.

She takes the time to describe of each one, no matter how tragic.

I'd heard of a few of them, but I had no clue that it was this bad.

Worse, three of the incidents took place in my city.

"What can be done about this? I've been contemplating the issue since I was appointed to this office. The issue is complicated, stemming not from the law, but rather from the public's perception of the smaller races."

"Perception? How can I be 'sizist' when hardly see them." A girl behind me whispers under her breath. "What a joke..."

"I know, right?" The girl seated beside her whispers. "Fuck the Lillis. Bunch of insects get a mic and suddenly they think they're people."

"They should just go home to Lilliput. It would be best for everyone involved." She replies.

Hearing those words pisses me off.

I deeply resent people like them.

If it were possible, I wish they could be made tiny for a day just to see how it feels to be downtrodden.

I bet if they just took the time to speak to one of those 'insects' they'd realize how much we have in common.

It makes me so angry that I can hardly contain it.

Sara notices this and puts her hand on mine. She leans over close and whispers quietly.

"Ignore them. There's no point in getting so worked up."

"I know, it's just-"

"If you know, then relax. Don't waste your energy, okay? We're missing the speech."

I take a deep breath and turn my attention back to the ambassador.

She takes some time to talk about our history and how far we've come.

It's a reminder that despite the problems we face today, things were a lot worse in the past.

Even still, we're not where we should be yet.

With the way things are nowadays, I wonder if we've stagnated or even regressed.

"For years we've been working tirelessly to make the capital a safe place for Lillis to live. Unfortunately, these efforts have not yet extended to the rest of the country, leaving an untold number of people left as 'remnants'. They scavenge and toil for survival in a place that's not built for them."

Remnants.

I've heard the term many times, especially on the news.

To call the displaced, forgotten civilians Remnants feels so inhumane.

Outside of my essays and class presentations, I never use the term.

She goes on to encourage the Remnants to either come to the capital or consider returning to Lilliput.

I understand where she's coming from, while wholeheartedly disagreeing.

These people don't want to leave their home, even after it's been rebuilt for Brobs.

They'll stay out of principle, not because they're stubborn, but because it's their right.

At least, that's how I see it.

"The bottom line is that Lilliputians, Gulliverians, and Brobdingnagians are all people. We share this world. Big or small, all lives are sacred and deserve respect.

I want to bring awareness of the problems we're facing with an emphasis on the sanctity of life.

It's in our hands to improve life for all.

She closes off her speech with a famous quote from some philosopher and some more 'thank you's before the audience applauds.

The screen then goes dark and a voice addresses us over the speaker system telling us to exit to the reception.

Sara and I join up with our class and Dr. Lam once more.

"Truly inspirational. I hope this experience taught you lot a thing or two about the struggles of the other races. I expect a two-thousand-word report on the topic by Monday." Dr. Lam tells us.

Her assignment is met by many groans, the loudest of which comes from Sara.

I giggle at her, amused by the expression given how tired she is.

I for one have a lot to talk about.

Dr. Lam is going to have a field day with my paper.

I'll be sure to make it as pro-Lilli as possible, just to spite her.

We leave the embassy and gather at the entrance as Dr. Lam addresses us again.

"Alright, folks. The speech is over, but the bus isn't going to be back for another two hours so feel free to go have lunch or look around.

I know many of you have never been to the capital before.

There's a lot to see! Just be back here on time or else I'll have to come looking for you."

"Wanna get some coffee? I desperately need a cup." Sara asks me, pressing her face into my shoulder.

"Sure. It's on me this time.”

"Jeannine, I could kiss you!"

As we head over to the nearest coffee shop, I can't help but wonder how my little ones are doing back home...