Stoned

Dealing with the dying earth was not easy for anyone. Life became a lot more meaningless. Joy was a thing of the past. What could anyone look forward to? Not long after entering the dome, The Outskirts became a containment of depression and despair. The mentally weak did not last long, the notion of a dying earth and being permanently contained in the dome really took a toll on them. Suicide was their way out.

Morale worsened every single day in The Outskirts then (in the days after entering the dome). They were reminded daily of the fate of the earth whenever they looked out of the dome (remember that The Outskirts was on the outermost dome and the walls are made of glass). They faced with the same scene everyday, a sky filled with darkness, speckled with the glint of distant stars and light from the Sun. No blue sky, no clouds, and no hope.

Then came a day when the guards went around handing out something to those in The Outskirts, every man, every woman and every child. Tension and feelings of despair disappeared with every breath. It was said to be similar schwag and people welcomed it and the feelings that came with it. Besides the handing out the substance, the air vents would occasionally be filled with its fumes, it was a treat they looked forward to.

No one really knows where the supply comes from but rumour has it that one of the inner domes houses an entire plantation of just pot. The higher grades/qualities are made available to the upper class and the lower grades are given to The Outskirts. The term ‘given’ would have been applicable then but now the term ‘sold’ would be more appropriate. The distribution of the drug slowly seized and can now only be bought on certain days of the month or in the black market. Today, many just spent their days stoned. It was a lot better than feeling depressed anyway.