The Ink That Binds

Bethany and Sadie crept through the woods, using the moon as their only light source. “You’re positive you know the way?” Bethany whispered as they pushed through the brush.

“Yes, I snuck out this afternoon to make sure it was out here. I just hope it looks more impressive at night than it does during the day.” Sadie pushed some trees away to help Bethany through.

“Girl, you’re going to get yourself caught! You know all this is illegal,” Bethany warned.

“It’s only illegal if we get caught.” Sadie smirked. “Come on, it’s just around the corner.”

The two girls broke through the trees and came face to face with a large tree. “This is the hideout?” Bethany reached out and touched the bark of the tree.

“Apparently.” Sadie shrugged. “Did you bring the note?”

Bethany pulled the forbidden paper out of her pocket. “We’re lucky, I almost got stopped after work. But someone else was found with contraband so I was allowed to go, but I will be checked tomorrow, I’m sure of it.”

Sadie's eyes widened. “Oh, good thing it’s written in code then. But we definitely should be extra cautious if we are going to stay.” Sadie read over the note and found a knob on the tree.

She pressed it and a slit opened near the knob. “Password.”

“The Power of Creation.” Bethany and Sadie spoke in unison.

“Granted.” They heard a click, and then the tree itself opened. The girls quickly slipped in. A man stood by the opening. “Welcome to the Home of Creation!” He gestured to the staircase that led toward the hub of creation.

“Woah!” Bethany spun around.

“This is amazing!” Sadie grabbed Bethany’s hand and together they raced down the stairs. Within the tree there was a world of creation - there was music, dancing, paintings…and people were writing! It was as if the light itself was moving. This would be worth the many sleepless nights they were about to have. And it was better than cautiously writing in their homes where they could be found and reported.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, their friend Roy was waiting for them. “Girls! You made it!”

“I’m so grateful you trusted us enough to let us in! This is amazing, how have you kept the government from finding it?” Bethany looked around again, just so shocked by it all.

“It hasn’t been easy. We have to take turns coming here so they don’t follow us. You will be given a schedule and if one week you can’t come the day you’re scheduled, you will have to miss a week. It’s too risky.” Roy looked at them both sharply. They nodded quickly. “Good. Now, go find a place to write!” He headed over to a canvas.

“I can’t believe we get to create with others!” Sadie gripped Bethany's arm.

“I know.” Bethany smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Beth? What’s up? This is supposed to be the best night of our lives! We can create freely!” Sadie found a couch for them to sit on.

“This isn’t free, Sadie…” She gestured to the wonderment around them. “We are in hiding, creating under the cover of darkness, a magical tree… The government doesn't want us to create, they want us to stay in the lines.”

“But it’s a start! We are a part of a revolution!” Sadie smiled brightly.

Around them a chorus of “Revolution!” echoed around them.

“See - we are going to help bring creativity back, they can’t stop us forever.” Sadie placed her hand on Bethany’s shoulder.

“We are going to do this together. No matter what.” Bethany patted her hand, and the two quickly got to work on writing their stories.

The creativity in the room was palpable; the girls wrote more than they ever had before. But all too soon it was time to go. The people left in stages; Bethany and Sadie were in the last group to leave. As they crept back through the woods, they felt the most alive they had in years. The woods faded into city streets where everything was perfectly coordinated, nothing was different or unique.

The government used it to keep control - not originality, no uniqueness. There were five standard looks for women and three looks for men. There was a list of five hundred names given out every five years of what children could be named. Those who got paid to “create” were creating government-mandated stories or portraits.

Bethany and Sadie both wrote for government-mandated papers - it’s where they had met. They’d both been questioned one day after work, and this led them to cautiously open up to one another about their secret projects.

Their friendship came fast and it was deeply rooted. They trusted each other, even keeping each other’s projects when one was suspected of breaking the no-creation law.

After months of visiting the Creation Tree, the artist and other creatives decided it was time to take a stand against the government. Original artwork was showing up on the streets, and new stories were hidden in government-approved books.

They reached a point where they needed faces of the revolution. When the request was made in a meeting, Sadie quickly volunteered to be one of them. Bethany stood beside her.

“Beth…” Sadie objected.

“Like I’m gonna let you walk through fire alone!” Bethany took Sadie’s hand and they raised their hands above their heads. The other people who had also volunteered joined in and everyone cheered.

All the volunteers got tattoos to make it clear that they were a part of the wave of creativity that was flooding through the streets. Bethany and Sadie decided to get matching ones. “If we are going down…” Bethany looked over their design.

“We are going down together.” Sadie handed the design over to the tattoo artist.

Once they got their ink done they stood side by side, tattoos on their upper right arm depicting quill pens on fire. They would help change the world, together. And they would prove that creativity couldn’t be stopped.