9. Unregistered Organic Matter

Billie’s small hands held onto her father’s as they walked along the familiar path home. Her eyes sparkled with youthful curiosity as she spotted something strange. She tugged at her father’s sleeve, pointing excitedly.

Billie: “Daddy, look! What is it? I’ve never seen anything like that before! It’s beauuutiful!”

Her father’s eyes shifted to the path, his expression growing solemn: “This cannot, this must not be!”

For a moment he was lost in thoughts, starring into the horizon, as if he was searching for cracks or any sign that the dome around them was falling apart.

He grabbed the hand of his daughter rougher than before. “What’s wrong, dad?”, She asked, openly confused.

“This is an anomaly”, he said with a dry throat. Barely bringing any more words over his lips. “What is an anomaly?”, Billie wondered.

“Unrestricted organisms like this dandelion are anomalies. Unpredicted occurrences. They can cause unforeseen consequences, potentially collapsing the entire system. It’s important to remove them for everyone’s safety.

Billie protested resolute: “But, Daddy, we can’t just destroy this strange little thing, it’s not right! There must be another way.”

Her father kneed down, looking deep into her big determinate eyes: “My dear, you see, we live in the dome, and there are rules that help keep us safe. Unrestricted organisms like this flower can disrupt the delicate balance and potentially cause unforeseen consequences.”

Billie got sad: “But we can’t hurt it! Can’t we find another way? Maybe we can keep it in a pot or find a special place for it?”

Her father sighed, his voice filled with a mix of love and concern:” Look. It’s not as simple as it seems. Long ago, humankind had lost control over everything around them. Their actions had unintended consequences, leading to the collapse of their entire civilization. It was a difficult lesson learned from their mistakes.

“So they had control over the world and then suddenly lost it? How is that possible when they had control over everything?” Bille wondered.

“History says, humanity lost control. But you are right, if they really had control, they would have been able to avoid any system failures. However, they were not. And when their situation tensed, the old civilization collapsed altogether with the atmosphere and all life on earth was struggling for clean air, water and food.”

“The 10 years of chaos, I heard about it!”

“Exactly, my dear,” her father affirmed, carefully picking up the delicate flower and placing it gently into the pocket at his chest. “That’s why safety is our first principle now.”