The Dice

The die rolled, knocking harshly on the white table.

“Six. Eat oatmeal for breakfast,” came from the speakers attached to the sides of the die.

Elliot Windsor, who recently turned sixteen, made her oatmeal.

“Die,” asked Elliot, “where do I eat?”

She rolled it. The die responded, “Three. At the breakfast table.”

A decade ago, the government introduced electronic dice that people above five years old (babies wouldn’t understand the rule) were required to roll to make their choices. This die had the typical dots, a screen on each side displaying what to do, and tiny black speakers on each face. To make a choice, Elliot simply asked the die a question and rolled it, and it came up with choices and told her what to do based on the number rolled.

The government introduced the dice to ensure that citizens made rational choices by limiting their options. Government officials on TV said the dice would stop crime, poverty, laziness, and more. They never explained how those problems would be solved, but Elliot and her mother faithfully followed the law anyway, carrying their dice wherever they went and using them for all of their decisions so that they made smart choices and less mistakes. Elliot was more than happy to leave any decisions to the government. The government knew what was right, so who were they to question it?

When the dice was first introduced, Elliot was seven. She was fascinated by the object, and asking the die what to do satisfied her bored mind. It also distracted her after her father left the night after word of the smart dice was broadcasted on television.

At one A.M., Elliot heard her father’s footsteps pass her bedroom. Wondering why her father was up, Elliot creeped out of her room.

“Dad?”

Mr. Windsor jumped but calmed after seeing Elliot. “Shush, Elliot,” he whispered. “Don’t wake your mother. I don’t have time.”

Shoving a piece of paper in her hand, her father opened the front door and left before Elliot could question him.

Elliot, unable to read it in the darkness of the night, read the paper the next day and realized it was an address. She showed it to her mother, but Mrs. Windsor told her to forget about it and threatened to ground her if she brought it up again. Elliot didn’t ask again, but she kept the note with her everywhere she went. It was the last piece she had of her father.

Now, she was fifteen, and still she was never able to figure out why her father left. There was no use in thinking about it more, she thought, seeing her mother walk in.

Elliot watched as her mother rolled her die, asking to speak to Elliot.

“Three. Ignore Elliot.” Elliot’s mother ignored her, walking to the kitchen to make her own breakfast.

She sighed. Talking to other people was always a hassle. Every time she wanted to speak, the die would have to give her permission first.

Her mother used to be close to Elliot, talking for hours about school, movies, and everything else, but after the dice, their conversations were short and bland. Elliot was not happy with this change, but her mother went along with it, so she sacrificed her conversations, too.

***

The reporter on TV talked robotically, reading off a script about the newest welfare program helping the poor and new discoveries by government scientists.

Elliot asked her dice, “Can I change the channel?” and rolled it.

“Two. No, keep watching.”

Sighing, she continued watching. She thought of changing the channel anyway, but she remembered the last time she had forgotten to get the die’s permission. A year ago, Elliot wanted to wear her favorite pink t-shirt on her birthday. Forgetting to get consent from the dice, she wore it. Police arrived a few minutes later, giving her a strict warning and writing a fine for one thousand dollars, giving it to Mrs. Windsor. She didn’t think much of it then, but now she wondered, Is the government spying on its people through the dice?

From then on, she promised herself to always consult the dice first. She didn’t want to make her mother pay a large fine for a small reason. She needed to sacrifice her choices for her mother’s sake.

A distant chanting sound came from outside the house, pulling her out of her thoughts. Getting permission from the dice first, she looked through the windows. Far down the street, she saw a mob of people holding signs. As they approached, curtains of the neighboring houses shut, but Elliot continued watching the approaching protestors.

The protestors were shouting, “Destroy the dice!” , holding up signs with messages like “Let us control our lives!”

Seconds later, sirens squashed the chanting. Stepping out of their cars, police officers immediately started firing at the crowd. Some fell, but the uninjured scurried from the chaos. The officers shot after the runners.

“Dice, should I close the curtains?” Elliot rolled it.

“Five. Keep the curtains open and look out the window.”

In the background, the reporter on TV kept on talking. “Breaking news,” he said. “...disturbance on Elk Drive…Police are getting rid of it so you can enjoy your night…”

Elliot looked miserably out the window. Tonight, the government showed the fate of those who dare fight them.

***

After waking up from a night of restless sleeping, Elliot had one goal in mind: talk to her mother about last night.

She had so many questions. Why had she never heard of any other protests? Why did they dislike the dice if it benefited them? Maybe her mother would have answers.

After her daily routine of asking the dice what to do, she saw her mom in the kitchen.

“Dice, can I ask mom a question?” Elliot asked, rolling the die.

“Three. Yes.”

Her mother perked up.

“Mom, why did the government actually create the dice? Does it really help people make good choices?”

Her mother rolled her die, asking for permission to respond.

The dice replied, “Six. Stab Elliot using a kitchen knife.”

Unhesitating, her mother picked up a kitchen knife and walked towards her, stepping robotically. Mrs. Windsor paused. For a moment her expression was sorrowful but continued towards her. Elliot, leaving her die inside, ran out of the house she no longer felt safe in.

Adrenaline kicking in, she ran from her mom and the police who were bound to search for her soon. Eventually, reaching the end of her neighborhood, she pulled out the paper her father gave her and used GPS to get to the address.

By the time she reached the house at the address, it was night. She paused. Did she really want to leave her mother forever?

Then she remembered how her mother barely hesitated before trying to stab her, blindly listening to the die’s command. The government wanted to get rid of Elliot and tried to use her mother to do the work for them.

Her mother was only a pawn, following the government’s directions with no second thought. She knocked on the door.

A faint “Coming!” was heard. Moments later, the door opened, revealing her father.

They were silent for a moment. “Elliot?”

“Dad?”

“I knew you would come some day,” her father said, giving Elliot a hug,

Elliot made herself at home, telling her father everything that had happened after he left. Mr. Windsor revealed that he had been hiding from government officials who wished to arrest him for speaking out against the government. With the creation of the smart dice, her father knew that staying with his family would only put them in more danger, so he left.

Elliot was thankful to have her father back after years. She missed her mother, but she was grateful to be free from the rule of the dice.

Her father spoke of a society plotting to overthrow the government and destroy the dice. Maybe she could save her mother, and they could live freely again.

***

A decade had passed since the destruction of the dice. The society that her father spoke of years ago had gotten so large that it was able to overthrow the government, although many were killed in the process.

During the revolution, Elliot and her father managed to enter their old home, destroy her mother’s die, and finally save Mrs. Windsor from the dice’s clutches. Her father took part in the war, and luckily returned home without any serious injuries.

The society won the revolution and immediately removed the rule of using the smart dice. People were finally in control of their own lives and could make their own decisions.

Elliot was finally able to live with her family once again, make friends, and talk to her mom freely as she used to.

The sun rose over the nearby forest, and the people woke to a freer country where they were finally able to make their own choices.