Happy New Year, We Are Watching You

• Quinn Boland, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2022

150 years ago, New Year's Eve was all about the fireworks, drinks, staying up after midnight and making ridiculous resolutions no-one keeps. Now, it’s a little different (to say the least). For starters, all parties must be over by half past midnight, children must be asleep by 10:00pm, the family fireworks start at 9:00pm sharp and go for exactly 6 and a half minutes (don’t ask me why) and no alcohol can be taken after midnight. You might think these are just weird traditions, but they are all law-enforced. And I haven’t even gotten to the resolutions. There’s this app called New Year, New Resolutions, and from age 7 every citizen has to put in 10 resolutions before 11:59:59 on December 31st. You aren’t allowed to repeat resolutions, and if you don’t complete them all before 11:59:59 on December 31st the next year you can be punished. It sounds like a joke, but this thing is government run and the punishments can be anything between 10 hours of community service and up to 2 days in prison.
11:50pm, December 31st, 2172.
I’m sitting in my living room with my best friend Andy. We are racking our brains for New Year's resolutions. “Mate this thing is scuffed” Andy complains. “It’s just a stupid excuse for the government to watch and control our lives.”
“We don’t really have a choice” I reply. He ignores me and keeps talking.
“They say it’s to make better citizens, but when you don’t complete your resolutions they use it as a way to frame you for other crimes” he keeps rambling on and I have to yell for him to shut up.
“Andy!” his head whips around. “How many resolutions do you have?”
“7, what about you?”
“9. Got any thoughts?”
“What about, pick up 10 pieces of trash every day?”
“Did that last year.”
“Play less video games.”
“Did that when I was nine.”
“How about” his face lights up “complete all my resolutions.”
“Won’t I get in trouble??”
“Nah man, you’re not breaking any rules, you’ll be fine” Andy says carelessly.
“Ok” I say, not convinced. I put it in my phone and click submit. ‘Happy new year! We are watching you’ reads the message on my screen.
“Man I don’t know why they have to make it so creepy” Andy complains.
“Your resolution should be to complain less.”
“Ha ha” he rolls his eyes, but I see him typing on his phone.
1:45am, January 1st, 2173
I climb into bed, exhausted. I really hope Andy’s right. As I pull up the covers the words from New Year, New Resolutions repeat in my head. ‘Happy new year, we are watching you.’ I close my eyes ‘we are watching you.’
2:48am, January 1st, 2173
Hands grab my arms and pull me from my bed. I wake up in a frenzy and scream. Another hand over my mouth cuts off my cry, but it echoes through the night.