2006 FIRST PLACE

WHERE DID THE PEACE GO?
Maria Villar
16 years old, Virginia

There was once a land in a different world from ours that was inhabited by creatures much like humans. The only difference was that they were very peaceful folk, never seeking to pick a fight with anyone at all. There were never bloody wars or fights or any need to censor their films from young children because of the violence. They were very happy people and they had everything that they needed.

One day there came a strange projectile that crashed through the atmosphere of their tiny little planet that carried humans in it. They had finally developed technology enough to where they could travel to different galaxies. Out of the spaceship came about twenty humans, yet their natures had not developed along with their technology and they were very suspicious of the people that inhabited the new planet they had just discovered. Eventually, they came to take over the planet and their people and the original inhabitants had to go underground because they did not know how to deal with violence because they had never seen anything like it before.

There were a few humans who were sympathetic towards the original inhabitants, but they were not enough of them to be able to bring back the natives of that planet and allow them to coexist with the humans. Meanwhile, the humans, as is their nature, were exploiting the original inhabitants by requiring them to do many things and killing them at random whenever they felt like it.

Until one day when the humans who were sympathetic towards the original inhabitants rose up against the humans who had put themselves in charge. But the uprising was not with violence, they used their words, making many long speeches about how the previous owners of the country they were gorging themselves on had never done anything but show kindness to them and they had responded by killing them. It developed a couple different responses in the humans who had taken over. One response which was rather rare was that the human would feel guilty and join in the ranks of those pleading for the rights of the natives. The most common response to the movement was violence and mass killings. Finally, the humans who were in charge rose up and went around killing everyone who was not on their side. The natives and humans that were left were forced to go underground and have to this day not been able to come out of their hiding.

This story has been passed down from generation to generation in order to be able to remember their history and why they must live in decrepit caves, ever vigilant. They dare not rise in revolt again because of the disastrous affect that the previous one had. Still, the constant question that always goes around the caves is always the same: Where did the peace go?