Caliban and the Machine of Lies

The elder whispered in his ear: “Your secret name is Calibán…”

The Machine of Lies did not begin by teaching people to hate. It began with their best intentions.

It found those who loved their families and taught them to fear other families. It found those who loved their land and whispered that strangers wanted to take it. It found those who wanted justice and gave them someone to blame.

Mr. Truan ruled the lands beside Mr. diSaster and Mr. NarcoRucio, and every day the machine grew louder. Soon its messages crossed mountains, rivers, borders, and oceans. What had begun in one kingdom was spreading across the world.

The boy knelt beside the broken stones of an ancient Chakana. “They say the land belongs to them,” he said.

The elder waited.

The boy pressed his hand into the soil. “No. We are the children of the Earth.”

The elder looked at the separated pieces. “Then perhaps you should discover why the machine needs you to forget that.”