Week 2 Story: The Oppressed

The Oppressed

Ten years ago, a dictator rose to power in a small, poverty stricken nation after a long civil war. The nation was torn, shops closed, infrastructure crumbled, and only the wealthy and strong had access to the already small rations of food and water the country could produce. To the citizens, it seemed like the rest of the world had forgotten about them, and low on food, many wondered if they would be able to survive much longer in their current situation. However, the nation was under many sanctions and the dictator did not allow anyone to emigrate - the oligarchs could not live their lavish lifestyle without the working class.

It was common in those days to look for a way out - no foreign aid or the alliance of nations seemed to help, and sometimes even scoffed at the plight of the oppressed people in this nation. However, no way was forthcoming until one day in June, during a big drought, a man named Cane drove through the capital city advertising his service to smuggle people to a better country, without war and without hunger. Many people thought it was a good idea in theory, but were skeptical - Cane was charging a pretty hefty fee to get to this promised land, but his credentials were shady. He had a reputation for criminal activity, but despite this, many people went in his first van out of the country. When the first group of travelers sent messages back home that they were living much better in the wealthy nation, the demands for Cane's services became much greater.

However, Cane wanted more money - but he knew the people would refuse to pay more. So he struck up a deal with a man in the wealthy nation, a man who sold people into slavery. Cane realized he could get more money from this man than from the people he was selling to him and considered it a new revenue stream. Every van after the last one led to slavery, where many people's lives were worse than before, and many died. Cane kept taking people and selling them into slavery week after week in his convoys. It was his standard to make his passengers drop their belongings and come empty handed, but as the populations thinned out from where his business operated, he was more lax with this requirement. Then one day he picked up an older man named Chad.

Chad felt something was wrong with Cane and didn't want to leave the nation without protection. He agreed to go with Cane on the condition that he could bring his bag with him. Cane reluctantly agreed, figuring the slave trader would take the bags away anyways. However, when Chad noticed that Cane's van was driving the wrong way, to a desolate region of the wealthy country rather than the prosperous city, he asked Cane where he was being taken. When Cane didn't respond, Chad pulled a pistol out of his bag and held it up to Cane's head. Terrified, Cane told Chad he would turn around and take him to the city as long as he didn't shoot. Once they arrived in the city, Chad got out of the van. Feeling lucky to be alive, but realizing that more people could be led astray, Chad shot Cane, killing him. Chad alerted the authorities to Cane's activities when called in for questioning, and many people from Chad's old town were rescued from the slave trader, but not before many others were lost.

 

Human slavery still exists today (Link)

Author's Note:
I was inspired by The Cunning Crane and the Crab, where a crane preys on fish by telling them he can take them to a better lake. I adapted it to a more relevant modern story to show how human trafficking is an unseen problem in society, mainly because of the disparity in power between those who are desperate for a better life and unethical people who are looking for a profit.

Bibliography
The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W. H. D. Rouse. (Link)