Stories for The People by The People

Chapter 1: The Perfect Citizen Elias Carter lived his life by the numbers—meticulously, intentionally. In a world where every interaction, decision, and even thought (or so it felt) was monitored and rated, he had learned the rules better than most. His Social Credit Score, displayed in shimmering digits on a holo-chip embedded in his wrist, never dipped below 900. This score granted him access to a life of privilege: luxury housing with views over the glassy high-rises of the city, priority appointments at medical facilities, express lanes in transit hubs, and unrestricted travel permissions others could only dream of. It was a life designed for perfection, as long as one stayed compliant. “Control your score, and you control your future,” his father had always said. Elias grew up hearing the wisdom, absorbing the lesson. His father had once dropped below 700 after a misunderstanding involving an overdue payment. It had taken months of painstaking effort to repair the damage, and Eli...

Ali was a coffee salesman in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire. He had a small shop near the Grand Bazaar, where he sold his aromatic brew to locals and tourists alike. He was proud of his coffee, which he made from beans that he roasted and ground himself. He claimed that his coffee was the best in the city, and many of his customers agreed. One day, a man came to his shop and ordered a cup of coffee. He was dressed in a suit and a hat, and spoke with a strange accent. He introduced himself as John, a journalist from New York. He said he was in Istanbul to write a story about the Ottoman culture and history. He asked Ali if he could interview him and learn more about his coffee business. Ali was curious and flattered by the request. He agreed to talk to John, and they sat down at a table. John asked Ali many questions, such as how he learned to make coffee, how he sourced his beans, how he prepared his drinks, and how he marketed his shop. Ali answered them all with enthusia...