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Our local shopping mall was having the promotion of a lifetime: A free trip to the Oscars, plus a free designer outfit, plus a chance to walk on the red carpet. My BFF, Cheryl, was super excited at the news and insisted we go down there and enter the contest together. Cheryl has always been ga-ga over anything to do with Hollywood and the movies. Me, less so. Not that I didn't think it would be fun, just I've never had much luck winning any sort of prize. So it was a bit of a shock that I won.

“Now over here if you follow me I have something very special to show you!” Mr. Wonka proudly exclaimed, leading the tour group to a large room.  It was a busy day at the Wonka factory, as an entire high school class of about fifty was scheduled to tour the grounds.

The tour group filed into the room to discover a table, stacked high with freshly baked blueberry pies.

“Mmmm...smells delicious!” said Brittany, the senior class president.

Welcome to the future, dear reader. There are a few things that make this world tick.

After the end of the Third World War, the surface of Earth was contaminated by the use of toxins, chemical weapons, and nuclear weaponry. The surface is no longer habitable so mankind has created giant floating nations to survive. These nations are held aloft by anti gravity generators, reverse engineered from the Martian wrecks after their failed invasion attempt. Each of these nations is named after notable rivers across the globe, including influences from their respective areas.

The sun shone down through the trees as Abby hiked along the forest trail. It was such a beautiful day. Not too hot, not too cold. It was just right for the blond accountant. She took in another breath of clean forest air as she continued her hike. But where was her friend?