Beholder Endings.
Carl and his children made it across the border, where they found friendly smiles, clean streets, and beautiful blue skies.
As soon as they stopped worrying for their lives, they realized living without constant supervision was not only possible, it was liberating! Patrick graduated from the local college and became a successful architect, building gorgeous and comfortable houses. (He could never bring himself to design an apartment building.) Martha's health improved considerably in the warm climate, and her charming smile left no one untouched. Carl's experience in cataloguing data and observing others came in handy, too, and he is now the best librarian in the country. However, the loss of Anna cast a shadow of sadness over their blissful new life, and Carl spent the rest of his days trying to explain to his children – and himself – why his wife wasn't there...
Carl and his children stayed in their first story apartment.
Patrick's unfriendly disposition eventually become unbearable, though, and Carl sighed with relief when his son signed up for the frontline. Relief quickly transformed into horror when Patrick was reported missing in action. Sadly, Carl never found out what happened to him. Although Martha was his only joy, she helped him survive his wife's death. She supported and loved her father, and he returned her familial affection. But the fate of Anna and Patrick forever cast a shadow of quiet sadness over their house.
Carl and his daughter stayed in their first story apartment.
Although Martha was his only joy, she helped him survive his wife's death. She supported and loved her father, and he returned her familial affection. But the fate of Anna and Patrick forever cast a shadow of quiet sadness over their house.
Carl and his family made it across the border, where they found friendly smiles, clean streets, and beautiful blue skies.
As soon as they stopped worrying for their lives, they realized living without constant supervision was not only possible, it was liberating! Patrick graduated from the local college and became a successful architect, building gorgeous and comfortable houses. (He could never bring himself to design an apartment building.) Martha's health improved considerably in the warm climate, and her charming smile left no one untouched. Eventually, the family saved up enough to open a small café, which Anna managed. Carl's experience in cataloguing data and observing others came in handy, too. He is now the best librarian in the country, and he never thinks of the broken people of Krushvice 6. Well, almost never...
Carl and his family stayed in their first story apartment, and Anna found a job.
Even though Martha's poor health remained a source of stress for her parents, they had enough to pay for her treatment, and her happy laughter often brightened their moods. However, Patrick's unfriendly disposition eventually become unbearable, and his parents sighed with relief when he signed up for the frontline. Relief quickly transformed into horror when he was reported missing in action. Sadly, they never found out what happened to him.
Carl and his wife and daughter made it across the border, where they found friendly smiles, clean streets, and beautiful blue skies.
As soon as they stopped worrying for their lives, they realized living without constant supervision was not only possible, it was liberating! Martha's health improved considerably in the warm climate, and her charming smile left no one untouched. Eventually, the family saved up enough to open a small café, which Anna managed. Carl's experience in cataloguing data and observing others came in handy, too. He is now the best librarian in the country, and he never thinks of what happened to his son. Well, almost never...
Carl and his wife and daughter stayed in their first story apartment, and Anna found a job.
Even though Martha's poor health remained a source of stress for her parents, they had enough to pay for her treatment, and her happy laughter often brightened their moods. It's a shame things didn't turn out differently for Patrick, though. His family missed his juvenile maximalism and drive to succeed.
Carl and his wife and son family made it across the border, where they found friendly smiles, clean streets, and beautiful blue skies.
As soon as they stopped worrying for their lives, they realized living without constant supervision was not only possible, it was liberating! Patrick graduated from the local college and became a successful architect, building gorgeous and comfortable houses. (He could never bring himself to design an apartment building.) Eventually, the family saved up enough to open a small café, which Anna managed. Carl's experience in cataloguing data and observing others came in handy, too, as he is now the best librarian in the country. His work cannot keep him from seeing his daughter's smile, though, and he often goes to a secluded spot in the library where he can be alone with his broken heart and cry tears he wants no one to see...
Carl and his wife and son stayed in their first story apartment, and Anna found a job.
Patrick's unfriendly disposition eventually become unbearable, though, and his parents sighed with relief when he signed up for the frontline. Relief quickly transformed into horror when he was reported missing in action. Sadly, they never found out what happened to him. Although they eventually became rich and could buy anything they wanted, Martha's death hit them hard, and Patrick's fate ruined what little was left of their former happiness. They silently agreed to not have any more children, considering this cruel world to be an improper place for kids.
Carl and his wife stayed in their first story apartment, and Anna found a job.
In time, they became rich and could buy anything they wanted. Martha's death hit them hard, though, and Patrick's fate ruined what little was left of their former happiness. The silently agreed to not have any more children, considering this cruel world to be an improper place for kids.
Carl and Martha made it across the border, where they found friendly smiles, clean streets, and beautiful blue skies.
As soon as they stopped worrying for their lives, they realized living without constant supervision was not only possible, it was liberating. Martha's health improved considerably in the warm climate, and her charming smile left no one untouched. Carl's experience in cataloguing data and observing others came in handy, too, as he is now the best librarian in the country. However, the loss of Anna cast a shadow of sadness over their blissful new life, and Carl spent the rest of his days trying to explain to his daughter – and himself – why his wife wasn't there... And grief caused by Patrick's fate, plagues their seemingly careless life.
Carl and Patrick made it across the border, where they found friendly smiles, clean streets, and beautiful blue skies.
As soon as they stopped worrying for their lives, they realized living without constant supervision was not only possible, it was liberating! Patrick graduated from the local college and became a successful architect, building gorgeous and comfortable houses. (He could never bring himself to design an apartment building.) Carl's experience in cataloguing data and observing others came in handy, too, as he is now the best librarian in the country. However, he is also terribly unhappy. The losses he suffered filled his life with debilitating pain, and Patrick, who blamed Carl for Anna's and Martha's deaths, never spoke to his father again.
Carl stayed in his first story apartment.
Eventually, he became rich and could buy anything he wanted. But no matter how hard Carl tried to lie to himself, the loss of his family ruined him. He missed Anna's nagging, Patrick's juvenile maximalism, and Martha's happy laughter. The walls of Carl's apartment caved in on him, trapping him under the monstrous weight of his memories and guilt, and he remained depressed and suicidal until the end of his days.
Carl's remarkable determination and loyalty to his job was well rewarded.
The state had finally found its ideal employee: one with no doubt, remorse, or attachments! Carl was chosen to become the Golden Standard of Citizenship in a new cloning experiment, and before long, thousands of duplicate Carls started their jobs. The original Carl died in the process, but no one cried for him because there was no place for regret in the Wonderful Future of the Great State. Only Happiness, always Hardcore!
Due to the efforts of hundreds and thousands people like Carl Stein, the state machine kept growing and growing.
The New Tomorrow movement was destroyed, and all of its members arrested. Some of them died in the mines; the others perished while being punished or were executed. Their weak voices were drowned by a cacophony of mottos and slogans. Dissidence was exterminated without mercy, and the citizenry was of a single mind: no doubts, no reluctance, no unnecessary questions. Isn't that happiness?
The entire neighborhood came to see Carl dragged into the police car.
His face was covered with blood, and his pants had a hole where his building keys had been, as the police had torn them out with the fabric. To the bitter end of his short life, Carl wondered what happened to his family. No one from Carl Stein's family was destined to live to the end of the year.
The family's attempt to emigrate failed.
Carl wasn't simply arrested; he was executed on the spot as a traitor and a state criminal. His family's fate was all over the mass media, and their deaths served as a dire warning to anyone considering escape. At long last, the iron curtain fell.
The rumors of gas turning people into zombie patriots and of weapons of mass destruction reached the frontline.
Overcome with fear, officers from both sides plotted together and started a coup. But after they arrested the current governments and announced the end of the war, they lost control of their respective countries. Mass desertions from both armies paved the way for chaos, and marauders and bandits seized the arsenals of both nations and took control. Unfortunately, the constantly changing leadership of both countries made it impossible to turn either economy around. Unemployment, overpopulation, and hunger are still at epidemic levels.
The spark of the New Tomorrow movement gradually fanned the flames of a revolution, and the Wise Leader's tyranny was overthrown.
It took years to dispose of the enormous bureaucratic machine, but in time, the people could finally sleep peacefully at night. Freedom of Speech and the Right to Privacy were the first entitlements the new democratic government restored, and every official that misused his or her position was arrested and locked up in the jail cells previously occupied by political prisoners. Although the revolution took many honest lives as well, one can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, right?
The war raged on for decades, grinding the people into a homogenous, meaty pulp.
Able-bodied youth died by the thousands every day in the pointless massacre. And all technological, medical, and agricultural progress was sacrificed in the name of violence.
Unexpectedly, each party having an ultima ratio turned the tables.
Both sides were afraid to use it. But the fear of the enemy using the 'nuclear club' was even stronger. That lead to the cooldown of military operations; several decades later, a reluctant peace was made. Though not at once, both countries managed the economical conversion. But the search for external enemies never seized completely...