The Coffee's Voice

February 28, 2122

The explosion came out of nowhere.

The crisis began when some members of the Coffee-For-Life faction stormed my family's coffee plantation in excitement.

Bio-Decipher, an advanced tech device capable of deciphering plant language, had just been released by a group of scientists. It was an improvement on the Plantwave.

The central government was calling for the end of coffee on our continent, which meant plantations would become government property soon enough. It was a ploy to leave the citizens poorer.

A representative of the central government had planned to visit my plantation so the Coffee-For-Life faction could convince them not to ban coffee.

^Source

The Death-To-Coffee faction, a violent group of thugs financed by some members of the central government, somehow got wind of the meeting and stormed our plantation just as I was setting up the Bio-Decipher.

The Coffee-For-Life faction tried to deny them entry and that was when the explosion happened.

Standing with a few, catatonic strangers, I glanced over the room. Everything was painted yellow: the high walls and a single door. There were no windows.

I remembered the bedtime stories that included vivid descriptions of this place. It was real after all. I squared my shoulders and tried to shake off the cloudy feeling in my brain. It must be the reason for our catatonia.

A mahogany desk and swivelling chair were positioned at the far end of the room. An old man, bald, with wrinkled skin and rheumy eyes, sat on the chair speaking to a candidate.

He was the Time Giver. He alone could give an extension on a life span if the death was accidental or untimely.

"Next!"

It was my turn. I walked up to him and sat down.

"Shania Prestige. An explosion?"

"I don't know how it happened. I was trying to convince the Death-To-Coffee faction that there's still hope and …bam! I find myself here." I stopped talking, noting the bored look on his face. Of course, he knew the details already.

"It's not your time yet so you get an extension of zkzzkskzj…"

After the word 'extension', the Time Giver's words became inaudible. "Wait. What?"

"Oh, and one more thing," he said. "Pay attention to the message of the coffee plants. You just might save your continent."

I was more confused at that point. I was going to ask a question when I found myself back at my plantation. I groaned as the pain of the explosion and a possible sprained ankle hit me at once. Maybe the catatonic state was better.

I stood and looked around. Members of the Coffee-For-Life faction were helping the paramedics with the wounded. Among them was the central government representative.

The sight of a few coffee plants with their almost ripe berries in the distance was a big relief. My plantation was not totally destroyed.

^Source

I hopped on my good foot to the plant with the Bio-Decipher, sat on the dusty ground and gently wrapped two thin wires extending from the device on a coffee branch. I turned on the device and put on my earphones.

Shrill, scratching sounds greeted me first followed by silence. I waited for a moment and shook the device. Was it dead or just ineffective?

Then I heard sob sounds like the rush of streaming waters. It was beautiful and calming but it was a cry for help. I took off my earphones to confirm the source of the sound. The sound was gone. It was the coffee plant in tears.

"Hey!" I yelled, waving my hands at the members of the Coffee-For-Life faction. They ran towards me. Before the questions started pouring out, I pointed at the device. "It's working. Connect your earphones."

The central government representative also listened.

Unity and connection make us thrive
Destroy us not
An end must come to climate change
Our roots will enrich your land
Throughout the continent
Giving it flavour and life

Everyone's eyes widened in shock. The words were interspersed with harmonious music. With the Plantwave, we could only listen to the biorhythm of plants. Bio-Decipher took technology to a whole new level.

The government representative was almost close to tears after listening.

The following day, the central Governor through a continent-wide broadcast declared that coffee would remain the choice beverage for all. Any action to undermine this declaration would be met with strict measures.

Our coffee plants literally saved themselves!