April 9, 2019.
Cloudy with bright sun.
Kal-El read me a book today.
I zoned out while he was reading.
I don't like it when Kal-El reads.
I like it when Kal-El draws with me.
Drawing is my favorite thing.
Kal-El taught me how to write my name today.
He says my name is Soren.
My name is too hard to write.
I can't learn it.
It made me sad.
So I cried when Kal-El tried to make me write.
I don't know why I cried.
My hands felt heavy.
I don't want to write my name.
Kal-El is so annoying. (>﹏<)
...
April 15, 2019.
Weather: Cloudy.
Kal-El says I keep writing the weather wrong.
He taught me how to write it correctly.
Today there was lots of water outside.
Kal-El said it's called rain.
I can write my name now.
Kal-El made me write it.
My name is Soren.
My name is Soren.
His name is Kal-El.
...
April 21, 2019.
Weather: Sunny.
Today Kal-El taught me to use commas.
I still don't know how to use them, but commas are fun.
I like drawing commas.
This is a comma,,,,,,, it's like a little dot with a tail.
My hands and feet hurt.
Kal-El says it's because I was bad while I zoned out and fought with him.
I always fight with him when I zone out.
Every time I do, I mess up our home.
Today I really hate Soren.
My book got ruined.
I'm not happy. T^T
...
April 28, 2019.
Weather: Sunny.
^o^ I drew today.
Because last night when I zoned out, I saw Kal-El.
I saw him standing with a person who had golden hair.
Kal-El was smiling.
Did I use the comma right, Kal-El?
He looked very happy.
When I got up, I drew it to show Kal-El.
Kal-El said the person standing next to him was me.
But my hair isn't that color.
Kal-El must be lying.
Now I know Kal-El is always lying to me.
Last time he said he'd take me out to play, but he didn't.
Is it because he thinks I'm a dummy?
Kal-El is a big liar.
Kal-El said he could "frame" my drawing.
I don't know what that means.
Then Kal-El said he could hang my drawing up in our home.
He hung my drawing on the wall.
Now we can look at my drawing every day.
...
May 4, 2019.
Weather: Rain.
I learned a lot of new words today.
The place where you clap your hands is called the heart.
The feeling when you cry is called pain.
Kal-El told me to tell him when he makes me feel pain.
Kal-El says I used to be very smart.
I will learn more words soon.
The words I learned today are: love, tears, sadness, cheese, travel, coffee, Plato, Kal-El, ice cream, Phaedrus.
Kal-El always reads Phaedrus to me.
He says I'm his Phaedrus.
I hate it when he reads to me the most!
I don't want to listen!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm using the exclamation points Kal-El taught me.
Do you see them, Kal-El?
...
May 12, 2019.
Weather: Big sun.
Zoned out.
Zoned out.
Kal-El says I'm his sleepy little pig.
Little pigs are cute.
I'm a cute sleepy little pig.
...
May 24, 2019.
Weather: Sunny.
Today Kal-El taught me how to write a sentence.
He said a sentence is a sentence, not an orange.
He made me write the sentence three times.
"You must live long and with dignity. Everything is like this."
"You must live long and with dignity. Everything is like this."
"You must live long and with dignity. Everything is like this."
He said this is from something written by someone.
I didn't understand.
But I learned a new word today: dignity.
I asked Kal-El what dignity means.
Kal-El didn't tell me.
He's so mean!
...
Another winter had arrived in a flash.
In the winter of 2019, a heavy snow fell over Washington, D.C.
The snowflakes were as large as torn-off butterfly wings, drifting softly from the iron-gray sky.
The streets and alleys shimmered with a silver light reflected from the thick snow that blanketed them.
The once-bustling Washington was now eerily empty.
The shops, which used to be lively, stood silent in the snowfall, like mute snowmen.
The snow piled up halfway to the doors, covering the old, broken neon signs on the sidewalks.
Kal-El sat in a high-backed chair, his arms resting on the chair's armrests.
He listened to Cyborg's report, but his gaze pierced through the Justice League's meeting hall, drifting beyond the streets where snowflakes gathered like clouds.
He looked toward the small rest area of the Justice League, where a young boy still slept soundly under thick blankets.
Wonder Woman noticed his distraction.
She frowned and called out, "Superman?"
Superman lowered his gaze and pressed his hand to his forehead, hiding his face in the shadows cast by his hand. "I'm listening, Diana."
Cyborg and Wonder Woman exchanged a quiet glance.
Cyborg pointed to the three-dimensional holographic image projected in the air, displaying the latest casualty statistics and terrain maps. "We've spotted more signs of the resistance near Cape Town. The locals are helping them hide information from the government forces… When we sent people to investigate, we were attacked by local militia groups…"
Superman spoke in a low voice, "Track down everyone connected to the resistance. I'll handle this personally."
Cyborg silently watched Superman with his black-and-white, mechanical eyes.
He opened his mouth, hesitant to speak, but ultimately chose to close it when Superman shot him a glance.
In the fourth year of Superman's reign, the world was already deeply scarred.
Many of the citizens who had once chosen to submit to Superman's rule had now joined the ranks of the resistance.
The world under Superman's rule continued to grow increasingly oppressive, brutal, and cold.
The government publicly suppressed all uprisings, banned public gatherings, prohibited the broadcast of any entertainment programs, and disallowed private printing of cultural products.