The Hidden Valley

As Eric climbed the mountain the sun dipped behind its veil and out of sight. At the same time the moon began to rise giving the frozen mountain a new beauty. The light danced across the icicles and displayed a stunning sight. You could never get a view like that at the city Eric thought. As he began to walk towards his tent he stopped for one final breath of fresh mountain air. In 2 days he would be back to his job in the city and he wanted to enjoy all the time that he could here. As he crawled inside his tent he couldn't shake the feeling in his gut that something was wrong. The feeling had been plaguing him for months, and he thought that a little fresh air would do it. So far it had been a good attempt. The feeling was still there but it no longer bothered him as much. As he closed his eyes he felt it subside for the first time since he began to feel it.

Hearing the birds chirping Eric woke up. As he exited the barn rather groggily he washed his face in the cool river nearby and then set about changing putting on his climbing gear. It was then that he realized that it wasn't cold out. In fact, it was pleasantly warm. Shaking his head Eric looked around him. He was somehow next to what looked like a barn next to a forest. This has to be a dream he thought to himself. He went to the river and fully submerged his head. When he came up gasping for air he was in the same place. This time however there was a young woman watching him. She looked to be about 18, and was wearing denim jeans and a brightly colored shirt. "Uh hi there" Eric said.

"Hello" The girl replied casually.

"Mind telling me what the hell is going on?"

"That's easy, my brother found you in the mountain range. Your tent had blown over and you would have died of hypothermia if he hadn't found you. So, he brought you back here."

"And where is here exactly?"

"The valley silly."

That was when this mysterious woman explained everything in detail. Eric's tent had blown over in a freak storm. Apparently, the girl's brother who went by the name of Richard found him in the snow shivering. Knowing that this valley was nearby he collected Eric and brought him back to the farm he ran with his sister. For 2 days they had been nursing him and when he began to look better, Richard had left to get some supplies. Despite all this Eric was confused and felt…. Funny. He couldn't say why but there was something up. Looking around he noticed that the mountains were in the distance.

"Tell me about this valley." He asked.

The valley is a secret that only a select few know about. The people that live there live in way that brings peace and calm to everybody. For some reason or another it was impossible for anybody to find this place without the help of someone who has already been there. Just as the woman was finishing up she introduced herself.

"My name is Emma. It's a pleasure to meet you Erik. Now I think I heard Richard coming back. He'll want to talk to you."

As Erik headed to the front he found A strong young man riding a horse. He had short blond hair and looked like he was a very hard working man. Erik stopped and waited for him to approach. Richard came riding in with a smile on his face.

"Well, looks like sleeping beauty has finally woken up."

"Yeah, listen thanks for saving me but I'm afraid I don't quite understand where I am."

"Too put it simply my friend you're in your very own Utopia."

Those words stunned Erik. What did he mean by that? His very own Utopia? Impossible. As the sun was setting Richard invited Erik inside for supper. Just as they were heading in however a voice called in the distance. Turning the two of them saw a young man with black hair approaching.

"Hi there! Sorry to interrupt but would I be able to join you for supper? In return I can cut some wood for you or even assist with any hunting you might need to do."

Erik was surprised at the blatant tone the man used. The man sounded like he was practically inviting himself in. Richard however smiled and said "Of course. I could definitely use some help with the wood cutting tomorrow!"

The man looked pleased that such an easy arrangement had been made. Erik whispered to Richard "Aren't you worried? What if this guy robs you?"

Richard smiled and said "Why would he do that? The way people live around here there is no money. We find that it's easier to simply arrange trades based off of what is needed. How about this. Tomorrow I will explain everything in detail. If you have any questions feel free to ask."

As they sat down for supper Erik was surprised to see that they treated the newcomer; James like an old friend even though they had never seen him before. In the morning, the two of them went out and chopped wood just as they said they would. Once that was done James went on his way, and Richard saddled up two of his horses. While riding into town Richard began to explain the way this valley worked.

"The way our society works is that people are free to do as they please. In the outside world a monetary currency is used in this regard people are able to pay for what they need in order to survive. However, people with the most money always tend to have an advantage. They can buy more things and generally lead easier lives than other people. On the other side people with little to no money have a harder life. They are unable to afford products that they need to survive or any form of luxuries. In this sense, our society strives to provide something for everyone."

"Kind of like communism then?"

"In a way. But in communism everybody gets the same no matter what they are doing. In this you get what you out into it. For example, let's say I wanted to build a house. I would let the community know and then people would come out to help. In return I am expected to go out and help people to build their homes. In this way, I am paying back my debt to people."

"But what about the person who just gets there home built then doesn't help anybody?"

"Well those people get away with it at first. But eventually people catch on that they are not contributing to the community and so people stop helping them. We rely on farmers to bring in crops and as such everybody takes turns helping in the fields at some point or another. And thus lazy people are recognized and not given any food. If they don't help with the farming process then what right do they have to the food that other people make."

What about the sick or injured? What about people who can't work in the field?"

"Like I said people are free to do as they please. Just because they were born with a disability doesn't mean that they can't still contribute. Some of our greatest works of art have been done by deaf people, people always find ways to make themselves useful or to contribute to society. A little thing like paralysis doesn't stop them. People are free to do as they please."

"What about violent people? What if all somebody wants to do is hurt people?"

"Well that's what the arenas are for. If people feel the need to fight or even just compete in sports, they can head over to an arena. In there they can work things out in a savage and primal way. Allotting a specific place for violence has allowed violence everywhere else to drop to below 2%. There are still occasions where people can't wait to get into the arena, but those people are always taken care of. In general violence stays in the arena and those that don't want to see it leave it alone."

"What about crime? I know you said that a robbery is unlikely but suppose someone did steal something? Or even murdered someone? That imposes on their right to be free."

"It depends on the crime. If someone steals then they are forced to work for the person they stole from and are given a tattoo marking them as a onetime thief. A murderer or a rapist is dealt with much more severely. The way it works is that you pay back your depts. If the murder was intentional then they themselves are put down. If it was accidental, like someone jumped in front of my horse killing them, then I would have to provide a near indefinite service to the family. While this may seem like it gets rid of your freedom it doesn't really. You are not expected to live with the family you are simply to do the tasks of the deceased until the judges deem they would have died of a natural cause. In this way, as callous as it may sound you replace their life with yours, while still being able to live your own life. As for a rapist, they are castrated, and monitored. While everybody is free to do as they wish, there are always consequences for one's actions. Everybody works for the good of the whole and they work together. They do this out of the goodness in their hearts. Do unto others as you would yourself. That's about the only rule to this place."

"What about that man from last night? What was he doing traveling?"

"Just that. He was traveling. He probably wants to see the world."

"How does a man like that contribute to the community then?"

"He doesn't contribute to the community but as you saw he wasn't asking the community for help. He was asking me. So, long as he was willing to work for his bread and board I have no problem letting him in. Plus, who knows maybe one day he'll settle down and have his own family to take care of. Then he may have to let some stranger into his home, and do the same thing I had to do. In that case we emphasis one of the biggest things. Everybody is free to do what they want."

Despite what he was being told Erik couldn't quite get the funny feeling out of his stomach. It just felt so weird for him. As they continued to ride into town Erik thought of something else. "How many cities are there?"

"Depends on what you mean by city," Richard replied. "If you mean do we have those concrete behemoths you people have then no. Not even close. The biggest town which many people simply call 'The City' has about 50000 people living in it. Outside its perimeter are the largest farms you've ever seen."

"Wait you say that everybody is free to do what they want but what if no one wants to the work on the farms? How will you get food then?"

"Haven't you been listening? Everything you do and don't do has consequences. We realize that. If it takes one day out of our week to do something we don't want to do then so be it. A little hard work won't kill you. Besides you need the bad times in order to truly enjoy the good times. If all you had were good times then that would become the norm. People quickly become bored with the norm and as such decide that they would be better off doing something else. Hence their freedom here. But despite that everybody recognizes that they still have basic duties that they must attend to. If these duties are not done then their freedom means little."

"So, what I'm hearing is that all of you are reasonable and practical people, that while they prize their freedom still accept that there are some things that must be done and that these 'bad times' are healthy?"

"Exactly. Like I said without the bad how do we know what is good?"

What Richard was saying made a lot of sense to Erik but something still felt strange. After a few more minutes of riding Erik noticed that all the sign of civilization was missing.

"Why don't you guys have cars? Or anything else like that? You're living like the Amish."

Richard laughed and said "We have technology. Hell, we have power and even the internet. As for cars, what good would they be? In a car, this journey would have taken 5 minutes' tops. As it is here we are talking and taking our time. With a car and the fast life of civilization speed is the key word. All they want is for things to go fast. As for most of us we just like to keep things simple." At this Richard reached low over the sadly and picked a flower. "See? In a car, you would never have been able to do something like this. When you take your time, everything is just nicer."

As they approached the town Erik felt like he was in a book. Most of the homes were constructed from wood like little cottages. Others looked like modern day homes. All in all the town had a modern/medieval feel to it. The roads were wide enough to fit cars yet the biggest traffic was horse drawn carts. In the market place, people were handing out food to those that needed it. He could see the way people were laughing and having a good time. Looking up he could see artists painting and even musicians practicing their art. Even if they weren't contributing to the survival of the community they were contributing to the culture. In the end everybody was working together. There were arguments, but everybody was busy doing something. Whether it was a leisure activity, or even simply work. As they walked looking into windows Erik could see people on computers. Somehow, they had managed to keep their world a secret despite the internet being involved. Looking out Erik couldn't help but get that weird feeling in his stomach. Finally, he knew what it was. For a few months, back in the city he had felt like something was wrong. He felt dissatisfied with the way he was living his life. He knew know that the funny feeling he had was the absence of that wrongness. He knew that this society would enable him to be happy. It wouldn't come without sacrifice. It would be hard. But with the bad times come good times and the ability to truly understand and enjoy those good times. Erik knew that he did not want to leave this valley. He wanted to stay here and be allowed his freedom.

Erik smiled at Richard and knew that he was home. This society would enable him to build his own Utopia. The people here dealt with their pent up aggression with special areas where it was allowed, people still had their belongings and such but they had taken the social contract and made a society around it. People could be themselves and live their own lives. Richard saw what was going on through Erik's mind and allowed him to veer off. Erik put up a sign requesting aid in building a house for himself. He wanted to live next to his newfound friend Richard. Within an hour there was already more than enough people and all of them could help. At the end of the day Erik had already found himself a place to sleep while waiting for his home to begin work. He chopped wood and swept the floor. In exchange, he was given food and shelter for the night. Within a week, he had his own home. Within the year, he was able to repay his dept to Richard by assisting another person who had found themselves up the same Mountains that he had been climbing a year ago.