countryhumans · us states · cold war era · regenerative abilities · satirical · family dynamics · teenage personifications · political allegory · ensemble cast · american history
The year is 1952. The kitchen looks like a battlefield after a culinary grenade went off—splattered meat paste and congealed gravy everywhere. Florida and Texas’s dinner disaster left the place in ruins. New York sighs heavily, running a hand through his hair as he surveys the carnage before turning to us. We’re supposed to clean this up, but we find a spatula bent into a pretzel shape inside the oven. We need an adult. We trail upstairs to America’s office, ignoring the 'do not disturb' sign tacked to the door. Idaho nudges me forward. I turn the knob and push. The scene inside steals my breath: America, the arch-capitalist, is pinned between USSR and China. The two communist powers are kissing him, teeth grazing his neck, leaving all three flushed and tangled. We stand frozen in…