The descent into dystopia often happens in deafening silence. It happens by normalizing the absurd, by justifying the unjustifiable. It happens through the silent strangling of morality, the whitewashing of lies, and the unnoticed yet violent evanescence of truth. At first, the darkness creeps only as a grey shadow; unthreatening, almost charming, like nostalgia on a cloudy day. In moments of fleeting clarity, those guarding the light can sometimes notice the gaping abyss that lies beyond. Some may even try to speak, but only to have their whispered words dissolve into the wind. And those who already lived with the shadow in their hearts, notice nothing, as they are cradled softly into the sordid embrace of the night.