President Donald Trump has indicated at a meeting with Republican colleagues, that, as a way of solving problems in the employment sector, he "would not totally oppose" the idea of a return to slavery on a limited scale.
The news had an earth-shattering effect around the globe.
Once the news reached Wall Street, stocks tumbled so far, that proceedings were suspended for the day. Other stock markets around the world saw the same reactions.
Drivers plowed into each other after hearing the news on their car radios. Women fainted. There was widespread looting in all of the major cities from coast-to-coast. Tensions flared, and fires were lit. Homes and cars were burned.
Some saw it as a mistake, or as one of Trump's 'Twitterjokes', but, as the news started to appear on the front pages of newspapers, and on the internet, people began to panic, and many packed things into their cars, and headed out of town.
The traffic on the roads was the worst anyone had ever seen - queues were up to 40 miles long, as families battled to get to a safe place. Many tried to reach the mountains or, at least, higher ground. The cities were left deserted.
Only the slaves remained.
