Alottment

Time is the one true treasure. Einstein said time is relative. His theory of the universe and time painted two landscapes - solvency depended on one's frame of reference, and the direction of her gaze, and depending on this time might be moving very slow, warping sound to low octaves and words to unrecognizable garble, or to fast screeching speeds that stung the ears. It boggled the mind, I understood only my place in the continuum, but I could acknowledge such brilliant appreciation of time.

Until the United Federation of Earth began trading with it - until the moment the exchange was endorsed and our internal VDI timers were activated, no one understood this fact.

At this moment I can see my counter in the right upper corner of my field of vision. Going down down down. To my next allotment, or to my death.

3:42

3:41

3:40

Life for some is utopian. Those born into sophisticated society are allowed to pursue knowledge, read for pleasure, and have children: Their allotments are advanced by years - often decades. 

But for some of us, basic human rights, and freedoms are withheld.

A lot of people do not understand the concept of free will.

The UFE wrote into docket #16453, noted on line 152.914: an individual must have an accrued 18 years, 23 hours, 59 minutes and 60 seconds in order to submit an application for reproductive rights. I never came close in my existence. 

I always wanted to have a baby. I had imagined a number of names, and created images of her round blue eyes, her pink bow tie lips too many times to count.

The dreaming earned me nothing but sorrow.

John tried to console me by explaining logically - we could never provide a good life to a child, she'd be here starving, bone tired and cold, and when she turned 18 years and 1 day old she'd have to start trudging through life just to earn the next twenty four hours like the rest of us.

John's family had earned the reproductive rights for 3 boys with a winning lottery ticket, but all that time was gone now. I asked him if he felt like his own family had made the wrong decision? If he felt this life foisted upon him unfairly?

He never answered, but did look speculative for several moments before moving on to some mundane task in our gloomy underground compartment.

I tried to win the lottery. Every time I was asked to work overtime, I took three hours - traded for one chance.

It was never my name announced at the end of the week.

For many of us, the next 24 hours are earned only with completion of the most unpleasant duties. 

My mate, John dredges through the hydroponic caves every day - rotting his shoes off every other week, battling a disgusting case of swamp foot, and must regularly seek treatment precancerous growths. A product of the ever present grow lights. 

Admittedly, this environment manufactures the most massive, nutrient rich foods, without using a scrape of the Earth's surface.

Right now John has three wounds stitched closed, and the third toe of his left foot is black. He has 72 hours to live.

Goodbye. Watching him walk out that door this morning, had been one of the hardest moments of my life. But I had made my decision. And he knew it.

2:57

2:56

2:55

He had begged me, kissed me, loved me desperately these last few weeks. He wanted more time for me. With me.

I love him. I do.

But I know too much now. I think about what has been, and what could be, and the impossible thing we have created. There is no escape but this.

I read some quote about the past that said, the past only looks pleasant because it's not here now. But that person, brilliant as he/she must have been - had not seen now.

I was given an unprecedented 3 years about 1 year and 8 months ago - My award for locating the Mayor's 5 year old daughter, and bringing her to safety after she had gone missing, and her tracking chip failed.

Sophisticated facial recognition systems searched voraciously through all the live records being generated by every human being within 100 square miles, and her sweet little cherub face appeared in my line of site. I was given immediate instructions to approach her and fed the exact words to console, and guide her back to her family. 

Then I was rewarded. 

But my timer is already winding down.

I spent it.

I used it well: a 3 day trip to the Cayman Islands - room, board, food and entertainment, and I did have to pay double so that John could take time from “the gardens”, accompany me, and also live through his next shift upon return. 

Glorious.  Literally the best time of our lives. Tears sting my eyes, and burn my nose when I bring to mind the warm sandy beaches, the cold drinks and the impossibly warm sun. Rays baking our skin.

We were golden brown for weeks.

John agreed at the time because he expected me to return to shift work. He never imagined I had shaved many months off the end of my life.

Oh! I bought a sliver of land above ground, and a hammock. I have enjoyed hours basking in the sunlight. Our own piece of upper Earth! 

I aquired items to improve our health and wellbeing as well.

I made improvements to our home, appointments and paid doctors and dentists for services that were overdue. 

I got baskets of groceries. Luxurious. Nutrient rich produce we never would have seen otherwise, and so many books! 

I have lived in blissful abandon all those months. Eating, reading, exercising, and basking in the sunlight. 

Only the best books move across my VDI. 

I’ve read those from thousands of years ago including: In Search of Lost Time by Proust (which did not in fact help me find lost time, but did teach me a thing or two about how to spend it), One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Great Gatsby, War and Peace, Outlander, Cookbooks, something called Dune, and many many more. 

I read Einstein's theory of relativity.

I read the Bible. 

I am awestruck by the freedom of the people in these books. 

Imagine sinning. 

Imagine doing a wrong. 

Under the watchful eye of the VDI who would dream of such. 

I wonder if Jesus will love us non sinners too? 

Those of us without the freedom of will to make mistakes...

Who hadn't known Him?

1:30

1:29

1:28

I tilted my head back and thought of James Frazer in Outlander, book one, the wedding scene, and the words so artfully stitched together by Gabaldon skipped across my field of vision. A favorite. Burgeoning love, hope, enlightenment, and most important - free will. The brilliant determination of these people. 

Not a computer in sight.

EEEH EEEH WARNING WARNING WARNING DEATH IS IMMINENT IMMEDIATELY UPLOAD ALLOTMENT IDENTIFIER

"Silence!" I forced a hushed command.

The computer obeyed and I eased myself immediately back into the peace of my meditation.

I read on in the cool morning air. Apricity dancing on my uplifted visage.

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