10 Days

10 Days

Ruby opened the screen door with her shoulder, her coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other. She went out to her small balcony and settled into her morning routine, as she had for the past thirty years. Two squirrels collected acorns in the small playground next to her and the laughing of children would begin in a few hours, after the school day. She opened the newspaper to the the daily sudoku puzzle on the last page. Her stomach tightened when she saw the date.

December 21st. 

Only ten more days until she would go into stasis. Stasis was not death, she reminded herself, it was only temporary. The body was frozen, monitored and checked on regularly at one’s Platform. The Platform, kept at exactly negative ten degrees celsius, was a pressurized glass box which allowed a body to remain fully intact for centuries. Ruby would be joining her husband, parents, grandparents and even her great-grandparents in stasis. United, the government, mandated that in the year following one’s sixtieth birthday, one must enter into a state of  stasis. The body would remain there until the United found a cure to stop aging. According to reports, significant scientific discoveries were made daily in finding a cure. In the meantime, the Platform provided a solution to halt old age. Once a cure was found, the United would take its citizens’ out of stasis. They would be restored to perfect health and given the gift of eternal life. 

Ruby was nervous for her impending Stasis Ceremony on January 1st. She knew her nerves were normal but she wished she could control them. She reminded herself that the alternative to stasis, old age, was far worse. History books described the horrible conditions of life for those that were old - they were often shipped to homes where they waited out their days until they died. They lost their independence, control over their own faculties -  sometimes even their minds. The United, in a righteous act, eradicated old age. They created a system which allowed people to age and then become frozen in time until technology caught up. 

The Stasis Ceremonies took place three times a year. When Ruby was a child, they were mandatory but now, only the immediate families of those undergoing stasis joined. The last mandatory ceremony was when Ruby was twelve-years old and the memory was still a blur, but a few of the Elders started rioting, trying to escape. After that, they limited the size of the ceremonies and created the National Stasis Week.

National Stasis Week began on July 1st. Families and friends were able to visit the Platforms of their loved ones, introduce their kids to grandparents frozen in time and celebrate the government’s ingenuity of stopping old age and death. There was always a commemorative ceremony on July 4th to mark the founding of the ‘old country’ - the United States of America. This day would include an interactive tour, telling the rise and fall of the United States of America and how the United, with its advanced ideas, had saved it and the planet from total collapse. The week ended with a parade, a celebration that truly knew no limits to happiness and fun. There were elephants and lions, fireworks and acrobats. Candy, which was carefully monitored by the government, shot freely from cannons. Highly-controlled products like sugar, coffee and salt were handed out to adults. The parade and the week ended in the ultimate high, as the citizens of the United who would be entering into stasis that year - drove by on floats. Children would run after the floats, throwing glitter and confetti. These citizens would be announced as Elders - receiving a special necklace that was to be worn until their Stasis Ceremony.

After finishing the sudoku puzzle, Ruby drained the last sip of coffee and stood up. She had a number of items to get done today, but first of all, she was meeting her daughter at the park for their daily walk. Her daughter, Helena was seven months pregnant. It was her first pregnancy and with every new sensation, Helena would call her mother, ecstatic. Helena was an optimistic, trusting child - much like her father, Ray. Her smile would fill the room and her laugh was contagious. She had never understood her mother’s more subdued, cautious side but since Ray went into stasis, they had grown closer. 

Ruby had petitioned for her Stasis Ceremony to be postponed to April 1st so that she could be with Helena when she gave birth. The April 1st ceremony, however, was reserved for the most elite in the population - the politicians, diplomats, scientists and teachers, a coveted position. Ruby had hoped that Ray’s legacy as a scientist would help get her petition through, but it didn’t. 

“Don’t worry mom,” Helena had told her after Ruby received the rejection to her petition. “You’ll meet the baby in R2. Although she won’t be a baby anymore.” R2 was short for Round Two or rather, ‘post-stasis’ life. She would be going into stasis exactly 55 days before Helena’s due date.  

9 Days

Helena looked tired and her breathing was labored, but overall she was doing great. They walked around the lake.  

“How are you doing mom?” Helena cautiously asked, looking more worried than usual. “I mean, how are you really? I never really thought about stasis before, but with you entering in a few days and this baby, it’s just gotten me thinking.”

“I’m doing okay,” Ruby sighed. For the last three months, Ruby had a pit in her stomach. How do you say goodbye when you will reconnect again, but you don’t know how or when? Was it a bittersweet goodbye or a celebratory goodbye - celebrating the United’s scientific triumph over death? “I’m just worried about how it will feel but I know it will be quick. Plus before I know it, I’ll be able to see you and meet the little one in R2.” Ruby smiled reassuringly. She didn’t want to tell Helena about the last years of Ray’s work, his increasing suspicions, his discoveries. They had decided together not to tell Helena. At one point Ray had wanted to uncover the truth but he realized it was impossible. They preferred Helena to live a comfortable, happy albeit ignorant life.

They stopped at the bench where Ray and Ruby used to spend their Saturday afternoons with Helena when she was young. Helena used to chase ducks or find ant trails and put obstacles in their way, observing how the ants would change their paths. Ray always proudly remarked how one day, Helena would be a scientist. 

“What do you want for your Last Meal?” Helena asked, changing the topic. She was a chef and already had many meals in mind. Despite the rations and the limited quantity of food, the United, faithful to its people, provided whatever they could to the people for their Last Meal. Family and friends would gather, it was a festive ordeal. They would give speeches about the Elder, celebrating their life and accomplishments. Historically people used to eulogize someone after they had died - which defeated the purpose. What point did it serve to celebrate one’s life after death? 

“How about Mac & Cheese with brussel sprouts and chocolate cake?” Ruby suggested, having thought about this answer for longer than she cared to admit. “My mother used to make this every National Week.”

7 Days

Ruby pulled up to the parking lot of the community center. For the past year, every Wednesday at 12:00 pm, she came for the mandatory “Pre-Stasis” Group. The group had been a surprising highlight for Ruby, who was shy and often preferred to be on her own. There were fifteen other Elders in her group and she even became close with two of them. They would usually stay after their sessions, hovering around the refreshment table and talking. The sessions were run by a sweet, young social worker, Sarah. The meetings consisted of two parts. The first part was bureaucratic, Sarah assisted the Elders in filling out certain forms to close their bank accounts or sell their cars. Often, she would update them on the latest medical advancements and of course, help them understand their Time Capsules.

For many years, people would store all their belongings and save them for R2. Eventually there was not enough usable storage space and more importantly, many items did not make it through the test of time. The United, therefore instituted a policy in which each Elder received a standard cylinder time capsule. There were restrictions of what was allowed in the capsules - letters, pictures, small tokens were encouraged. Sometimes people would put their favorite food in, claiming that it would be the first thing they would want after being frozen for decades or centuries. Ruby had also heard stories of people filling their capsules with survival tools or gold and diamonds. Certain materials, such as metal, could interfere with the Platform and the pressurized temperature. They would be receiving their Time Capsules back today, after they had gone through inspection.

“How’s everyone feeling?” Sarah asked, excited. They were the first group that she had led and she was enthralled to be part of the journey. She often joked that she would meet them in R2 and they would not recognize her - given that she had 35 years to go until her stasis. 

“I just want to get it over with already,” Albert remarked. “It’s too much preparation. I also can’t stand that everyone keeps stopping me in the street.” Albert, a retired technician, would find anything to complain about. 

“I, for one, am enjoying the fanfare. I feel like the Minister. ” Lisa chimed in, “Everyone is opening doors for me. Asking to take a picture with me. As for the stasis itself, I don’t really care. In what will feel like eight days from now, we will be back here again.” A few nodded in agreement. The United had been doing stasis for over two hundred years now. They, of course, had to take people out of stasis from time to time to test the latest medical advancement and see how long people could be in stasis without deterioration to their health. Most of the science for this had already been sorted out over 100 years ago. Today, they took people out of stasis for experiments but Ruby nor her group mates had to worry about being one of these people. They only took the Voyagers out of stasis before their due time. Voyagers were born into their position - their families had resisted the United and remained loyal to the United States. These families - for all eternity - were condemned to serve the United, whether through laborious jobs or as scientific guinea pigs. Of course, Voyagers were not a concern of Ruby. They lived in their own area and she had only seen a handful of them in her whole life.  

At the end of the meeting, Sarah surprised them with a sheet cake and they took a group picture with their certificates. Ruby was sad for it to end. She hugged her two new friends, Bessy and Frida, goodbye and they promised to meet up again in R2. Ruby sincerely hoped they would. 

3 Days

Helena busily ran around the room, one hand absent-mindedly touching her growing stomach. She was hanging up streamers and directing the placements of tables and chairs. Ruby was once again impressed by Helena’s calm demeanor while managing multiple things at once. The guests would be coming in about an hour - and as Helena promised - it would be a small event with only twenty people. 

Ray’s Last Meal had been an extravagant affair, with scientists from multiple fields coming to give their respects as well as some mid-level politicians. It had been a three-course meal with wine. The entire time, Ray held onto Ruby’s hand. Not for his own sake but for her sake. She had been terrified. They had been high school sweethearts, together since she was fifteen years old and he was seventeen years old. Even though Ruby knew she would be joining him in two years, she couldn’t bear the thought of being without him. She also knew, despite his attempts to mask it, that his work concerned him. HIs moral compass, his sense of right and wrong had always been strong and something was off.

The guests started arriving and Ruby welcomed them one-by-one. Her younger brother came with his wife as well as a few nieces and nephews. Helena’s husband, Mitch rushed in as they were just sitting down, apologizing for his tardiness. Helena served Ruby’s childhood dish to everyone. The evening was quiet and meaningful. Her brother as well as one of her nieces gave speeches and Helena paid tribute to her mother with a hilarious photo and video compilation. The evening was over by nine and Ruby helped clean up. She spoke with Helena and Mitch for a while over a cup of tea and then said goodbye. She could tell that Helena was exhausted but did not want to kick her out.

That night before bed, Ruby took the first in a series of pills that she was instructed to take over the next two days. She was no longer allowed to eat solid food and had to drink at least two gallons of water every day. The regiment, they assured, allowed the body to stay in ideal condition during stasis. 

Stasis Day

Ruby hardly slept that night, anticipating the day. She remembered her own mother had barely slept the week before her stasis. Ruby tried to look for something to pass the time, but there was nothing left to do. Her apartment was packed up. She had two duffel bags of belongings that she would be giving to Helena and the rest would be given to the United and distributed to those in need. The couple moving into her apartment had two young kids. They had come two weeks earlier to check the place out. 

The phone rang and Helena told her that Mitch was coming up to help her with the bags. They arrived early to the ceremony and Ruby, clutching her Time Capsule walked slowly in with Helena as Mitch parked the car. There were banners and balloons. A wind ensemble was on the left side of the stage and there were several seats on the right side. The symbol of the United hung behind the podium. The crowd started filling up with Elders and their families. There was a mix of excitement and sadness, anticipation and triumph. The speeches began and Ruby, by this point, was feeling tired and weak and didn't pay much attention to the ceremony. Before she knew it, it was time to say goodbye. She first turned to Mitch and made him promise to take good care of Helena. He did and gave her a big hug. Then she turned to Helena and they both bursted into tears. For Ruby, she would be seeing Helena in what would feel like a long sleep but Helena would not be seeing her for years. Finally they hugged goodbye as ushers went through the crowd, separating the Elders from their families. 

Ruby fell in line with the other Elders, some were chatting but most were silent. The moment had finally come. They were gathered in a large entrance hall and their names, in lists of ten, appeared on screens leadings off to different corridors. Security officers would be leading them to their platforms. Of course, they had all been to their families' platform room numerous times before during National Stasis Week. The elevator descended miles underground. No one knew the exact amount but it was estimated that it was at least 500 miles from the surface. At the elevator, a young, male doctor and an older female one were waiting for her. The young doctor, excited, made small talk with her as they made their way down the hallway to the Anderson Platform Room. He could tell she was nervous and tried to calm her nerves, “Don’t worry, in what will feel like ten minutes, you’ll be waking up with the rest of your family. It's truly incredible.” 

She had been there to the room many times before during National Stasis Week but never by herself. The young doctor gave her some last minute directions and then opened the door for her. She walked in and heard the door quietly shut behind her. She walked past her great-grandparents, grandparents, parents in their platforms. They seemed at peace. She reached Ray’s platform. His eyes were closed and he looked as though he was sleeping. She saw the faint outline of the scar above his eyebrow, the rough edges around his nails and the beginning of a smile, ready to burst into laughter. She closed her eyes and wilfully transmitted a message, “I’ll see you soon, Ray.” 

She placed the Time Capsule in its locker and slid the note that she had taped underneath it into her pocket. With one final look around the room, she stepped onto the platform and felt the machine securing her feet in place. She could see Ray through the glass of her Platform and could almost hear his voice, telling her it would all be okay. 

“Mrs. Anderson, please take ten deep breaths. You will start feeling a strong wind soon.”

She closed her eyes. Not knowing what would be next - whether she would wake up with eternal life or whether this would be it. Either way, she thought, she would be back with Ray. As long as they were together, she was okay.  The wind made it hard to breath and the cold started seeping to her feet. 

She took one last breath.