It's now, or this tomorrow

Life has changed tremendously after “the incident”. Don't I miss going out to a restaurant or ordering in. Or just some coffee and oatmeal! Abby thought as she picked up her colorful breakfast pills and put them on her silver plate. Plates weren't used anymore since there was no food one could put elegantly on a plate to serve to anyone. Nevertheless, Abby still used her last plate and sat down at a table, even for two minutes, because it structured her day and reminded her of better days. She looked at the pills with disgust and sighed. It has come to this. She touched the green pill, which contained all necessary vitamins. The brown pill was said to provide protein and carbohydrates, whereas the yellow one delivered the right amount and the perfect balance of Omega 3 and 6 and other fatty acids. The blue pill was the biggest and, Abby was sure, the entire pride of the scientists from “Nutrients are us”. It served as water source and left you well hydrated all day long.

“No need to stress about water amount or vitamin intake. 5 a day, keeps death away” was the slogan that blurted out of the loudspeaker and ran the screens all day; especially in the beginning, when people still demanded real food.

But the sheer lack thereof and later the first people starving to death made the population shut up and take the pills no questions asked. Five a day: pill number five was red. It was the “minerals” pill, providing iron, calcium, zinc and probably something else as well. The exact ingredients were, of course, a business secret. I'm sure these pills are their solution to overpopulation, Abby whispered angrily. She immediately bit her lip and looked around as if she had been caught doing something forbidden. Abby almost inhaled the pills; she was used to it by now and her sense of hunger diminshed immediately.

In Abby's "living capsule", there were three screens, the huge one serving as what was previously known as "window". It was now called "landow". On the touch screen she scrolled through today's possible landscapes. The real landscape was carefully hidden since it had been completely destroyed by the lack of rain and the tremedous earthquakes. But they aren't fooling me. Only the drivers and delivery people (they were at the low end of the social hierarchy) were the ones to ever see the real landscapes. Their faces and arms were exposed to the elements but they were asked to hide the visible consequences the best way they could. Abby looked at the usual animated options, like a beach, a forest, previously existing houses seemingly facing your own "living capsule" and a playground with animated children playing and laughing. This was usually too painful for Abby, so she chose the forest animation with falling leaves in several brownish and red colours. The smell of wet forest soil (thanks to the installed smell machine) and the sounds of birds singing soothed her immediately. Not the real deal but it works every time, Abby mumbled. She still missed the soft breeze of wind the computer animation suggested.

Even if there were vegetable lasagna or fried rice, Abby's childhood favourites, there wouldn't be anyone to serve them to. It had been more than six years since gatherings were forbidden. People had incited fights amongst them and too many men had been wounded or had died because of the tumults. “In fear of bodily exchange, we propose remote communication and entertainment”, was what the state's representative had announced in a joyous tone. Since every single “living capsule” had in-built loudspeakers, cameras, screens and smell-machines, this new safety rule was imposed as quickly as the female voice leaving the loudspeaker had been able to pronounce the words.

Her hunger for nutrients was gone but Abby felt another emptiness inside. She looked at her right hand touching her belly lightly. Instead of sucking in her tummy like she had done before all the time, she tried to make her belly as big as possible, imagining what it would feel like to be with child. Since overpopulation had already been a problem before "the incident”, only few families existed nowadays and then they were well-planned. When you wanted to procreate, you were meant to undergo a bodily and mental examination to make sure that only healthy, intelligent, strong, young people with promising genes paired. Abby knew the reason. Natural resources were too few which is why, if there was a newborn, it should be worth it. “Ba ba black sheep, have you any wool? No sir, no sir, limit the gene pool”, was what the new government used to playfully spread awareness of the almost gone resources. People smiled because the old nursery rhyme hid the impending loss of free will beautifully. No one knew exactly how (Abby suspected the pills), but the new government made sure that people became infertile until their application and examination were done and their genetic usefulness was confirmed. Then they put on their overall body heat-protector in order for them not to be melted by the damaging sun or experience the heartbeat-slowing cold depending on the "season". A driver picked them up and brought them in an all-black window car to the “Centre of future”, short COF, to donate eggs or sperm. One of the rare occasions to leave your home.

Since the whole impregnation process was surveilled and scientifically improved, there was no need for something as unsure as sexual intercourse anymore. When the woman then was expecting, she was “invited”, there had never been any woman who did not end up there, to the MOF centre (“Mothers of future"). It was a place where all future mothers prepared for their impending births. Every once in a while, a new ad for parenthood was shown on the screens to motivate the remaining population to enrol. These advertisements showed groups of pregnant women sitting together, smiling and it portrayed men entering a room full of fantasies coming true. In a world with no more real human interactions, no wonder almost everyone aspired to become a parent to either have the illusion of real human sexual intercourse or to talk to another person face to face.

Abby had not heard anything on her application yet, so her morning went by as every morning did. After swallowing her breakfast pills and choosing the "window-screen" for today, she had to start working, which meant doing some kind of bureau assignment and pedal. Abby sat down on her desk-bike, rubbed her back and reminded herself to sit up straight. She would have much preferred to leave her home to see real people, go back to her former job, her former life. Now she was supposed to sit, pedal all day long to create energy for god knows what and "work".

There was no going back. This was her new life. It was everybody's new life and would be forever. How have we all ended up here? This is not how I want to live. I don't want this prison for my future child if I am ever found worthy enough. No, no. Please make it stop. Pleeeease.

Abby McDowey, politician and environmental activist was tossing around in her bed. Then she finally woke up, sweaty, still bearing the weight of the nightmare on her body.

"It's now or never", she exclaimed and decided to fight even harder.