6 comments

Science Fiction Drama

Lost. I’m lost, melted into the vast majority of people. I've become unnoticed, uncared for. Lost, lost, lost. Lost and having nowhere to go.

"No one cares about my life, about how much I’ve tried to help, to improve this world. Everything I've done, and I become lost. Forgotten. Makes me wonder why I even tried? Why did I put all my efforts, everything I had, everything I owned into helping and improving this world? When it becomes lost, lost, lost. My entire life, I’ve strived to help and improve the life people have here. Not just me, but many. Many more who, like me, strive to drag people away from their Bots and to the world that is getting destroyed every day. Many more who aim to change this world for the better.

And the future. The future is a mistake. A mistake that shouldn’t have been made. A mistake that CANNOT come to pass. Does everything I’ve worked for have to disappear into nothing? Why, why, why?

The Bots. They were perhaps the root of all our problems. Or perhaps it was the people that created robots and Artificial Intelligence. Or maybe both, most likely both. Men, humans. We have created such advanced technology hoping to make lives easier. But that’s not what it does. It makes life worse. It attaches people to their Bot, and it attracts the poor so much they’d do anything to get their hands on one. Once I heard that they call this thievery. After doing a bit of research on old search engines like 'Gaggle', (I think) I found out that hardly anyone stole or ‘theifed’ after someone named Pates (Once again, not sure) gifted 1 billion people with iPhones ranging from 5 to 10. That was back in 2032. They found no need to, they had everything they dreamed of. But now, now, people will go to the most extreme of lengths to get even a Model one Bot, the kind produced ten years ago in 2084. I’ve tried to help the rich be dragged away from the screens of their Bots. And to help the poor be satisfied with their life and what they have.

But the future. The future, like I said earlier, is a mistake that should never come to pass. We should change our fates. I truly believe we can do so. We shouldn’t allow ourselves to become clones of reality. To be slaves to Bots and AI. And it’s all artificial. All fake. we created them, but as it seems, it was to no avail. All this that we pretend is real, isn't. And in the future, the robots could start taking over the world and our children wouldn’t notice. Although the quality of our care as mothers and fathers has reduced, we still care. We still want the best for them. So do you want your precious jewels to have their life ruined in such a way? Do you want your grandchildren and their children to suffer because of the mistakes of their forefathers? Do you want them to be in control of their fate or the robots? We need to help them. We need to stop using Bots as if our lives depended on it. Because it doesn’t. People used to do things themselves. They would sing their songs, act in movies themselves, write books themselves? And the food was authentic! Not these dumb holograms we all pretend are real. People used to step out of their pods, though at the time people called them houses or homes. People used to work, heal the sick, teach the young and sell goods. What’s stopping this generation and the last from stepping up and taking action? Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

I've told you about the future earlier in this speech, but you would have no reason to trust me. Here's the truth. I have visited the future. 2156. There, everyone is a slave. Everyone is unhappy, unsatisfied. But here's the thing. They hardly know that. They are slaves to technology. They pursue it like lions pursue their prey. It's a world of zombies. If that happens, my entire life would have been a waste. No one remembers each other, much less the dead and the departed. Selfish zombies, they are. They're not dead, but their actions, habits and mannerisms suggest otherwise. It suggests something worse. They hardly know how to talk or walk or do anything. The earth they live in shouldn’t be considered earth. Its a mess. The entire world is a trash bin. The people are no less than the garbage that surrounds them. Worse, they don't even realize it. They don't realize that the world is excessively worming because everyone can have controlled body temperature. They wouldn't notice if someone dropped down dead right in front of them. It's a mistake. And because of this mistake, everyone becomes lost, lost, lost.

So please. Please. Please. Please. I beg of you."

Dropping down on my knees, I cringe when the impact is almost too much for me. "Encourage the world that Bots aren't the only things in life. Show and prove to the world that the earth's becoming worse day after day after day. Open their eyes that they may see how nature, which was once a beauty, a marvel is getting destroyed. And never stop. We can change the future, make it better like it was almost a hundred years ago. Let our work be noticed, not the other way around. Let us be remembered. Then, and only then can we truly change the world. Thank you."

After saying those final two words, I look out at the audience of about 5000 people. And what do I hear?

Nothing.

Murmurs.

Whispers.

Scattered applause from about seventy people.

The scepticism in the air is so thick it nearly suffocates me. I'm glad that someone liked it. Then it wasn't a waste. Until...

At least 4000 people are clapping, about 1000 of them standing. I bow to the audience and quickly scurry offstage, gushing.


September 05, 2020 02:00

You must sign up or log in to submit a comment.

6 comments

18:25 Sep 28, 2020

Thank you for sharing this story. It reads like a prose piece which makes it fun and simple.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Afsar Shariff
12:50 Sep 07, 2020

Written in a very perfect manner. Simple words with deep meanings. Good 🍫

Reply

Tella Cartley
03:47 Sep 08, 2020

😁😁

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Jill Davies
22:53 Sep 09, 2020

This was a fun story. I like the picture of the future world that you painted— almost like the world we live in, one projected possibility. It’s nice that you give it once piece at a time, so it keeps the reader engaged in the picture. That’s a job well done. As a critique, I think the story could have used just a tad less repetition. I understand what you were going for but for me it was too much. Also, I liked the part of the story where the speech was lost on his audience. It was so grim and science-fiction dystopia that way. For m...

Reply

Tella Cartley
02:31 Sep 10, 2020

Thanks for the feedback, Jill. What you're saying does make sense so I'll try to keep that in mind next time

Reply

Jill Davies
03:31 Sep 10, 2020

Remember, writing is subjective, so just because I like the idea of a doomed world as the big moment in a story doesn’t mean it’s the only way to go. I just want to provide constructive things to think about as you continue your creative work.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

Bring your short stories to life

Fuse character, story, and conflict with tools in the Reedsy Book Editor. 100% free.