The Future...
Wednesday, August 11, 2004 ; 8:30 AM
Hey thought I'd like to share a story I wrote about my version of the future, I'd like to think it might be factual next time but for the meantime it's fiction...
Please do send your comments, e-mail me,okay? . Anyway read on...
It is the year 3000 A.D, over the past centuries Man’s destruction and pollution has taken its toll. Mother Nature has retaliated by causing massive global climatic changes. The Earth, which once held precious mineral ores, bountiful in flora and fauna, is now barren and scarred. Who ever thought that one-day man would be force to seek refuge in the deepest oceans of the world.
“Welcome aboard the speed cruiser. My name is Jasmine and I will be your driver.” A melodious voice said. A holographic image of a pretty, Asian girl materialized in front of me. “Thank you Jasmine, but I won’t need your help today.” I replied. I had a long day today and I decided to cruise the ocean waters to unwind. I studied the vast emptiness of the aquamarine ocean, an assortment of fish occasionally darting past. I spotted some corals and admired the pink, orange and yellow hues, which swayed merrily with the current. At least, part of nature was still intact. A few metres ahead of me was a deep crevasse, I stopped the speed cruiser and took a sharp breath. Recently, there were frequent reports of people disappearing in these parts of the ocean. I had better not venture off too far. I suspect that it is one of Professor Colfer’s mutated experiments, which he has decided to abandon. It could be lurking out there in that deep crevasse…
“Honey, are you coming home for lunch?” a voice interrupted my thoughts and my wife’s face appeared on the plasma screen. “Yes in a moment dear.” I answered. Slowly, I turned my cruiser around. Again, the majestic beauty of the enormous dome-like structure—Atlanta City never failed to capture my interest. The amazing pink-glowing structure was able to sustain human life, high pressure and strong currents. As the cruiser neared Atlanta City, I pressed a button and a side door slid open, I maneuvered the speed cruiser into the compartment. The door closed again and I hopped out of the speed cruiser on to the platform. Lunch at home was something of a luxury that I looked forward to for even though the meat was made of synthetic flour, it sure tasted better than popping the usual dosage of multi-vitamin capsules. Sometimes, when I watch my grandfather’s archive of cooking demonstrations, I wonder how real meat like mutton, beef and chicken really tasted like.
I entered the super-speed lift up to the 32nd floor of my apartment. I stepped out, pressed my thumb on the sensor pad and sang my favourite rendition of Counting Crows’ “Accidentally In Love” into the speaker. Automatically, the door slid open and I stepped into the cleansing chamber, whereby high-powered winds blew all forms of particles and microbes of me. My wife smoothed my ruffled hair the moment I stepped out and I gave her a peck on the cheek. Even at the age of forty, she miraculously still retained the good looks of a twenty-year-old. The wonders a youth preservation pill has on a person. The mouth-watering aroma of the rendang beckoned me to the dining room. She really was a fantastic cook. I paused to stroke Pansy, my genetically crossbred rabbit and Chihuahua. She was a gift from my wife on my last birthday. I poured liquid nutrient solution into Pansy’s feeding bottle. She licked me gratefully and begged me to play a game of memory cards with her. Her soulful brown eyes never failed to melt my heart and soon she was displaying her intelligence by winning most of the matches. During lunch, I slipped Pansy a piece of “meat” under the table.
Lunch was a simple affair and soon after, I lay down on the couch to watch some news. Nothing interesting happened so I called for penny my portable, computer-cum-video conferencing robot to give me an update of all messages and e-mails. There was a message from Mother to go virtual skiing with her this weekend, a reminder that my wife’s birthday was tomorrow and the usual advertisements. I had already planned to bring her to dinner at this restaurant overlooking the ocean and give her a sapphire necklace, which was a family heirloom.
Suddenly, the emergency light started blinking rapidly, we turned on the news and found out that it was an emergency evacuation—the dome had cracked! Water was pouring into the city at an alarming rate. The water pumps could not cope with the rising water level. We had o get to the under-sea cavern soon. There was no time to salvage any belongings, I grabbed Pansy and together with my wife, took the super-speed lift down to the atrium and luckily managed to board the already crowded sky train. Everyone peered outside worriedly, it was disastrous, the water level had risen above the park and people were stranded on some places. The sky train reached the terminal and everybody scrambled off, in our haste, we lost Pansy in the throng of desperate people rushing to board the lift. This was the lift, which would take them down two kilometers beneath the seabed to the under-sea cavern. We could hear the rushing of waves, the screams and taste the salt on our lips. We did not belong here in the ocean. There was no time to waste, we called out to Pansy and searched the entire platform. There in the corner, we found her whimpering and slightly injured. I gathered Pansy in my arms and ran to the lift. Once, the door closed, I hugged my wife and Pansy and sighed at least they were safe. Then I remembered, mum and dad! I whipped out my communicator and called them. Thankfully, they were both safely underground.
The Atlanta City was no more, now we live underneath the ocean. At night, I can faintly hear the mighty roar of the ocean, perhaps in victory. I wonder, did my past ancestors ever predict that this was what our future would become?
(999 words)~Phoebe Goh
Dreaming of a new day ahead!;
Just making my way through the crowd