Category Archives: Short Story

Jack had just left Claire’s apartment and walked to the subway to take the last train home.  The rainstorm earlier in the evening had left it a cool dark October night and the cool breeze felt great.

The opening of her exhibition at Valentin’s gallery had been more successful than either of them could imagine.  They had a magical evening as they mixed with friends, art critics, fellow artists, and potential patrons.

Everyone agreed that Claire was the up and coming artist of the year for all the east coast and possibly in all of North America.  Views that vindicated his faith in her.  A faith that had led him to ceaselessly support and buoy her spirits in those moments of self doubt that she had over the years.

From the moment he met her he could see the inner light in her.  That special gift that expressed itself from her hands onto the blank canvas with such easy grace.  Jack himself had no such talents.  He was a mere accountant at a local company.  But he knew talent when he saw it.  He knew a gift when it expressed itself before his eyes.  He knew Claire was special and he also knew he loved her.

He didn’t want her to think he was just supporting her talent for an ulterior motive so he kept it to himself.  But now, now he would tell her.  Now that she had made it he couldn’t keep this to himself any longer.  He felt like running back and doing it now but he would be patient and tell her the next day.

He took the stairs down to the subway and waited at the platform.  It was a typical Sunday night.  No one there but an old man in a dingy raincoat that had seen better days and dirt brown pants finished with black shoes.  He nodded to the old man and the old man looked back.

A stringy old fellow with a weather scarred face.  Brown and wrinkled skin.  A shock of unruly white hair with piercing blue eyes.  Jack felt uneasy being next to the old man.  As if he would suddenly turn and pounce.  The minutes seemed to stretch on and on and nothing came down the subway.

The anxious feeling continued.  Jack seemed short of breath and had a tightness in his chest.  He decided to go up top and hail a cab.

“It won’t work, they won’t see you” The old man finally spoke

“what?”

“The cabs.  They won’t see you.  You’re dead you see.  Happened a few minutes ago in a back alley.  A mugging I’m afraid.  Blotted out the memory for you.  Makes it easier I find.”

Jack just looked at him like he was nuts.  He took off up the stairs and found the old man waiting on the surface for him.

“Go look if you want.  Most of them do”

Jack noticed several police cruisers and a small crowd clustered round a nearby alley.  He didn’t need to look to know what he would find.  The unfairness of it all struck him.  Why of all times now?  Regrets, remorse

“Why?” Jack finally asked

The old man suddenly looked surprised as if he hadn’t expected this bit

“Well, it was simply your time my lad”
“What the hell does that mean?  My time?  who the hell determines that?!”

They both sat down on the curb and watched the hearse arrive and the reporters take notes and pictures.

“Believe it or not lad you did what you came to do in life and now it’s time to go”

“what?  you mean Claire?  But anyone could have done that.  It’s not rocket science”

“oh but it is.”  The old man got up and started walking.  Jack followed along.

“You see the thing is….. everyone in life has this specific role that they have to play.  it’s like some giant complicated equation.  Only one variable will plug-in right.  Otherwise the whole equation gets thrown out of kilter.  You were that one thing that Claire needed to push her to a new level”

“So why can’t I stay then?”

“too much of a good thing?  Maybe if you had stayed you would have affected her art, maybe she wouldn’t be as great.  Don’t know.  I don’t make the rules.  Don’t even enforce ’em.  I’m just here to guide you to your next stop.”

“But it doesn’t make sense.  One entire life just to inspire one person for a brief moment?  Seems like a waste to me.”

“you’re lucky actually.  Sometimes it’s millions of people dying in a war before a world leader changes his mind and decides to intervene in a war.  How do you think those folks feel?  I once knew a fellow that gave a pregnant mother a dirty look.  That’s all he had to do.  forty-eight years alive just for that.  Who can figure it out?”

“will she be ok?”

“Her?  oh hell yes!  Told you she’s going to be a great artist.  Be sad for a while of course but then she meets the love of her life….or something like that.”

“What?!?!  who?!?”

“Never mind that now lad.  Nothing to be done about it and we’ve places to go.”

“speaking of which, you know where I’m going?  Say by the way what’s your name?”

“Virgil.  Don’t rightly know that either.  I’m just here to drop you off at your particular exit”.

 [Author’s note] – This is a story shard that has bounced round my head for a while and has demanded to be released.  It is a take off on Brave new world and explores and expands on the idea of a world state.  I may expand this idea further in future posts.

The state determined all aspects of life and the people accepted it as they were rational. and to be against the state was irrational.  Those few irrational souls that could not accept the state’s wisdom would be banished to the inhospitable zones of the world.

One of the first things that the rational revolution had done was to centralize the world’s populations into easily controlled and managed urban centers.  This notion that one could settle anywhere they pleased was thoroughly quashed.  Those living in deserts, jungles, arctic, or remote areas were forcibly removed and relocated for their good and that of the world state.  Mechanization had reduced the Farm workforce by 90% and most of those were also relocated to the cities.  With people all centralized in urban areas the state could more easily watch and direct them.  Travel between the Megacities was strictly regulated and limited to official state business.

Everything was state business.  Private entrepreneurship was no longer tolerated as it was considered a speculative and anti-state activity.  Sure entrepreneurs could succeed wildly but they could also fail miserably and this would place burdens on the state.  Brand names and private businesses no longer existed.  Advertising and marketing no longer mattered.  Everything, even the people were state property.  So how could there be competition against the state?

When you were born you were assigned your net name and I.D.  Your life depended on that I.D.  Your food ration was tied to it, your online presence was defined by it and your job would be assigned to it once you reached a useful working age.

The rationalists had long determined that overpopulation would be their biggest and most uncontrolled problem.  Oversized populations unable to feed themselves could turn ugly and easily get out of hand.

The only rational solution was mass sterilization at birth.  The initial riots in the early history of the rational state were of course unfortunate but through vigorous re-education most of the population eventually accepted this course of action.  In time it became an accepted practice.

The problem of making more humans was solved by the invention of artificial invitro chambers.  The state could now control the type of person being made for the good of the state.  An individual was now spared the anxiety of worrying about their future career and interests.  These were now predetermined and assigned before you were born.  The neo-serf was happy and content in his new life.  It had now been over 400 years since the last ‘wild’ human had been born and the state now enjoyed the benefits of a predictable population curve.  The population had finally settled on a sustainable 1 billion persons.

Part of that predictability was the need of keeping the food supply available and universal.  The consumption of flesh and by products from those animals had long since ended.  Cows and chickens had in fact become extinct.

All foods was now plant-based or chemically produced.  The diet consisted now of a porridge made primarily from wheat (people with wheat allergies no longer existed).  To this porridge were added various minerals and vitamins necessary to keep up good health.  In parts of the world with different climates a similar porridge was made from rice.  All porridge was chemically altered to taste the same so there would be no jealousy or desire for something different.  The only drink available was water.  Things like coffee or tea were eradicated along with mood altering chemicals as being against the common good of the state.

Clothing was also regulated.  The basic uniform was a plain taupe colored pair of pants and shirt made from plant and artificial fiber.  Different colors were seen as an unnecessary and dangerous luxury that might overexcite a person.  Some differences were allowed for people who lived in cooler or warmer climates but the same idea was applied.

Entertainment is provided by educational texts and videos.  Things like plays, songs, movies, or stories all had been destroyed in the great reorganization of civilization when the rational regime had first been set up.  At first a thriving black market had existed in bootleg entertainment videos and texts but through vigorous effort it had been eventually rooted out.  The generations to come never knew these corrosive influences and never had a yearning for any of it.

Despite all the care taken some uncategorized individuals do still seem to make it past the genetic scanners and social screeners.  These individuals are banished into special quarantine zones in the less hospitable parts of the world.  As they are born sterile they will not reproduce in the wild and are left to fend for themselves.  Most die off in the first six months of exile.