2119

"Everything smells so delicious," Mindy said as she helped her mother get their table ready for supper. "Tell me again what was the world like when you were my age?"

Mindy's mother gave a small laugh, setting a rather large roast on the dinner table.

"It was a much, much different time, Min," she said. "Back then, people were dying of all kinds of disease and there were wars and pollution and racism and sexism." Mindy cringed at the thought.

“And people killed animals for meat??” she asked incredulously.

"Yes, can you believe it? Things looked extremely dire back then. Most everyone I knew had given up hope."

“But then came Darius!” exclaimed Ash, Mindy’s younger brother.

“Yes, that’s right,” replied their mother. “Darius M. He was the scientist who came up with the exact formula that would set not just our country, but the whole world on a new, better track.”

“And tomorrow is the 100th anniversary of his discovery?” said Mindy as they all sat down to eat.

Mindy’s mom nodded, reaching forward to slice the roast with a knife. “Yes it is. We are now able to use the sun to power everything that used to run on gas and coal and electricity. Take this knife for instance. We use lasers for common everyday tasks now to precisely cut meat and bread and cheese and you never run the risk of slicing your finger or anything. When I was a child people were constantly running to hospitals to get stitches from all sorts of inflicted injuries.”

“What’s a ‘hospital?’” Ash asked with a mouth full of food.

Mindy laughed and said, “Haven’t you learned about hospitals in school yet, Ash?” He shook his head while continuing to chew.

“Hospitals are where people would go if they were sick or hurt,” explained their mother.

“I know it is hard to imagine, but there was a time when the earth was not safe and human life was fragile. A child your age could become deathly ill or die in a car accident or starve from not having access to any food. We are so lucky that none of these things happen anymore. And we have Darius M. mostly to thank for that.”

“It’s sad to think he will be gone in fifty years,” said Mindy after a bit of silence.

“Where will he go?” asked Ash.

Mindy’s mother tried her best to explain this as gently as she could to a seven-year-old. “Do you remember when Grandma turned 150?” He nodded. “And we had that party for her and she danced with you and then you saw her get that injection that made her go to sleep?” He nodded some more. “Since the amazing advancements in medicine and technology were making it so that people lived longer and longer, the world was becoming too crowded.”

“So, a world vote was taken,” Mindy took over explaining, “and people decided that at the age of 150 every man and woman of that age would be laid to rest with a humane injection that would put them to sleep peacefully and with dignity.”

“So, Darius will be dead in fifty years?” Ash asked looking a bit worried.

“Yes, but that isn’t anything you have to worry about for a very, very long time,” said their mother. “Although it is still possible for people to die before that age, it is very, very rare, Ash. So, you and your sister don’t have anything to worry about. There is a peace that comes with knowing exactly when your time here on earth will be up...and a lot of wonderful things can happen in 150 years.”

#scifi #sciencefiction #future #futuristic #family