IN THE YEAR 2050

By Keith Rawsthorne

“Mum, I wish I had been born in the twentieth century, instead of now halfway through the twenty first century.”

“Why dear, we have a lovely home here, and you have a very comfortable life.”

“Comfortable, huh!! Perched up here miles above the earth in this tin and glass box, only allowed to go out on my rostered day to feel the real world, meet some friends, and just hang out for a while.”

“My daughter, you know that’s not necessary, you have all the communication you can possibly use, and a lovely group of cyber friends, and it's safe here. It was a good idea for the Authority to get everyone off the streets – no people, no crime, you know.

“After all, your father has his licence to go to his office each week, I can go shopping every third day, and you have your social outing and sports exercise time each weekend.”

“Yes Mum, but you don’t get much of a feel for people if you can’t feel them, and smell the perfume, and see into their eyes. I like to feel the texture of their clothes, and all that, like they did in the old days.” 

“Oh, you are a model of dissatisfaction, aren’t you. Why not go play with your new reality video game that the Child Development and Intelligence Officer delivered yesterday? I’m sure it’s a great game, designed by the best psychologists to keep your mind busy, and develop your intelligence, and stop you being bored.” 

“But Mum, I’d rather play with a brother or a sister if I only had one. I’ve seen old movies of kids having a beaut time playing rough and tumble games. That would be great fun. Why don’t I have a brother or a sister, anyway?” 

“You know very well that families had to be limited to one child for the next century; the world population was getting right out of control, and just had to be limited. What would twelve billion people eat, and where would they all live?” 

“Are there too many people, I hardly ever see anyone?” 

“When you are older you’ll go to the Community School instead of doing all your study at home on the Link of Learning, and there’ll be thousands of students just like yourself, all wanting to meet and make new friends as well as doing their study – you’ll have a ball.” 

“What’s a ball?” 

“Oh, aaah, that’s when all the people get dressed up in their best evening clothes, and dance to live music, and have a great feast. That’s where I met your father.” 

“Live music, you mean real music played by real people right there, and you can dance to it? Wow, that would be cool.” 

“You’ll have your opportunities when you’re old enough, and maybe you will meet a nice boy who could become you life partner, and you can have a child together if you want to. You will have to get permission, of course, from the Office of Family Control.” 

“Mum, did you only want one child? and what if I’d been a boy, -- I think it would be great to be a boy.”

“Dear, you are a girl because the Authority said that is what was required to maintain the gender balance in our community. Your father took a course of medication to make sure you were a girl. That’s how we control the population and keep the right number of boys and girls in our community.” Too many of either sex would unbalance the workforce and distort our economy, causing people with no purpose in life, who would be very dissatisfied and rebellious. That’s what caused the big revolution that brought the Authority into being. We have to be in control.” 

“Doesn’t sound natural to me; I want a sister and a brother to play with. That would be much better than all this cyber stuff, and the dead boring home gymnasium where I must work out every day to stop my body going floppy. I’d like to feel the real wind on my face, and blowing in my hair, and some real sunshine instead of this silly artificial tan from the lamp.” 

“Please don’t complain, you are very privileged; warm, dry, well fed, and all the entertainment you can enjoy, so where’s the problem?” 

“Well, if I can’t have a brother or a sister, why cant I have a Granny or a Grandad, like they used to have?” 

“We don’t have old people now; the population was unbalanced, especially after the revolution when so many young ones were killed. We just couldn’t afford to care for all the old, unproductive people if we were to create the good society you now enjoy, so when people have finished their meaningful life they have regular health checks, and when they go into decline they are let go.” 

“Let go, do you mean we kill them? Was my Grandma killed?” 

“No, no, dear child, we don’t kill people, but when their quality of life goes into decline, their medication is just stopped and they pass away naturally, just like in the  nature you want to experience. You’re very lucky.” 

Childish tantrum! “I hate this life – no one to play with, no Granny to cuddle, no choice of anything – I hate it. I want to go back to the old ways!” 

Mother, now sobbing uncontrollably, “Yes my dear baby, so do I.”