Author: Fran Kelava, Klasična gimnazija, Zagreb
For A.
The 23rd of July, 2028. London. William Page’s study. 9 PM.
“Goddamnit.”
He sighed, put down the bottle and took off his glasses. In front of him, on the desk, stood a massive sheaf of papers, titled 2028 Industry and Tourism Expansion Act, Final Draft. In his state, even getting up from the chair was a monumental task – he completely lost track of time, yet again. The pendulum in the grandfather clock kept swinging, and time marched ever so slowly forward. If you asked him, it might as well have reached a standstill. He would have just stared into his desk, deep in thought, had the TV turning on not interrupted him. It always turned itself on just on time for news broadcasts. He turned around in his chair, and turned his eyes to the TV, watching as the dulcet voice of Eliza Cassan, beloved news-caster, rambled on and on about yet another celebrity death, patiently awaiting the segment that would discuss the Act.
“…on to our topic of the day, as we look to London, where William Page is undoubtedly busy laying down the finishing touches on the Industry and Tourism Expansion Act, as the United Nations’ General Assembly is set to convene over it in an attempt to judge whether this controversial resolution is ready to be implemented. Page and his fervent supporters claim the Act is the only way out of the economic crisis that has struck the world after the 2026 stock exchange crash. However, outspoken critics and experts are questioning Page’s ties with massive conglomerates such as the Bilderberg Group, whose CEO Morgan Everett has supported the Act ever since its inception. Page will deliver a speech to the General Assembly tomorrow, hoping to quell concerns that have arisen…”
Eliza’s voice was, however, muted to make way for his home AI.
“Sir, you have an incoming call from Mr. Everett on line 1. Will you answer?”
“Pick it up.”
Morgan’s raspy voice took over.
“I take it you were watching the news?”
“Yes, Morgan. I was.”
“Good… Good. I just want to go over the plan one last time before you leave for New York.”
“Morgan, we already spoke about this. My concerns and the concerns of others are not baseless. This plan is not the way out, and you know it. Are you really willing to sacrifice what little we’ve managed to keep in store for future generations to line your pockets with yet more money?”
“Now, of all times, your guilty conscience catches up to you? You rolled with the plan thus far, and I expect you to do the same tomorrow. You know what I promised you, William. Do you fear that I won’t deliver?”
“No, Morgan… I fear the benefits simply don’t outweigh the consequences. I know they don’t.”
“William, I beg you. We’ve come too far to stop now. Maybe it was a long and rocky road, but we reached the very end. And now, when we stand ready to reap the rewards, you would turn around and sacrifice it all?”
“I don’t know, Morgan. Part of me just doesn’t feel this is right.”
“For your own sake, Will, I hope you can keep this part of you under control. For your own sake…”
A soft knock on the door interrupted their discussion.
“We’ll talk a bit later. My daughter’s come to see me.”
“Very well. In half an hour?”
“Sure.”
“Let me know what decision you’ve reached.”
He hung up, and called out “Come in!”
His daughter, Lyra, entered the room. He regretted not being able to spend as much time with her as he used to deeply. And she wasn’t the only person he neglected for so long…
“How was school today? How did the Maths test go?” He’d always ask the same mundane questions, and get the same answers. Lyra was a smart child, after all – she didn’t exactly need to do much to get by easily in school. But she learned to rarely ask the important questions. Like where Mom was. Or when might she be able to spend some time with Dad, either. Both of these questions would never get answers.
This conversation was probably going to end up like any other, had Lyra not asked: “Dad, when can we visit Highland Park again?”
The question brought back memories of their family trips to the place. Of the freedom and happiness they found under the dapple shade of the redwood trees, in those rare moments that all three of them came together, in those rare moments that their regular lives seemed so very far away, as if they never even existed.
With the passing of the Act, large portions of Highland Park would be destroyed to make way for a massive cutting-edge biotech research facility, operated by one of Everett’s subsidiaries. He didn’t have the heart to tell Lyra that they would probably never visit the place again. That the memories would remain only that. Highland Park wasn’t the only place that would be irreversibly altered. Everywhere around the world, people would be stripped of places like Highland Park. Humans would be stripped of their refuges. Wildlife would be stripped of their homes. And for what?
It took him a long while to respond.
“I don’t know.”
Even as he went to tuck her in, knowing she feared the dark, he could feel her disappointment.
“I’ll make it up to you… someday.” That’s what his thoughts were. Not the first, and certainly not the last time he’d utter those words to himself.
On the way back to his study, he paused to enter the kitchen. His wife was digging through old papers, a recently opened wine bottle at her side. She lifted her gaze, and looked at him as if she was examining a rather fine sculpture rather than a human being. Before he could say anything, she interrupted him, with a slightly sarcastic undertone.
“Ready for your big day tomorrow?”
“No. I’m absolutely not.”
She offered him a glass of wine. With a sigh, he accepted, and hastily drank.
“The Act still worries you.”
“Yes… I can’t make this decision. I can’t do it. I can’t…”
“That’s true. You can’t. If you make the decision to go ahead with it, you’re going in with the expectation that mankind will rebuild. That they will know what to do when the time is right…”
“And I don’t believe they will be able to when people like Everett stifle their cries.”
“I’m curious. What finally made you see sense? Did Lyra finally find a way to melt that icicle you call your heart? Do you feel guilty, now of all times?
“Yes. I do. And you know I’m sorry for what I’ve done, for how long I’ve been-“
“Sometimes, sorry isn’t enough. Sometimes, it’s too late.”
To this, he had no reply. She continued…
“I didn’t expect you to do it for me. You know we’ve lived through worse, and survived. But at least I figured you’d do it for Lyra. So she wouldn’t have to live through the same horrors we have. And now you’re bringing them all back, and you’re going to let her, and many others that are yet to come, deal with the mess. And for what? Don’t silence your guilty conscience. You’ll live to regret it.”
Yet again, he was silent.
“Do you remember what happened with the Progress Act of 2019?”
The Progress Act was fundamentally the same as his own Act. Industrial expansion at a significant cost. It was hastily passed, shrouded in mystery from the public, and the world ignited. Riots. People standing in the way of construction machines, barring them entry. Sabotaging projects. The world forced the U.N. to hastily scrap the act. When they were put to the test, they fought back, tooth and nail.
“I do.”
He returned to his study in time for Everett’s call-back. He accepted the call, and immediately spoke:
“Morgan? This has to end.”
Nothing but silence came from the other end of the line.
“William… We could have done so much. We could have ruled the world, in time.”
“I know-“
“And you would forsake it all.”
“Yes. I would.”
“You can’t. I gave you everyth-“
Page hung up.
“You didn’t give me the right to destroy the world.”
