Unreversible. Emil Akhundov
until better times than to take it to the trash.
I glanced at my watch and realized that I was finally relaxed-this was the third year in a row that I had gotten up a few minutes late, and now at eleven o’clock in the morning I was just on my way to breakfast. The whole family was already waiting for me at the dinner table, with a whole stack of thin pancakes and a dozen syrups of all kinds, and a big glass kettle on an automatic heated coaster in the middle of the table.
We sat and laughed and tried to think of something to do for the day, which was our tradition. We could talk like that in the morning and then, a few hours later, sit in a rented plane and fly to the other side of the world. And every day it was more and more difficult to come up with a new activity. Once we realized there were no good ideas, we decided to turn on the news – just in case we missed something.
It should be noted that all digital broadcasting now belonged to one social network, and the TV channel “News” showed the most interesting videos for our family from various bloggers. My attention was completely absorbed by the video where a poor boy somewhere in the Amazon jungle saw and filmed a wild jaguar. It was now akin to a miracle. How could one encounter a wild animal in this day and age! I even made a generous donation to this boy and began to speculate that this world was about to kill itself:
– Interesting! There are still places where there are wild animals after all. I would even pay the person who shows me a stray dog in Kupchino! – I philosophically exclaimed.
– You’re afraid of dogs! – My wife never missed a chance to tease me.
– Yes, but now I’m more afraid of robots. Honestly, I miss the days when you could buy bread at the store and give it to a mutt. – I was beginning to complain about life.
– So let’s get a puppy! – Diane loudly blurted out.
– Or better yet, two! – Milana instantly picked up on it.
– And a cat, too! – I started sneering, though I liked the idea. – And who will walk with them?
– Yes, we all have so much to do… – Marina said meaningfully and smiled widely.
We all laughed and went to pack – we could only buy a puppy in one place – the zoo. In general, the Edens were unbearably logically designed; there was practically nothing duplicative, moreover, everything was always in one place. There was a veterinary clinic next to the zoo, an animal owner certification office, a shelter, and an animal observation center.
When everyone was ready, we called a cab to go to the pet store. I’ve never had a car – I’ve always wanted one, but was afraid to drive, and now there are almost no private cars – it’s the lot of the richest people in the world. Everyone else was left with robot cabs, which always came quickly, were always clean, and, of course, there was only one operator for the whole world.
Fifteen minutes later we were already there. I sent my family off to look at the flora and fauna, and I went to get my pet license myself. I had to listen to a few hours of a stupid lecture and pass a test to get a permit, with which I could then buy a dog. As usual, a robot accepted the course fee, another robot took me to the auditorium, where a third robot showed me a long movie about how pets should be loved, as if someone had gotten dogs without feeling affectionate about them.
Anyway, I was able to pass the test the second time because I couldn’t tell several different pinschers from each other, and as a result, I was banned from buying dogs of those two breeds. I actually wasn’t going to choose these breeds, my dogs are supposed to be big and drooling, but it was still very frustrating, although I had accomplished the main task, it was only a matter of time.
I found my girls in the cafe that was in the zoo. They were eating ice cream, of course. There was a lot of noise, apparently they had brought children from behind the “fence” and showed them both the zoo and Eden itself, so they knew what they had to strive for. I always thought it was a kind of mockery of children: first bringing them from hell to heaven and then taking them back to blackness with the full knowledge that they are still no good, since they don’t live here. And the most cynical thing about this world was that all of these excursions were paid for and quite expensive for the parents of these children. But it was in such twists and turns that Toleko’s main policy lay.
We went looking for a pet store to buy the puppies that were to become the new members of our family, but unfortunately it was closed for quarantine. For some reason we couldn’t carry out our plan today, so we had to resort to the backup plan of buying a few bottles of wine and half a pound of mold cheese.
5
June 22, 2038
For several days now we haven’t been able to buy puppies, and it’s been pissing us off, especially since no one could explain to us what happened.
So for the past few nights we have been resentful of Thaleko and his comprehensive policy. My wife and I were reminiscing about the times when there were no industrial robots yet, and how good we were then. It was a very painful topic, because in part I always blamed myself for what happened to the planet. After all, I was the one who worked at AGV Solutions, and it was with that company that such a crazy automation race began.
That evening, we all went to our sauna as a family and for some reason the conversation about anxiety came up, I guess again it had to do with not buying puppies again, anxiety, and here I was for the first time admitting my biggest fear to my family. Surprisingly, no one was going to reassure me.
– I felt guilty about it all. – My phrase came out of the blue, I really wanted to be comforted.
– That’s because you are guilty! – Marina blurted out her remark as a crude joke, but I realized that she also thought I was involved in the disaster in the world.
– But I did not know that this would happen! – I began instinctively to make excuses.
– So? Are you going to regret it for the rest of your life? – My wife suddenly pointed out a new meaning to my life.
I don’t remember how that evening ended, or what we talked about, then we all slept to an old movie in the couch as a family. There was no fighting, but it was like I had no sleep at all. Slowly I got up and went to get some fresh air. I walked as quietly as possible, so as not to wake anyone, I didn’t even put my shoes on. The summer nights in Eden were very warm anyway. I decided to walk around my property. The dew touched my bare feet, burning them with a pleasant chill, and my mind was spinning with thoughts about how I could fix the situation in general. But I had no ideas, though I tried to think in different ways. And then, by some miracle, a strange but useful thought occurred to me.
I thought: what is the worst thing about slum life? It’s the terrible ecology and people’s lack of occupation. What if I could solve these problems at the same time? The most dangerous thing is the smog and ash, which must be removed first. Talo and his companies didn’t care about the common people, so here they have to save themselves. If they have a permanent and useful occupation, there may still be time to make things right. It was with this thought in mind that I returned to the house and lay down to sleep on the couch closer to my family.
At breakfast, I decided to share the evening’s reflections with the whole family. I never would have thought they would take the idea with enthusiasm. They were all eager to help me, perhaps my first useful initiative. So they were a little offended by my reluctance to take them along because I had worked all my life to get my family to live here. No, I wouldn’t let them voluntarily give it up, much less for the provocative idea of an old man who might just be starting to lose