[COMPLETED]
[WATTYS 2022 WINNER]
James Quinn can't die. Actually... that's not true. He's died many times - somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 - only to be reborn as himself to live his life over again.
For millennia, he's had to endure this c...
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May 22, 2038 [19]
Martha scooped the Grape-Nuts over itself to distribute the milk and soften the bran cereal. It had always been her father's favorite breakfast and eating it made her think of him. Thinking of him made her feel guilt. The guilt, pain. And as a masochist consumed with self-hatred, she took every opportunity she could find, especially when it could stay hidden.
Seated at her kitchen table, she took a bite of the flavorless cereal. Calories and fiber. That's all I need. That's all I deserve.
Martha's first life away from James had been tedious and uninspired. She did what she needed to get by; worked a job until she felt like quitting; lived in a place until she felt like leaving... But not once did she feel an ounce of control or purpose. Because wherever she had come from or was going to was irrelevant with a poisonous cloud hanging over her every move.
Presently, Martha took another bite of cereal then blinked twice to activate her smart lenses. A display of options floated in front of her and she settled her eyes on 'NEWS.' After a moment, a feed appeared and Martha flicked her eyes up to scroll down until she found a story of interest. Her eyes settled and the story went fullscreen. A patrol boat for the Italian Navy was blocking an inflatable raft, teeming with people.
"Tensions remain high in Southern Europe as migrants fleeing North Africa continue to overwhelm its shores," a journalist narrated. "With temperatures often surpassing sixty degrees Celsius, the majority of land at or near the equator has become utterly uninhabitable. Meanwhile, Greece and Italy continue to struggle with catastrophic flooding of their own. EU officials have said they intend-"
Martha muted the video and continued to watch the disastrous B-roll. The collapse was starting earlier than usual. Even in lives when neither she nor James put any effort toward solving climate change, it normally wouldn't get this bad until the 40's.
But though she'd kept her insights from the scientific community, her second life away from James had been far more deliberate than her first. She'd committed herself to servitude and charity, volunteering at nursing homes and homeless shelters, then teaching English and Math with the Peace Corps in Rwanda, and again, back in Chicago's inner city.
Later, she'd transitioned to nursing, sleep-walking through its schooling and certification then finding employment at an overwhelmed and understaffed state-run facility.
Over the years, she'd helped a lot of people and made a lot of difficult lives easier.
And yet...
As with a rubber band, the more she pulled away from the urge, the harder the urge pulled in return.
Martha blinked twice and the news report disappeared. She left her cereal at the table and walked to the window of her second story apartment. Though nowhere near lakefront property, she could still make out Lake Michigan in the distance, its troughs and crests reflecting the deadly sun in a sparkling dance.
