The Current - The Rivers School

In this world, people have learned to manufacture time. Boxes of it can be found pretty much anywhere. Gas stations,
convenience stores, supermarkets: any store that hopes to remain competitive has to stock at least two or three major brands.
Of course, the time purveyed at such stores is usually low quality time: the best stuff is generally reserved for those who can
afford it. These luxury brands are crafted in small batches and sent directly to distributers from remote, undisclosed locations in
Siberia. Their recipes are closely guarded secrets, and the companies that create them spend large portions of their revenues
trying to improve their designs. After all, when people are willing to spend millions of dollars for a month of extra life, they
expect it to be high-quality time. Glitches and bugs are acceptable when one buys Costco-brand time, but the million-dollar
stuff has to be perfect.
In this world, the men who make time dominate all aspects of life. Their trade has made them rich beyond measure,
and their influence is everywhere. Politicians are figureheads for the time corporations, exchanging their morals for a few
years of extra life. Products are defined by how they interact with time: hot new fads include cars that come with extendedlifetime
guarantees and moisturizers that actively prevent the aging process. And no one above a certain monetary
threshold can really say how old they are. When they begin to feel weak or sick, they simply buy themselves a new
lifespan. For them, time inflates just like money. As the decades go by, each passing year loses its identity and becomes
a tally mark. Cherished childhood memories become dots on a rapidly receding horizon. Best friends fade away and are
forgotten. Indeed, some of the patriarchs of time have lived for so long that they can only remember trends, their human
memories failing to match the artificial longevity of their bodies. Incidentally, these same men are the ones who cling
most dearly to their lives. The ones for whom each year is worth the least are the same ones who are most frantic to live
as many years as possible.
Of course, most people in this world cannot afford the luxury brands, and no one really trusts the gas station
varieties after that one kid got stuck in 1642 for seventy eight years a few months ago. So those who don’t have
fortunes to spend save up their meager wages for small, precious boxes of luxury time. They are given as presents on
very special occasions, and those who possess them are very careful with them. A high-school junior uses his to make
his first kiss last 20 seconds longer. A college senior uses hers to give her some extra thinking time on the big exam.
A 95-year-old grandfather uses his to ensure that he has enough time to kiss his grandkids goodbye. Of course,
some people misuse their time and regret it for the rest of their lives. Those people live in the past, wishing they still
had the little box that they squandered on some trivial matter long ago. They find misery in even the happiest of
moments because they are so fleeting and because they know that they could have lasted longer.
And then there are those who can’t afford any extra time at all. These people live short, natural lives,
but they are happy with their lots. They live their lives free of constriction and rejoice in that freedom. They live
their lives with purpose but without desperation. They live their lives in acceptance. For they have come to
embrace the idea of natural time, and have decided that time doesn’t have to be connected to happiness.
Every joyous moment is something to treasure, and every new year brings the promise of new
opportunities. These people worry little about the length of their time, having neither the
means nor the desire to extend it. They take what is given
to them, and ask for nothing more. The rich wonder how
they can ever get anything done in so little time. They
wonder what the rich can possibly do with so much.
The generations come and go at their own
pace. Time rolls on.
Evan Gallagher // Quantum Drop // 2nd place
Brooke Brennan // Nocturnal Jumper //
honorable mention
20