New Orbit Magazine: Issue 04, October 2018

The young man laughed. “You are not.
You can get up and have lunch now.”
“What?” Arnie couldn’t recall when he’d
last sat up in bed by himself.
“Am I using the wrong word?” Jazon
asked. “I never really understood the
difference between lunch, dinner, and
supper.” He looked embarrassed. “I rushed
through the language and personal history
tapes when they told me you were awake.”
“Your oldest, Matt, is currently on his way
to Neptune in a solar ship the size of your
fingernail, but I think he has a backup copy
here on Earth if you’d like to talk to him.
Otherwise, we’ll call him this afternoon.”
Arnie was confused. “Neptune? Backup?
What about my other children?” His daughter
and youngest son had visited infrequently,
pretending he wasn’t at death’s door.
“I’ve been sick,” Arnie said. He didn’t
understand what the stranger was saying. “I
don’t get out of bed much.”
“You’re fine now. Here, let me help you.”
Although he looked delicate, Jazon had
no difficulty raising Arnie to a sitting
position.
There was no pain. Arnie stared down at
his old body, expecting the agonies that had
become part of him. “What’s happened to
me?”
“There’s much to explain, Mr.
Greensway,” Jazon said. “Would you like
some coffee or tea?”
Arnie sat on the side of the bed, staring
down at his feet as they touched the floor,
still in shock he could move without pain.
“No. What kind of hospital is this?”
“It’s more of a resting place for returnees.
I’ll explain after lunch.”
Was Arnie a returnee? What had he
returned from?
A soft breeze came through the open
doorway. Everything in the room, the desk,
the chairs, and even the bed, were molded
in soft curves.
“Where are my children?” he asked. He
hoped his kids hadn’t left their old man
alone in some experimental clinic.
“Serena and Olivia are on their way.”
“You mean Oliver,” Arnie said. “I have
two sons and a daughter.”
“No longer. Oliver decided to come back
as Olivia,” Jazon said.
“Come back? Come back from where?”
Jazon took a deep breath.
Greensway, what year is it?”
“Mr.
“It should be 2024,” he said. “Have I been
in a coma?”
“Not really. Something wonderful
happened in 2024. The Singularity. Your
son gave us the world we have today.”
Arnie raised his right hand. A large scar,
the result of a childhood tree-climbing
accident, was gone. “Yes, Matt works in
computers. Is Neptune the name of his
company? I can’t keep it straight.”
“This is the year 2147 using the old
calendar,” Jazon said. “With the
Singularity, people had their memories and
personalities transferred to a computer.
Since it began, no one has officially died.”