One of those you never forget
And it starts off like an afternoon with friends, just like any other
In a plausible future…
The afternoon began...
Like any other Saturday, David had plans to meet his three usual friends at their usual hangout. A common thing to do at sixteen.
“Today we’re going to the movies!” David thought.
They bought a bunch of snacks at the same old store and went to the bench where they usually hung out before heading into the theater.
It was an action movie, and they were all excited to see it. In fact, they’d been waiting a while for it to come out.
The best part about movie days was all the laughter they shared beforehand and the comments afterward. Those afternoons were time well spent.
After chatting about the movie, John brought up a topic:
“And you guys, what do you want to do for a living?” John asked.
“The high school counselor’s on your case?” Ralph blurted out—he was the funniest in the group, always cracking jokes.
“Haha,” John laughed. “I’m thinking about becoming a pilot, but maybe I’m getting carried away. I wanted to see if you guys are as nuts as I am.”
“Well, I want to be a musician,” David said. “But at home they tell me to study something that actually pays.”
“I think you’ve got this in the bag, David,” John pointed out. “Being a musician sounds tougher than being a pilot.”
“Hey, thanks for the encouragement!” David shot back. “So what about you—what’s on your mind?”
“Well, I’d like to be a doctor. Probably a surgeon,” Ralph replied.
“You’re not aiming too shabby, either,” David went on.
“I know. But we still haven’t heard from Henry, have we?”
“I’m still not sure,” Henry said, hesitating. “But I do know it has to involve lots of girls.”
“Haha,” the others laughed.
“You just want to have a bunch of girlfriends,” Ralph teased him. Since Henry was his best friend, he messed with him more than anyone else.
“I’ll deny I ever said that,” Henry replied.
“Haha,” they laughed again.
Movie time was getting close, so they got up and kept chatting on their way to the theater.
Suddenly, a woman’s voice interrupted them, letting them know it was time for...
Dinner
They all looked at each other, then took off their bcasts.
They opened their eyes again.
David, Henry, and John exchanged glances. That afternoon was over.
They were back at Henry’s place.
After a few seconds, they moved over to the table for dinner.
Gemma—Henry’s girlfriend—took the takeout boxes and started handing out the food to the six people gathered at the table.
All at once, David felt the nearly twenty years that had passed since that day. It was like, for a few minutes, he’d completely forgotten he’d lived them.
While they were getting the food ready, his mind stayed back in that afternoon that left such a mark on them, and in that conversation they all remembered.
He looked at John. He was no longer sixteen, and David thought:
“He got what he wanted—he became a pilot,” David reflected. “But after twelve years of flying, he lost interest, switched to being an instructor, and then opened a travel agency. He really worked hard to get all those licenses, from private pilot up to the one that let him be captain.
The novelty wore off, and after flying all over the world, nowhere seemed special anymore. All that effort, and in the end, his priorities changed—he met Linda and wanted a family. Funny how life turns out.”
Then he looked at Henry:
“Henry was the one who had it the least figured out—or maybe he actually had it the most figured out,” David laughed to himself. “He tried all sorts of things: first waiting tables, then promoting at a nightclub, then repping at a modeling agency, until he finally landed in fashion photography. The truth is, women have always been part of his life… haha.
“He found photography by chance one day when the photographer didn’t show up, and look how far he’s come. We’re so proud to be his friends. And now he’s been with Gemma for three years—who would’ve guessed?”
Then his reflex was to look for Ralph, until he remembered he wouldn’t be able to find him.
Finally, he took stock of his own life, probably the toughest for him:
“I wanted to be a musician,” he told himself. “But I started out as a sound technician so I could earn money. I got comfortable and let the years go by without spending time on my music. I felt like I wasn’t cut out to succeed. At least I met Laura through that job.”
He turned his head and looked at Laura. Without a doubt, that job had been worth it.
“Good thing I finally started focusing on my music,” he went on, “and now I can make a living from it. Trying was the right call.”
Though it was a bit awkward at first, John broke the ice:
“It’s a real shame Ralph isn’t here today. I miss him.”
David and Henry nodded in agreement, and Linda gave John a comforting pat on the back.
“He was just trying to dodge giving a speech at our wedding,” David joked.
“Haha,” a little laugh slipped out.
“We’re missing his sense of humor,” Henry went on. “He was becoming a good surgeon, and it seemed like he had a bright future.”
And so they kept remembering him.
When Ralph passed away a few years earlier, it took everyone by surprise, and each of them dealt with it in their own way. David threw himself into producing his music, realizing that life’s too short to sit around waiting for things to happen. John had already been thinking about changing his life, and that was the last straw he needed.
Henry was the one who struggled the most. He’d lost his best friend, someone he really depended on. But in the end, it made him settle down and lead a more organized life.
Losing Ralph was painful, but it taught each of them something.
They wrapped up dinner imagining what Ralph would have done at all the get-togethers they’d had over the years: at John’s wedding, the first time Henry covered New York Fashion Week (and the huge party afterward), or when David scored VIP tickets to Glastonbury.
They couldn’t stop laughing.
It was the tribute they needed to pay him.
The background
Advances in human-machine interfaces—specifically mental ones—will allow us not only to read what people are thinking but also to feed information into their brains in ways they can process. This can include images, sounds, smells, etc., all of which can be drawn from one person to create immersive experiences for others.
In our story, David shares the memory he had of that pivotal afternoon that started just like any other with his friends. John and Henry relive the moment from David’s perspective and enrich it with their own recollections.
To do this, they use their braincast devices, which work both ways.
Braincasting is basically broadcasting memories, ideas, or knowledge directly from one’s mind. And braincasters are the people who do it professionally.
Of course, this technology will have many other uses, but one will be sharing the memories we have of those who have passed away.
Until that day comes, remember that the most important days of our lives often start out like just any other day.
Well then, future enthusiast,
we’ll see each other on the next Futurostream trip!
P.S. Once this is out, we’ll remember you among many. Don’t think you can leave before your time and stick leave us with this feeling of something missing.