2116 - Flash Fiction
This writing short is for my fellow females. Enjoy! :)
The aerial tram zipped past columns of sky gardens, their iridescent domes glimmering in the sunlight as we sped away. I winced when a sudden wave of pain stung my abdomen. I bit my lower lip, fighting off the urge to curl into the fetal position.
A perpetual anger tingled my senses, burning every last ounce of blood within me. I closed my eyes and thought of 2016. Here I was exactly one hundred years in the future—that is another story in itself.
It won't be long, I told myself. And I'll never have to suffer through the monthly b.s. that comes with being female ever again. There was no way they didn't have remedies that actually worked. Hell, maybe they even had some sort of cure for the entire business—maybe one simple operation, and my body would release its damned eggs some other way.
At that thought, I tried to smile, but pain exploded in my abdomen as the tram slowed to a stop. I looked up. This was my stop.
I swallowed back the urge to cry out and staggered to the door, following the other passengers out. A glass bridge extended from the tram station's platform. Well, it probably wasn't glass, but it was clear and made my insides churn. I followed the line of passengers to the buildings on the other end.
They were sky scrapers of old, but everyone knew that the prime time real-estate was on the top floors. The best doctors were here. I immediately spotted MedTerraX's bright blue windows and their neon "Welcome!" sign and headed for it.
A receptionist in a royal blue dress greeted me with a warm smile. A tablet hovered between her slander hands.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Greene. The nurse practitioner will be right with you as scheduled.” She led me into an office. I frowned. Where was the creepy bed with the stiff paper coverings? Where was the sterile smell?
It was just a single room with two chairs at the very center of it. A framed oil portrait of the CEO of GlobalTerraX hung on the opposite wall. Various self help medical posters hung below it. The door opened behind me, and in waltzed a tall man with grey hair. He wore a smart, pin-striped suit tailored to fit his muscular form. He smiled and motioned me to sit down. A tablet hovered behind him, trailing him like a loyal dog. He waved his right hand, and it flew into it.
“Okay, Ms. Greene, this won't take long. I'm Nurse @kins. Not to worry, this is just a simple case of menstrual pain. I'm transmitting your prescription to your phone as I speak,” he said, tapping his finger on his slender tablet. The lines around his face graced his appearance, making him appear kindly. I nodded.
So the mighty cure was a pill. Fine. As long as it got rid of the constant anger and the pain. I was sick to death of having to pretend to be normal during this time of the month! I had to admit that going to the doctor in the 22nd century was a lot more efficient than in my own time.
Nurse @kins glanced up as if reading my thoughts. He smiled.
“I saw you on the news last month. So tell me, how was your experience here today? Has healthcare improved in the past century?”
“This fifteen minute trip would have been at least two hours in my day,” I said with a sheepish smile. It was true. It didn't matter if you showed up for your appointment on time, you still had to wait.
“All righty! I am glad to hear it. Once you get your prescription from the pharmacy, you'll be emailed a survey that rates your experience here at MedTerraX. Please rate us. Five is excellent, and well, we won't talk about one!” He started laughing. My phone vibrated in my pocket.
I pulled it out. An icon of a yellow pill bottle was blinking on the screen. I tapped it.
500 mg ibuprofen (20 count)
3 bars of chocolate
1 box of chamomile tea
2116
The aerial tram zipped past columns of sky gardens, their iridescent domes glimmering in the sunlight as we sped away. I winced when a sudden wave of pain stung my abdomen. I bit my lower lip, fighting off the urge to curl into the fetal position.
A perpetual anger tingled my senses, burning every last ounce of blood within me. I closed my eyes and thought of 2016. Here I was exactly one hundred years in the future—that is another story in itself.
It won't be long, I told myself. And I'll never have to suffer through the monthly b.s. that comes with being female ever again. There was no way they didn't have remedies that actually worked. Hell, maybe they even had some sort of cure for the entire business—maybe one simple operation, and my body would release its damned eggs some other way.
At that thought, I tried to smile, but pain exploded in my abdomen as the tram slowed to a stop. I looked up. This was my stop.
I swallowed back the urge to cry out and staggered to the door, following the other passengers out. A glass bridge extended from the tram station's platform. Well, it probably wasn't glass, but it was clear and made my insides churn. I followed the line of passengers to the buildings on the other end.
They were sky scrapers of old, but everyone knew that the prime time real-estate was on the top floors. The best doctors were here. I immediately spotted MedTerraX's bright blue windows and their neon "Welcome!" sign and headed for it.
A receptionist in a royal blue dress greeted me with a warm smile. A tablet hovered between her slander hands.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Greene. The nurse practitioner will be right with you as scheduled.” She led me into an office. I frowned. Where was the creepy bed with the stiff paper coverings? Where was the sterile smell?
It was just a single room with two chairs at the very center of it. A framed oil portrait of the CEO of GlobalTerraX hung on the opposite wall. Various self help medical posters hung below it. The door opened behind me, and in waltzed a tall man with grey hair. He wore a smart, pin-striped suit tailored to fit his muscular form. He smiled and motioned me to sit down. A tablet hovered behind him, trailing him like a loyal dog. He waved his right hand, and it flew into it.
“Okay, Ms. Greene, this won't take long. I'm Nurse @kins. Not to worry, this is just a simple case of menstrual pain. I'm transmitting your prescription to your phone as I speak,” he said, tapping his finger on his slender tablet. The lines around his face graced his appearance, making him appear kindly. I nodded.
So the mighty cure was a pill. Fine. As long as it got rid of the constant anger and the pain. I was sick to death of having to pretend to be normal during this time of the month! I had to admit that going to the doctor in the 22nd century was a lot more efficient than in my own time.
Nurse @kins glanced up as if reading my thoughts. He smiled.
“I saw you on the news last month. So tell me, how was your experience here today? Has healthcare improved in the past century?”
“This fifteen minute trip would have been at least two hours in my day,” I said with a sheepish smile. It was true. It didn't matter if you showed up for your appointment on time, you still had to wait.
“All righty! I am glad to hear it. Once you get your prescription from the pharmacy, you'll be emailed a survey that rates your experience here at MedTerraX. Please rate us. Five is excellent, and well, we won't talk about one!” He started laughing. My phone vibrated in my pocket.
I pulled it out. An icon of a yellow pill bottle was blinking on the screen. I tapped it.
500 mg ibuprofen (20 count)
3 bars of chocolate
1 box of chamomile tea
