Ficlets

Potted plants lay dying under windows and in strategic locations in a reception area that hasn’t seen a visitor in years. If you were to see the carpets in the hallways you’d be forgiven for mistaking them for brand new – in reality, it’s been a long time since anyone walked upon them.

The building is full of rooms, of people, all staying in bed rather than go outside and see the world. Why should they? What use is there in going out and seeing the world when you can bring the world to you? A planet’s worth of experience available at the touch of a button. They needn’t go see Niagara Falls – they can watch a video of the waterfall.

And yet were they to venture outside of their safe little domain they’d discover that the world they watch through the safety of their computer screen no longer exists. Forests have turned to ash. The grass has been scorched out of the earth. It has been decades since water fell over the rim of the falls.

Their world has died, and they were too busy looking at it to notice.