Life In the Future — Part Six
By Alex Shvartsman
Peter understood Yuriko’s arguments; he even mostly agreed. He was also scared. Still, he couldn’t talk himself out of visiting Lippert. The mystery of it all was too exciting, the possibilities too alluring. If he chickened out now, he’d regret it for the rest of his days. He thought he now understood what it was like to be living in a Twilight Zone episode.
The address Uncle Ricky had found turned out to be a nursing home. The place was clean and well-kept, all things considered. He told the bored receptionist in the lobby that he was there to visit Clint Lippert and she waved him right in, never bothering to ask his name let alone for ID.
“Try the common room, over there.” The receptionist hardly looked up from her phone.
He walked down a depressing corridor that smelled of mild disinfectants and reeked of loneliness. The spacious room at the end of the hall contained around a dozen seniors. A few milled about, directionless like unmoored ghosts. The rest were seated around a television set tuned to a propaganda station that masqueraded as news. Few if any of the seated residents paid close attention to the screen; they stared past it motionless like so many flies caught in amber. A nurse disbursed medications and tiny paper cups of water.
“That guy over there.” The orderly pointed at an octogenarian wearing a bathrobe, with an oxygen tank by his side. Then he re-focused on Peter, his eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“Oh,” said Peter. He nearly panicked, thinking he might get tossed out, and rushed to add, “I used to read his stories.”
“A fan, huh?”
“I guess so,” Peter replied sheepishly.
“Never meet your heroes.”
“What do you mean?” Peter asked, genuinely confused.
Amusement flashed in the orderly’s eyes. He pointed at the nurse who was making her way toward the octogenarian. “See for yourself.”
Alex Shvartsman is a writer, translator, and anthologist from Brooklyn, NY. He’s the author of Kakistocracy (2023), The Middling Affliction (2022), and Eridani’s Crown (2019) fantasy novels. Over 120 of his short stories have appeared in Analog, Nature, Strange Horizons, and many other venues. His website is www.alexshvartsman.com.
Copyright © 2025 Alex Shvartsman