My Future, 2070

"Sketch Two" Writing Prompt on Week Activity Page (2 Points)

When the automatic lights begin to flicker on and my phone emits soft morning tones, I know I'm doomed to be conscious. I try to cling to it, the soft darkness of sleep, but it slowly recedes and the soreness in my joints returns. I crack my eyes open and take the ceiling and wall with blurry vision. The rounded edges of my living quarters and soft metal tones all feel sophisticated, which was why I picked this unit. A sense of class when living in a tin can, but that's to be expected when space had to be rationed. I blink rapidly, trying to clear the gunk around my eyes.

I could hear the low buzz of the floor heaters turning on, and my slippers being placed on the floor by my HEST1A droid. A "helpful, economical, self-sufficient caretaker" robot, which was an older model market by its 1A status, but by far still my favorite version of the machine. The humanoid versions they had now these days still unnerved me a little, so the small cylindrical seed shape with a simplified digital face of two dots and a line was more than welcome. A cute face even, and not much larger than the average trash can. It was the least menacing robot I'd seen and I was quite fond of it, dubbing it "Hest" as a nickname. 

"Good Morning, JP." Hest said automatically.

I gave a small grunt in response, turning over to face the machine. I felt Beau shifting as well, no doubt also roused by the lights. 

"It's 7:45 AM, December 17th, 2070. I will begin to prepare breakfast." Hest continued politely. I cleared my throat and thanked them. Then slowly, I sat upright and let my joints creak and protest as they shifted into place. Beau, now awake, pushed her muzzle out from under the covers and blinked up at me. She was a gorgeous mutt, who I'd taken in after finding her rummaged through the trash out behind our units. She was a young gal, healthy beyond my hopes, and smart too. I'd put up holo-posters and push notifications in my unit division about a found dog, but I was thrilled when no one came forward to claim her. She'd been with me for a few years, and I was quite proud of her since mutts were such a rarity these days with all those designer dogs. 

She yawned at me. I yawned back out of politeness. 

Then I turned to my end table and began to equip myself with the daily necessities. First, prescription glasses with blue screen protection. I've always hated contacts, especially the current models that can project AR imaging into the room and directly into your vision with unbelievable clarity. My older brother said I should buy the newest holo-lenses and ditch my phone if I was going to wear frames at all, but I think regular framed glasses have a charm to them, as well as keeps my eyes from being damaged any further by all these goddamn screens. Speaking of screens...

My phone (these days now called "coms" but phone suits me well enough) glowed faintly with its holographic surface flashing a few notifs at me, as well messages I'd missed from turning in early. I placed my ID wristband on my arm, a soft silicone layer around the hard metal, and let it take all of my vitals and record any updates to my health. I'd been so proud of my "X" gender status when they first began to allow country-wide them in the 2050s, and glance at it every now and then through the record projection from the band. Finally, I took all my prescription pills with the water Hest had placed for me. The usual hormone balancers, pain meds, and mood stabilizers. Of course, we can't forget the vitamins. 

I could smell my favorite tea and chocolate waffles from the kitchen area, and put a bit more speed into heading to the cleanse area of the unit so I could brush my teeth, dress, and return to the main area where a large table had risen out of the floor. Tapping lightly on the top of the glass surface, the table came to life, and began to show much of the news, weather, and general updates on society. The largest window on the table was the shopping wishlists for my niblings, my brothers, and a few friends. I sifted through them unceremoniously and dragged my fingers across the surface as Hest placed breakfast on the table, causing few windows to migrate out of the way of cups and plates. The gift lists were pretty standard. A few immersion systems, a started garden kit for carrots, and grav-boards filled the browser. 

One of my niblings surprised me though, asking for a hard-copy paper edition of "Alice in Wonderland." Paper books were a rare luxury that took up a lot of physical space compared to the fraction of digital space on a phone or lap-tablet. I decided to indulge them, as well as send all of them allotted credits I'd saved for them so they could buy treats, trinkets, and upgrades. Once I'd ordered and picked the wrapping fabrics for the physical gifts, I purchased them all and was notified they'd be delivered by drone just before Christmas Eve while the digital gifts would be processed within a few hours but withheld until Christmas morning. Perfect. 

"How's the garden, Hest?" I asked, which launched them into a verbal report while they poured soft kibble into Beau's bowl.

"Optimal, the cucumbers and grapes are at about 70% growth, with the lettuce, squashes, and peppers are at 90%. The pea plants, apple trees, and mint plants are ready for harvest. The holo-market here within Unit Floor B will be around 10:30 AM to barter for plants and exchange seeds. Ms. Berkley has grown a prize-winning watermelon. Would you like to put a bid on it preemptively?"

"No, thank you, Hest. We can start harvesting peas together at 11, I wanted to holo-call my brothers soon." I replied and Hest chimed as they adjusted their internally programmed schedule accordingly. I chewed my breakfast thoughtfully as I scheduled my own day. Holo-calls at 9, the digital market at 10, and then my lectures and animation classes would begin in the afternoon. Lord knows I still had plenty of grading to do before the end of the semester, but thanks to the smaller class sizes, it wouldn't be a Herculean effort on my end. I'd round off my day with some digital painting and posting work into my portfolio after dinner, then surf social media and stream some new films. All in all, I wouldn't have to leave the unit today, but I might visit the unit division's sealed park myself tomorrow so Beau and I could both stretch our legs

"Hest, will you take Beau out for her walk? I'm going to do a holoprojection for a bit." I asked, swallowing the last bit of waffle with tea.

Hest paused. "Will you be alright? These projections are difficult for your emotional state." I sighed, knowing that Hest also monitors my health in the event of an emergency.

"Thank you for your concern. I'll be fine, Hest." I assured them, and they chimed back in recognition. Hest retrieved the harness and leash.

"Alright, I will return with Beau after 30 minutes and will wash the dishes." I thanked them and scratched Beau's ears before the two left. Then I placed my dishes in the sink and let the table chairs fold themselves back into the floor.

"Unit 2709B, initialize holoprojection. Input date December 25th, 2020."

The room complied, the bed and end tables folding away and segments of rooms closing themselves off so the walls could project properly. This setup would be convenient to holo-call with afterward too, but I wasn't thinking about that now. The lights around the unit began to bend, and my perception gently tricked to see not the unit walls, but my small home in rural Iowa fifty years ago. 

This memory was one of my favorites, and you could tell how easily I'd visited it due to how I could follow my past self's holo movements to the second. The house was drowsily warm, and the Christmas lights of the night twinkle softly. I stepped past my little brother, nine years old, and sleeping heavily on an old air mattress in the living room instead of being asleep in his space station bunk out by Titan in my current time. I padded over softly to the couch where my mother was waiting. My mother, at this moment, brought back to life. 

"Merry Christmas, Mom" I recited. 

"Merry Christmas, sweetheart." She replied, with the love I'd memorized for a lifetime.