The last note

While Michael might not have been a wealthy man, he was always rich with joy. He had a wonderful wife, two beautiful children, and a job at the landfill that he was good at. It was all he needed in life. Unlike majority of the world, he rejected the technological reality he lived in, hanging on to the old ways of the early 2020’s. Only from his great grandfather does he know of a time where the world wasn’t on the brink of extinction. Before all of our hope was on leaving this planet for the new city on Mars. It was a lottery chance to get a ticket on an one way ship to a new world, and even still you had to pay to get a chance to be in that lottery. But Michael wasn’t concerned with leaving. He knew that no matter how hard he tried, he would never save enough to get a ticket for himself let alone a ticket for each member of his family. So he accepted his eventual demise on Earth, until he came across this book. Now books were rare during this digital age, so to see one in person was already a thing of pure luck, but it was whats inside that would change Michael’s life forever. Amazed by what he had found, Michael carefully picked up this black book wrapped in leather and begun to flip through its pages admiring the ink on the pages. Never before had he seen an actual book in person. Only through his tablet had he seen pictures of books and the unchanging information that they held. Farther he flips through the book and finally he comes across a page marked by a single note. A single dollar Bill in the middle of the page pressed flat against the ink stuck to the page. Quickly Michael shuts the book stunned by what he’s just seen. It’s been over 40 years since the world switched to a universal digital currency, and to find real paper money at this point is unheard of. Slowly he opens the book back up to take another look, and this note is perfect. Not a single crease or tear in the Bill, and as vibrant as the pictures he’s seen. He knows that what he has is something special. He slides the book into the back of his back pocket of his uniform and for the rest of his shift he is at a loss of thought. It’s not until he gets home that the realization of what it is he has truly takes over him. Quickly he pulls his wife into their bedroom and locks the door behind. “Rachel I have something to show you.” He says. “Okay?” She responds. Michael then pulls the book from his back pocket and his wife lets out a quiet gasp. Michael then says “wait there’s more”, and then opens the book to the page of the note. His wife is speechless at what what she’s looking at. “Michael do you have any idea how much that is worth?” She asks. “More money than we’ll ever need Rachel”. To have a real dollar bill is priceless to the right collector. A piece of a time before. A remnant of life before the dread of knowing the planet you live on could die before you. A new chance at life on the new world. But it’s not what Michael wants. He’s contempt with his life on earth. Never had he wanted to leave the only place he’s known as home. To him, earth is the only place that still has the history of the time before. Rachel reaches for the book, but Michael closes it and pulls it back. “What if we destroyed it?” He asks. “Michael what are you talking about? This is our opportunity to leave here and finally live a secure life on Mars.” “But it’s only a chance Rachel. It’s not even Guaranteed that we’ll be selected to be on a shuttle.” He responds. “ What about our children Michael? Should they die here on earth, never getting the chance at living a full life?” She asks. “But it’s only a chance! It’s not even guaranteed that we’ll be selected to be on one of those ships.” He exclaims. “But even if we don’t make it on a ship, at least we could live an easier life here with the time we have left. You said it yourself, that dollar bill is priceless. We could sell for a fortune and live easy lives.” She responded. “But how could we get rid of this piece of history? To even get the chance to hold something like this is once in a lifetime.” Says Michael “Please Michael, think of your family. Think of the future you could leave them with.” And so Michael thought. He thought of his family and the life that they had together. The future that could be with them. The chance at living a full life on another planet, and the possibility of the future they could have. Michael hands the book to his wife and says “I want what’s best for us”.