The Lost Locket
A dystopian society in the year 2578.
It’s September 15 as I sit in my apartment that is littered in debris. In front of me is a poster of the Goddess Lakshmi. She is the Hindu goddess of wealth and good fortune. I’m not even Hindu but I found it blowing around outside my space. After I found out who she was I began to pray every day to her. That she will come fix this world. To fix this hell we are living in. To find me a person who is similar to my lost love. We’re down to two million people worldwide since the societal collapse 5 years ago. Most people are located by me in upper North America. The former United Federation of Alitumia is a wasteland.
Today I answered an ad on the survivors list. It listed a pink diamond for 7,000 Dogecoin. I thought I could turn that around. I feel diamonds have an allure to it. An uncontrollable lure that makes them the very precious stones they are. I remember what it was like to be wealthy. I wrote back and said, Hi, I'm replying to your ad for the pink diamond.
I asked, Is that real. My girlfriend would really like it. Even though I have no one. I’m in East Crania. I said I’m available September 17. That would have been her birthday. At 11:00 no reply.
I went to bed and as I woke up the next day I got a reply. It said, sorry, I got this as a gift and believe to be real. They said they are I working late all week. They apologized. They asked if can meet up sometime next week. I replied, no. I’m not available next week. I asked, are you free Simewoday or Soonmonday. She replied, sure, I'll be near Crania on that day. What part of Crania are you near?
I replied. I’ll be near wooden bridge in the upper forest. I can fly, just let me know the exact coordinates. They replied. Oh sweet, I work right by wooden bridge. You won't have to fly far. I can meet you tomorrow at the survivor’s market 5:00. I looked back at the ad on my device. It’s hard to tell by this photo if it’s a woman or man’s hands. They do look elderly.
Today is September 17, 2578. She would have been 37 today. It’s literally 24 hours later after I responded to the ad. I arrived but no one came up to me. I spoke up to the group of people standing around saying is anybody from survivors list. A young woman walked forward. She was in an oxygen mask with clear edged glasses. I have no idea who she was. I never met her before. She said, “Oh I was trying email you. I couldn’t find your email.” I thought to myself, we had just conversed a day ago. She said, “I can’t find the diamond”. She went on to say she moved recently and lost it. I just walked away.
I mean since yesterday she lost it. It tops off the craziest year in existence. We are lost in this wasteland. I was starting to think it was a rouse of some sort by the authorities because the security guard standing nearby knew what I was doing there. I overheard him tell another guard, “He’s meeting somebody to buy a pink diamond ring.” This is all so crazy. How they know what I’m doing. I yelled out loud, “I got news for you all. I’m not a criminal and I’m no terrorist, or anything else you’re thinking I am. I’m a survivor just like you and him.” I pointed to the guard.
I left the area but continued to walk around the market. That’s when I saw it. It was Allison’s heart-shaped locket. At first I did a double take. It really caught my eye. I quickly snatched it and was grabbed by security. I said, “This was my deceased wife’s. I lost it in among the debris. She gave it to me and said her heart was in this locket. That if I ever upset to open that locket and she will forever be in my heart.” Security let me go. I flashed them two Dogecoins and ran.
When I went home, I opened it. I thought back to the day she handed it to me. She was ill with the waste air disease that is lingering after all this wreckage. She said, “This has my heart in it. My heart is in the locket.” She closed her eyes coughed and that the last time I saw her alive. I loved her. Now I just went back looking at that poster of Lakshmi. I closed my eyes, held the locket and I continued to pray.