I made a horrible mistake.
Everyone has to declare a life goal when they turn 18, and when the goal is completed, you have fulfilled your purpose and are free to pass.
I’d had a little too much fun with the guys the night before he ceremony, took some stuff I probably shouldn’t have, and when it was my turn to declare, I was still a little out of it.
‘My goal is to be the last man standing!’
It was a bit of a joke, just a remnant of the shit talking last night when all of us were off the chain. There was silence in the auditorium, an entire two seconds of an awkward void before the far too-polite applause began. At the very least I’ll be remembered as one of those people who has a dumb goal, right?
I was so very wrong. I shouldn’t have taken this so lightly. I shouldn’t have partied so hard.
That was so very long ago I have stopped counting the years. I don’t know what hellscape I was born in where you aren’t able to die until you complete your life goal, but here we are.
The joke was to be the last man standing among my friends. But I wasn’t that specific. I’m still able bodied, as I play catch with my great….. 17 greats, I think…. grandchildren. At least I won’t turn into a cricket like…… that dude in the Greek myth. Eternal life but not eternal youth.
Even THAT was so long ago. I’ve worked every job, gotten every degree, seen all the drama, and tasted every kind of food. Immortality is not a gift, it’s a curse.
I should have picked something simple, like my wife. She passed away peacefully at 97, with our two-week old great-granddaughter in her arms.
Companionship is hard. I’ve been called rip van winkle so many times I think I might just legally change my name to that….. oh wait, I did that already too. Nobody wants to date someone several thousands of years older than them……Has it been thousands? Or hundreds of thousands? I gave up keeping track a long time ago.
Most people left to colonize other planets a while back. I haven’t seen another human on earth in a long time. The wildlife has started to spring back now that the climate has recalibrated itself……again. Funny how that works. People always talked about how aliens would freak out about how durable and resilient humans are, but it turns out, we’re just a product of our environment.
How do I deal with the loneliness? I guess I’ve become accustomed to it. But, on a deeper level, just the fact that I’m still alive today is proof that I’m not truly alone down here.
And when I am finally, truly and completely alone, at least it won’t be for very long.