FEATURED STORY
crawled through the vines and rested beneath the opening palm trees ’ shade . Then , my favorite morning sensation arrived . Tropical scents of Angel Wing Begonias and Blue Passion flowers permeated the room . Slowly , I inhaled and held in the delicious scents until I couldn ’ t breathe . Then I exhaled in a rush .
Although it was only 6 am , the sun pulsated from what used to be high noon . The translucent digital thermostat lit up as I attempted to touch the windows . “ Warning ! 150 degrees ! Do not touch ! Do not touch !” its voice alarm blared . I backed up , yet leaned in close enough to marvel at the Atlantic Ocean . It had swallowed what used to be the Belt Parkway . The wading waters were now street level . Threatening waves reached fifty feet above . Most residents who lived 6 blocks from the shore had been evacuated . The angry Atlantic seemed to be rising and consuming more of the shore everyday . It was like watching God rearrange the world .
All of our old homes were torn down ten years ago , and replaced with 30-story housing developments built upon 5-story towers . Now everyone was safe .
We all had a view of the daily floods . Each day , we watched another old structure fall , and a new structure rise .
East Brooklyn now looked like a mass of shiny cylinders covered with solar panels connected by tubular walkways . Each resident of each building had one entire floor . This way , we could look west when the sun was too strong to gaze upon . On bad days , north and south were emblazoned with light until nightfall , which didn ’ t come until 9 pm . Even during the winter months . We didn ’ t really have a winter or autumn anymore , to tell the truth . Just Summer and Spring .
Fully powered and programmed , my appliances all begin to work at the sound of my footsteps as I headed to the kitchen . The teapot prepared a cup of Chai and the light granola breakfast I ’ d chosen from my dispenser began to toast while the shower water ran at 72 cool degrees . Central air usually remained the same temperature , but on mornings like this , the outdoor heat seems to seep in and 72 can feel like 85 .
“ Kiri , please change the apartment temperature to 65 . Thank you ,” I requested aloud . “ Changing the temperature to 65 , Karma . You ’ re welcome .”
After my shower , I ate my breakfast and dressed in a simple long , white linen dress . Next , I prepared to work from home . It was my turn to host the 7 am holographic conference , and since this was New York , I wanted to give everyone a beautiful view of the city from my Brooklyn apartment . I arranged the viewing screen to face the west window . The sunlight reflected beautifully off of the metallic architecture . Skyscrapers formed rainbows , and art designs of animals , plants and heroes of the past .
Unfortunately , all of New York City ’ s bridges had been destroyed . It was weird to look out of the window and no longer see them . I missed the Brooklyn and Verrazano Bridges the most . The beautifully lighted night views would remain a part of my childhood memories , of trips to the city for a night of fun and early morning starts to Staten Island , en route to the New Jersey Turnpike , as we headed south to visit family . But I didn ’ t argue with God . After the floods rampaged our shores , the bridges started falling apart , and were rendered useless .
I watched working class residents travel by hovercraft or ferry on the overcrowded East River . If I zoomed in , I could show off how the elite were transported by our popular elevators that simultaneously moved horizontally and vertically outside of the newest buildings , and how our tunnel bubbles exported people from their homes directly to wherever they would like to go , via a personal subway .
No one drives anymore . My foundation was instrumental in sending all of the cars to Cuba since their streets are still safe . In return , we received pure food for displaced families . Mom started the Save the World Foundation . After she died in the California Tsunami , I came back to New York and took over . The country has become more environmentally conscious and humanitarian since the floods , and the encapsulation of California . We are more determined than ever to save the East coast . We are me , and the forces I ’ ve been empowered to summon . No one knows about my secret force and no one ever will . Mama said it was my responsibility to save the world , but not to ever let the world know you ’ re saving it .
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Genesis Science Fiction Magazine Winter 2017