"Hey," I softly said to Madelynn. I tried my best not to think about my episode's awkwardness and failed.
"Oh, dude, if only you knew half the stuff you said. I swear you said some of the strangest things I have ever heard!" she replied with a concerned look.
"What did I say? See, I have no memory of any of this, so to me, this might as well have been sleepwalking," I replied, gritting my teeth, waiting to hear all the stupid things I had said.
"Arcadia is a city built in 2137 that effectively replaced Seattle in Washington state. Money doesn't exist in Arcadia, and everyone works for a common goal. Need I go on?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, thank you," I replied nervously, laughing.
"So is the future communist or something?" she asked, snickering.
"Kind of, but private property still exists; they just got rid of money, is all."
"Can I ask about the people of the future? What you remember from your episode anyway," she asked, nearly begging me to spill the beans. Since I knew she didn't believe in Arcadia, I felt no fear telling her any of this.
"It's funny because there are two Arcadias as far as I'm concerned, one in a good timeline and one in a bad timeline. I was caught in the latter and witnessed unspeakable horrors. I saw random people being arrested for doing absolutely nothing wrong, heard screams of torture, and saw just how run down the entire town was. The place honestly reminded me of a ghetto more than anything else. The palace where their leader Maynard lives is an architectural wonder; there were paintings of wild animals in portrait that somehow looked 3D as if you could touch the animal itself. There were around seventy rooms in the palace, and it felt like virtually every room had a different purpose from the looks of it. And then Maynard, oh, boy..." I said, facepalming.
"Can you tell me more about Maynard?" she asked curiously.
"Maynard is just crazy; he's always rude and can take nothing seriously. He thinks I can travel time or some nonsense..." I replied, shaking my head.
"Wow, it's almost as if you saw it all in real life!" she replied in awe.
Thankfully, I didn't. Or wait, did I?
"The old Arcadia was so beautiful; everything had this shine to it like they made it of gold, and there was this grand hotel there that was shaped like a saucer. The bed there was adjustable to your every need, and the blankets were electric. There are also Androids of all kinds in the city, and they did pretty much anything you could think of," I replied with amusement from remembering Constantine.
"Don't tell me the robots cook?" Madelynn asked, laughing.
"I did say they do anything you can think of, didn't I? And not only that, but they keep you entertained while you're waiting for the food by telling you jokes and singing songs. Despite its problems, Arcadia is such an amazing place. I would take you there, but it doesn't exist," I said, shaking my head.
"All the best things don't exist," she replied with a chuckle.
You know... you're not wrong.
YOU ARE READING
The October Amaryllis
Science FictionClive Andrews is a typical 16-year-old boy who never had anything out of the ordinary happen until May 16th, 2020, when he was struck by several feet of ball lightning and nearly killed. After being discharged from the hospital, he realizes that he...
