Malcolm.

Malcolm.

The bow of the boat separates the clouds of fog rolling over the water. It’s nearly half past eleven. While the rest of the ship sleeps, he listens during the whispering hours. To the unobservant, the only sounds louder than that of his cigarette getting shorter are the waves smacking against the hull of this sea freighter or the gust of crisp sea air creating what feels like little tornadoes forming as the ear braves the blow.

Meet Malcolm, a famous architect known for his daring designs - bold collisions of nature and history stop the clock in a world racing to shave the next millisecond off even the most mundane of tasks. In an interview early in his career, he shares his perspective-turned-passion which guides his work.

“ I’ve grown tired of watching a world of people ground down by the machine’s disappointment in them having not done more after completing the improbable.

In the cozier places we call home, I aspire for people to feel all caught up. The structures I give the world provide the framework for homes which say to my clients, “ Come… find a seat and stay a while in the place where you’re enough.”

After finishing his 50th commissioned project as a world-renowned architect and knocking on the door of his golden years, he’s symbolically traded land for sea - leaving the medium he’s conquered to explore a medium he doesn’t want to control.

On this months-long world cruise onboard this impressive fifteen-story vessel, Malcolm receives more than captivating sights on the high seas. As he sits on the top deck looking out into darkness past the waves being swallowed by the night, he hears his secret calling him to the railing.

For 40 years, Malcolm has been building his empire. Now worth millions, he wonders if the deal he made all those years ago was worth the time he has to trade. With skills that could retire most before they’ve graduated to tricenarian, he used his life force as collateral for a loan he didn’t intend to repay.

Malcolm began his crawl of the social ladder in his early 20s when he was scouted by a architecture firm known for art deco. The year was 2000, and the fingered-through was feeling fresh again. People wanted the nostalgic touch of the roaring years as the century turned the page.

Geometric shapes, bold lines, and sharp edges were hardly the unique selling points for this firm. Gable Inc rose at a time when sustainability became modern table talk. Large carbon footprints were demonized as technology developed; this firm capitalized on the desires of large corporations wanting large feet with small prints. In other words, Gable Inc designed large office buildings while leveraging market-leading technology such as solar panels and roof-mounted hydroponic systems to offset the environmental disruption large structures naturally posed.

The money was sufficient to support a lavash palate, but the work left Malcolm uninspired; he wanted freedom to open others’ eyes to the possibilities of the future using cutting-edge material while tipping the hat to the pioneers who shared their brilliance before him - giving the world something it had never seen so that maybe we could do the things that have never been done.

He had purpose; and, one night, Luscious, a sorcerer of the dark arts, was short a few years he needed for a spell.

Luscious, an immortal, preyed on the anguish of those who traded time for fame. Well known for his short-stick deals in the upper echelons of society, Luscious proposed this:

“To be gifted the brilliance of your vocational pioneers,

You’ll exchange your breaths beyond sixty-five years.”

As if overnight, Malcolm was at the top; and, there, he remained.

All these years later as the minute hand approached twelve, Malcolm reflects on the past few decades and smiles. He’s 64… for his final night.

What Luscious didn’t factor was Malcolm’s altruism; fame was a pleasant byproduct. Malcolm desired to inspire our species to remember the beauty of humanity untethered from productivity.

Luscious wanted to take, but he actually allowed Malcolm to give. He gave the world sight in exchange for his years.

In true Malcolm style, he goes overboard. Malcolm joins the pioneers.