Love You in Death

March 22, 3256

The fall is coming. After decades of corporations manipulating crops and livestock the earth is no longer fruitful. Where animals once grazed and crops flourished, now stands concrete jungles and uninhabited metal monuments to men long since deceased. It did not matter how many of the one percent died in their fight for wealth there was always another to feed the greed. The mass production was not for the prosper of their fellow man, but to produce the greatest profit. Fat old white men lined their pockets with the hard-earned money of the working class and for what? Food full of chemicals and preservatives that the amount of plastic present surpassed the residual organic material. Now, without enough food, the world is starving. Entire continents have died off. There are approximately fifty million people remaining across the surviving nations; but this is nothing I have not seen before. I am a constant. I have seen the rise and fall of man from the beginning. Sometimes it is nature that destroys them, sometimes it is themselves. No matter the cause, when society falls, so does my love. I’ve lived this love story for too long and I refuse to continue living it. Unlike before, I will not seek her out. If she finds me, I will be cruel if need be. When the fall comes, and she dies as she has before, I will not be there. I will not suffer the loss anymore.

- X

April 18, 3256

I saw her today. I wanted to look away, but there she was with her back pressed against the side of a crumbling apothecary; begging. Her cognac eyes searched for anyone passing by to show her a shred of compassion, an ounce of humanity, but they walked right by not even realizing this is why they are doomed. Neglecting their fellow man all because they’ve become accustomed; Not accustomed, complicit. They don’t care who dies until it is their turn, until it affects them. Despite her obvious malnourishment, she is still beautiful. Her hair is thin, dull, and broken, but in past lives it would have been envied by every woman. I remember she liked to scent it with peaches because they are my favorite fruit and the scent would have me nuzzled close in her embrace, but now She’s dying. This brown eyed beauty, my love, wasting away in the street. I refused to watch any longer. I became like them and turned my back on her.

- X

April 19, 3256

She is dead and I am a fool. I was too tempted. I had to see her again, so I went back to where I left her sitting, alone and starving, but when I got there... she was already gone. Her form was sunken and no one had even noticed that her soul had departed. I raced to her side even though I knew I was too late. She lay cold in the rubble like a broken and discarded porcelain doll. Her hands were clasped together around a chain. At the end of the chain was a simple heart shaped locket. I knew it must have been important to her. She never cared for jewelry in any of her past lives. When I pried the dirt crusted locket open, I saw myself. A small hand drawn portrait of me. I have countless questions and none of them can be answered, but how could I have been so selfish to allow her to die alone. I found her too late. I was never going to be able to save her, but I could have given her the comfort of not dying alone. I am supposed to be better than them. I am supposed to know better. I deserve this torture. I won’t let her down again. I will find her. For as long as it takes, I will find her. I will love her. Even in death.

- X