Sunday, September 23, 2012

Short Story for NPR



"Decisions"

Joseph McIntyre was an optimist. The glass was always half full and there was always a silver lining.  However his career path required that he also be a realist. Make hard decisions for the greater good. After all, he had a lot of influence towards the nations good.

“Mr. President” called out one of his staff members, accompanied by a soft knock at the door.  “We’re ready for you.” 

“Yes, one second.” the President replied, slowly rising from his chair.  As he stood, he slid his hand across his desk in the oval office, where he sat and made decisions which would impact the world forever. 

He crossed to one of the large windows in the room to watch the sun arc across the horizon and bleed its way into the night. Normally around this time, he was anxious to be with his family.  To re-count his day, and count his blessings. To prepare for another big decision.

But not today. Today, he had to own all of his decisions since entering the office.

When he was elected, there was little room for optimism.  The economy was still recovering, and the population was rising exponentially, leaving hunger in its wake.  Yet, optimism was just what America needed. A light in the Darkness.  Hope for the hopeless.  And Joseph McIntyre possessed promise.

He built his campaign around promises. Promises of fighting hunger - not just hunger in America, but the whole world.  He won the election by a landslide, and sought about fulfilling those promises as quickly as possible. 

His first decision was to pair with researchers who had been developing certain bio-foods.  Crops bred to specifically access genes which have natural pest defenses to eliminate the use of pesticides and other toxins. 

His second decision pushed the research further.   He wanted to find a way to amplify cell reproduction in a way that would not cause any harm or ill effects.  To naturally breed crops which would be large enough to feed 4 times their normal amount through the use of biotechnology. 

Upon initial success the President made the decision to broadcast the results of animal testing.  Within months the population accepted the safety of this new BioFood, and within a year demanded that it be available to the public. 

And so, when the barrage of images of hollowed youth became too much to stand, the President made the decision to accept the demand.  BioFood was accessible with less than a year of proper testing.  Yet as the years went on, that fact seemed to matter less and less.  Stomachs were full, and no one could stop singing the President’s praise until now.

“Mr. President. Is everything alright?”  Came the now tentative voice of the staff member, pulling Joseph McIntyre from his thoughts from the last 3 ½ years of his term. 

“Yes. I’m coming,” he sighed reluctantly tearing himself from the window and towards the Press Conference which awaited him…

 “In my first year as your President, I encouraged BioFoods to produce an answer to hunger.  And it seemed we succeeded.  And so, we shared the fruits of our success…prematurely.  We are now discovering a delayed side effect.  The catalyst which induced cell replication in plants seems to have gradually transferred to anything that has consumed it.  And now lives dormant in us all.  It also seems…that this state of dormancy is interrupted when we die.  All over the world we have recorded cases of cell replication after death, which has also prompted cell regeneration. In essence – the dead are rising to live once again.”


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