One Thing To Remember - Short Story
A room of dejected and down scientists sat at a table done with their research.
All the numbers, all the tests, all the experiments, and they gained no knowledge for a cure. Sure, they gained plenty of insight on how not to create a cure, but that doesn’t do them any good. Don’t tell me how to not invent a light bulb; tell me how it’s done. After you create it, then you and I and all your buddies can reminisce on all those failed trials.
There will be no cure for the disease, for if these men and women can’t do it, no one can. Our brightest searched through their vast wisdom of multiple fields and many years and they found the same amount as the number of eggs I find at an Easter egg hunt. None. The virus won. Give it the trophy. Start the parade. Present it the key to the city. All anyone can do now is wait for Death to arrive, for that is all the virus will bring with it.
The group of scientists has reported their grim findings to the government and sat together one last time before splitting for good.
Carl spoke up and scanned the rest of the disappointed team. “So that’s it? We’re done and everyone dies?”
Jasmine, the elder in the group by age and wisdom, responded, “Unless you have a magic potion you’re holding out on us.”
The youngest in the group, Kyle, picked his head up from off the table. “I can’t believe we didn’t find a cure. I really thought we could.”
Jasmine tried to ease the boy’s pain. “It’s not like we didn’t try.”
The three of them got up to leave, along with Megan, the leader of the group who had yet to say anything. The only one still sitting was David, who spoke up. “We have to consider one thing before we leave.” “What’s that?” Megan asked.
“Doc Brown created a time machine out of a car.”
“You’re only saying that because you recently watched the movie.” “Still… If he can make a time machine out of a car then we can do this. Think about it…. He made a time machine out of a car, a Delorean, to be exact.” No one was listening. David stood up on the table. “Did Doc Brown stop after he bumped his head? Did he stop after he ran out of money from his family fortune? Did he stop after he had no more plutonium? He paused, “Did he stop after a young kid came to him claiming to be from the future? No. No, he did not. He continued with his research. He continued to work hard, even though all the odds were against him. The man who invented a time machine shouldn’t be an old man who lives by himself in a garage and hangs out with a high school kid. He should be working among the best of the best. But did he? Was he? Did that stop him? No. Because no matter what, Doc Brown was going to make a time machine. And he did. He spent his whole life, his whole family fortune, and made a time machine out of a goddamn car.”
“He even made it fly at the end!” Kyle, now listening to David, called out.
“Exactly. And we don’t think we can create a cure for this virus?
What type of scientists are we if we allow this virus to spread?”
He stopped and for the first time, each individual in the room, besides David, was questioning themselves if they really could do it. That maybe they weren’t that far off. That the next numbers, next test, next experiment, may be the one that could solve it for them. Their data showed they were all over. The calendar was marked complete. The schedule passed. No one would get mad at them if they didn’t find a cure. But each of them knew they could do it.
“So what do you say? You guys want to figure out a way to produce 1.21 gigawatts, or are we going to be erased from existence?”
Everyone stared at one another, confronted with the question that none of them like to answer. “What do we solve when we don’t have the answer? What is asked when there are no more questions? When the science we use fails us, what do we go to for answers?” They knew the answer. It was within. No government grant, or state-of-the-art lab, or advanced mathematics could help them get through the crisis of conscience they all faced.
Everyone considered them to be heroes in the community, leaders of our society, models for our world. They were great people before this. If they were as great as they and everyone else thought they were, they could stop the virus. Great people make great moments, and this was theirs. Megan stared at David. “I hate your goddamn optimism.” “What do you say?” David asked the leader of the group. Before she could answer, Kyle, now enthused, yelled, “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads!” Megan, caught off guard by the holler, backed away from Kyle and looked back at David. “Fine, I’ll continue with this. Even though logic and reason say we’re finished.” She shook her head, not believing she got talked into this. “You’re unbelievable sometimes.” David gestured to the other two. “Carl? Jasmine? You guys in?” “Sure.” Carl put his jacket down. “If we fail, we’re still gonna die.” “Yeah. Why not? It gives me something to think about before the virus spreads.” Megan gathered the group. “Okay. Everyone meet at my place in an hour. We got some work to do.” They all nodded. All but the leader and motivational speaker were left in the room. Megan turned to the proud David. “That was the weirdest motivational speech I’ve ever heard.”
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Greg Luti is an editor, and blogger on pensandwords.com. His favorite writers are Robert Frost and Charles Bukowski. He enjoys reading up on history, watching comedies, and playing video games, when he is not writing down a few notes for his next piece. He started this blog out of his love for literature and hopes that the reader shares that same passion.
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