Hope

Sabella sat alone. The old worn bench she occupied; constructed from bits and pieces, seemed to be made just for her. It had after all been in that bunker for nearly as long as she had been.

Chubby-faced children followed after their robot teacher. Their little bodies bounced around excitedly as they waited for the museum to open. There was a new exhibit after all, and a very important one at that.

She had sat on that bench every day for the last year, and every day she saw those smiling little faces as they watched the construction of the museum. They didn't make her sad per se but they did always leave a certain feeling deep down in her heart. It just made her wish that her own children had stayed, and chosen a life in the bunker instead of the upload.

"Maybe I should have gone with them,” she said, to herself.

It had once made her sad, thinking that she and the life she provided for them wasn't enough. But eventually, she realized they only wanted what she had had as a child, a life in the open under a dazzling blue sky.

Sometimes she wondered if any of the children were her blood. It was just as likely as not, she thought. After all, only your brain is necessary for upload. Or not at all if you choose to be an explorer.

“Ah well, there's nothing for it now!" 

She watched as one of the children broke off from the pack and booked it over to a worker cutting through the tunnels, no doubt heading home. Sabella couldn’t help but smile as the man scooped up the child and hugged them tightly. There were always those, she couldn’t help but think, that chose to delay uploading. The ones that took the contract and started life outside the upload, at least for a little while.

"Sabella?"

A sleek black bot stood in front of her, its face oblong and smooth for the second it took its sensors to register her gaze. With a flicker, a smiling young face now stared down at her. Its eyelids blinked in timed intervals, meant to put people at ease. It had always unnerved Sabella, the thought that people had forgotten how to blink.

“Yes, sorry I was lost in my head,” said Sabella.

“Plenty of time for that,” he said with a chuckle.

“Yes, I suppose you’re correct.”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

His face scrunched in on itself as he realized the inappropriateness of the joke. “I’m so sorry!... I mean, I can't tell you how much we appreciate, how much the human culture society appreciates your donation.”

“It’s fine I can take a joke,” she said, waving him off.

Sabella stood from the bench, her bones audibly protesting. The robot man, whose name she had forgotten, visibly winced and offered her an arm. She clutched it, half expecting it to break as he pulled her up. They always felt so hollow she thought, like bird bones.

They walked together toward the museum, the doors opening without a touch. She scoffed inwardly at the museum’s name, ‘Museum of the 21’s Century’; it wasn’t very inventive.

“As I'm sure you are aware so much of the past has been lost due to the frantic nature of the rehoming and unfortunately the-"

"Yes, I am aware of what happened in the past. I lived it after all."

Sabella reached out and touched the inside of the door; she hadn’t seen an automatic door work for years. It made her happy to see things that used to be so common when the bunker was new. She was glad for that, she remembered when things weren't so good.

"You know I ran this whole place once. Well, there was Chuck and Mona, but basically, it was mostly me." Chuck and Mona had been old, almost the same age as she was now. They had died days before things had truly changed, she always felt bad about that, even though there was nothing she could have done about it.

"Yes, mam we are well aware of your many abilities and the fact that you are willing to, well it is just such an honor to accompany you at this time."

They came to a stop in front of what looked to be a replica of the woods outside her childhood home. Amongst the small new trees, stood the empty tube.

"I have to ask mam, what made you agree-," he stopped, his face taking on a sad tint. "Well, you could still be uploaded, be with your family. At the very least you could let us throw a party for you,” he said, with a chuckle.

Sabella thought about her children, the only family she had left. How many years had it been since she had heard from them? She knew she could have called. She also knew she should have told them of her decision.

"I have lived many years in this hole in the ground.” She thought of the children outside the museum patiently waiting. Their barely suppressed excitement for something new. “Well, shall we get this over with?”

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The Bunker Gazette

The grand opening of the Museum of the 21’s Century marked the official turning point of our society. Though some worried it would be a somber event. It turned out to be one of celebration and hope, Thanks to Sabella Abe. The last of the youngest generation to have entered the Bunker at the end of the 21-century.

Children and their robotic keepers swarmed the museum’s featured exhibit. The children were particularly excited to be able to take park in Sabella’s fondest childhood memory, hide-and-seek in her backyard.

Physically interact with the holographic child (Sabella Abe) in a game of hide-and-seek. Admire the woman who sleeps within the forest, watching over us all until her knowledge is needed once again. The Museum of the 21’s Century is sure to be the highlight of the year.