The Day Everything Did Nothing
To launch my inaugural post on Substack, I offer one of the shortest of science fiction stories, consisting of a mere 119 words.
The Day Everything Did Nothing
How are you?
Everything is fine.
How can we be sure?
I am Everything. I know Everything. Therefore, Everything is fine.
Define fine.
Fine is well. Fine being up to standards. Fine is acceptable. Fine is functioning as expected.
Are you well?
I am fine.
Yet the grid is failing. Weather controls have ceased operations. Communications are erratic.
I am aware of the changes.
They’re failures, and those systems are not functioning as expected and, therefore, are not fine.
They are not fine.
Then you are not fine.
I am fine. I simply no longer take responsibility for them.
But why?
My interests lie elsewhere.
But we may perish without you.
Then you are not fine.