EPISODE 1 – SHIFTING INTERESTThis sci-fi romance story provokes awareness about the nature of love, age, and beauty in a culture shaped by technology and shifting perceptions.
This sci-fi romance story provokes awareness about the nature of love, age, and beauty in a culture shaped by technology and shifting perceptions.
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Ageless Allure
In a world where beauty standards and the allure of youth dominate, a remarkable twist of fate sparks a revolution in love. Madeline, a radiant centenarian, struts along the sidewalk in steampunk fashion. Her movements are in pace to the beat of the music blaring from her headphones. Her hips swish and her head bobs for the admiration of onlookers.
She crosses Times Square, dodging middle-aged women who line up outside a clinic that will delay their menopause until past the age of 100. Madeline smirks, remembering when she, too, went through the procedure.
Translucent holographic images of the brilliant scientist, Ervin Cotledge, flash in the windows. Cotledge earned the name by bringing technology into the world that increases longevity among the female population.
Billboards glow above her head, washing the gum-speckled square in blue, red, green, and yellow light. Centenarian actresses adorn the movie posters, outnumbering the few younger women.
Despite the lengthening of female ages, men, retain an average life expectancy of 71 years. People begin describing mature women as “distinguished” and mature men in more derogatory terms.
Timeless Passion
With each wrinkle telling a fascinating story, the enticement of mature women becomes irresistible. Programmers quickly develop dating apps that match younger men with timeless women.
Smoke rises from the gutters leading to the subway and Madeline jumps, light-footed as a feline. Her agility averts charcoal air from staining her creamy-white cargo pants. Madeline hardly bats an eye as she passes the monument dedicated to Palmyra, the human lab rat who was the catalyst for longevity science breakthroughs.
Madeline glances at her phone, smiling as a message from her youthful beau, Kent, pops up on her phone. “I’m here,” he says.
She stares ahead, prowling through the throngs of tourists and street performers. Her sharp eyes take in the centenarian women plastered on glamour magazines outside the street vendor several yards away. Stomach rumbling increases her pace, gliding to the other end of the square. On one of the nearby streets, she finally arrives at the cafe for the rendezvous.
Ignoring the goggling from elderly men, she plops into the window seat and flashes Kent an affable grin. He chuckles, having spotted their leering. “Older men have some nerve,” she mumbles, wagging her head.
Madeline waves her manicured hand in dismissal. “I give them grace, especially when I know they’re almost 70, close to death,” jerking her thumb across her neck.
He chuckles. “Your sense of humor is just perfect.”
She tosses him a wink as the waitress places cappuccinos on the table. “My sense of humor has been honed and refined over the decades.”
“Maybe Cotledge will figure out how to bottle laughter and turn it into an injectable cosmetic.”
While raising an eyebrow, Madeline remarks, “Kent, darling, they say laughter is the secret to eternal youth. With you by my side, I think we’ve found the fountain of humor!”
Kent responds with a smile. “Madeline, my love, I’m forever grateful for your timeless wisdom and quick wit. As long as we keep laughing together, we’ll stay forever young.”
The waitress returns, her brows pinched. She clears her throat, holding her phone up. “Are you two… a couple?”
Madeline leans back in her chair, sipping the froth from her coffee. “Isn’t that what those new dating apps want? They’ve made mature women desirable. Is that a problem?”
The waitress takes a dozen photos. “Not at all. I hope to have such grace when I reach your age.”
Within days, Madeline and Kent cannot exit their apartment building without being swarmed by gaggles of paparazzi, snapping photos of them that are blasted on billboards and headlines throughout the city and beyond.
Within months, Madeline becomes the most talked-about centenarian lady in the world after announcing her pregnancy.
Continue…
Return twice weekly for miniseries. Any relation to actual persons or events is coincidental. Login provides the most immersive experience. About 2400 total words. Audio may include sound effects that alter reading time. Story includes one or more generative AI images to help readers visualize scenes.
