obelisk 2026
home. Instead of sliding his key into its lock, he just stood on his front porch, his leather jacket glistening in the fading light. For a moment everything was still. And if it fails, he thought, I will begin to live.
And so the seasons slipped by: summer turned to fall, and fall turned to winter. The System showered everyone with gifts, unasked. Ray clung to the idea of finding something The System couldn’ t give, but not much changed as winter melted into spring. It continued to provide what people seemed to want. Strands of twinkling lights in December. Champagne at New Year’ s. A snow blower in February. But still nothing anyone had to work for.
He had given himself a year to outsmart The System, and it was nearly summer again. In despair, Ray wandered the streets aimlessly. Then one day as he walked in his garden, he saw it. Just a flash. Puzzled, he stared at his flowers. He didn’ t know why, but then he saw them. Bees. A group of them, collecting nectar and transporting it back to their hive. He realized something. These bees performed a task. They had purpose. These bees had jobs they had to do, and if not, no honey would be produced. Ray thought, Could this apply to my life? Do people need purpose to feel fulfilled? He didn’ t know, but he felt strangely sure of it. This sparked more thought. If I asked The System for purpose, could it give it to me? Even so, what would it be?
By this point Ray had more questions than answers. So once again the day came when everyone could get what they“ want.” Ray knew these people thought they were getting everything they desired when in reality they couldn’ t even imagine what they really wanted. So there he was, rounding the corner of the loud city street. He knew that what he was about to do would be dangerous and maybe even fatal, but if no one could break through to real life, was life really worth living? Stepping past the perfect rows of tablets, he
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