Lost In The Future

• Amelia Gill
• Short Story
• 2017

I woke up in the middle of nowhere. Green pastures stretched as far as the eye could see. There were no signs of life anywhere, except the few trees scattered around the place. The sky was a bright blue, and there were a few white, fluffy clouds. It would’ve been a perfect day if I wasn’t in the middle of nowhere. I looked at my watch. It read: 9:01am, 1 January 2117. But that couldn’t be right! When I last checked, I was in the year 2017! Something must be wrong with my watch… I felt around in my pocket, looking for my phone so I could call my parents. But my phone wasn’t there, instead there was a note. It read:
‘Welcome to the year 2117! Your phone is out of date and is currently being suited with the latest technology. Please make your way to the New Arrivals dome.’
Where was the New Arrivals dome? Suddenly a sign popped up, reading my mind. It said: ‘The New Arrivals dome – 1km straight ahead’. It was in the shape of an arrow, pointing towards the East. I could tell because everyone knows that the sun rises in the East, right? I didn’t know if I could walk a kilometre, but I started to anyway. Suddenly, the ground opened up beneath me and I fell down.
I figured I must’ve blacked out back then. I had landed on a squishy, soft surface and had found a high-tech train waiting for me. I jumped onto the train and sat in an extremely comfortable chair. There was a TV, on the screen it read: Welcome Charlotte, you will be taken to the Café station, 200 meters away from the New Arrivals dome. How did it know my name? I guess it’s just some mind-reading technology thingymajig. A female voice spoke through the speakers, “You will arrive at your destination in a few seconds. All thanks to the new speeding bullet train! Enjoy your ride, and don’t forget to buckle up!” Buckle up? Suddenly the train jolted to a start. I held onto the seat in front of me, while I tried to buckle myself up. I finally did it, but then the train stopped at the Café station straight after I did it. “Please exit the train. Thanks for travelling with SpeedTravel!” the female voice stated. I unbuckled my hard work and left the train. The station was gleaming white and seemed very futuristic. Silvery-white poles reached out to the domed, glass roof. People with high-tech gear hovered, drove and teleported around. I was the only person who was walking. I saw a hover board stand next to a glittering, green plant. I grabbed it and set off to find my way home.
I skimmed through the crowd of technology addicted people on my hover board. The sun shined through the large glass roof, and I could see hover cars, hover trains and other vehicles I had never seen before. I passed silver packages with names projected into the air. I suddenly saw my name. Charlotte Sapphire Brown. It was unmistakeable. I mean, who has a middle name like Sapphire with a last name Brown? It makes my middle name seem more superior. Anyway, I touched the package. It opened up to reveal… my phone? It was extremely upgraded. I could barely recognise it! It still had the same case, but adjusted to fit my new upgraded phone. I didn’t have much time left. I grabbed my phone and continued on my journey.
It seemed like forever until I reached the New Arrivals Dome. I burst in to find people everywhere, sitting on hovering seats and wandering around. I looked up at a sign and it said: ‘The New Arrivals Dome has unfortunately been demolished. This is now the shopping mall. Have a good day.’ Wait, what?! I couldn’t go home?! Robots sped around, fulfilling the needs of shoppers, technology was visible in every direction, except… except outside. That’s weird… before I came in, there was a huge city, right there. I walked outside and looked behind me. The mall had disappeared. I was in the same place I started. Green pastures… trees… clouds… I was lost.