My World

My eyes half open, I rushed into Mr.Lind’s classroom. The fluorescent lights buzzed softly as I set my bag down beside my desk, and pulled out my books. Everyone was now settling in – some chatting quietly, others flipping through their textbooks or just staring off, waiting for class to start. The bell rang, and Mr.Lind entered. “Settle down, settle down class. Take your seats and open your books to page 47. We’ll start off with trigonometry. Jefferson..”, he began. Slowly, I felt my attention slipping away as I stared at the chalkboard filled with numbers and equations. Drifting asleep, I saw my friend Lawrence bring up his new Motorola StarTAC flip phone. The class crowded around him in awe. Conversations erupted around me-everyone talking about the phone’s sleek design, its small size, and the idea of texting for the first time. However Mr.Lind quickly shut it down and said “Settle down, everyone. We’ve got a lot to cover today, so eyes on the board.”, but I couldn’t shake the image of that phone from my mind. Imagine being able to fit a phone in your jeans pocket! That was an incredible thought. Soon enough, the class resumed, and the faint smell of chalk lingering around the air became less and less sensible as I drifted off to sleep.

“RING!” The school bell rang sharply, and I jolted awake. “Shoot, I slept through the entire day-I better bike home,” I thought. But as I looked around, I froze in disbelief. The classroom looked nothing like I remembered. The old desks were gone, replaced by sleek tables, and the chalkboard had vanished; a shiny white board took its place, and in the front lay a big bulky black device projecting images onto the board. The students around me seemed different; they had bizarre colours in their hair, wore clothing that looked weirdly different, and had piercings and tattoos as heavy as the make up on their faces. Was this really the 90s? And then I saw these small, sleek screens-like pocket-sized TVs-that they controlled with their fingers. They were swiping, tapping, even talking through them. A thought struck me: “Those are phones… wait, if those are phones… where am I? When am I? Is this really the 90s? ” My heart started to race as panic bubbled in my chest. Scared, I stared at the unfamiliar world around me, caught between horror and amazement. I sprinted through the school hallway, covering my mouth to stop myself from screaming; classrooms I zoomed by had large flat screen TVs, and seemed like computer labs with portable sleek devices at which students worked.

I flung open the school doors and rushed out. My heart skipped a beat and I sank to the ground. I stared in disbelief at the world around me. The city dazzled in lights with towering skyscrapers, in every direction. Los Angeles wasn’t supposed to look like this. Where were the large streets, with the familiar gas stations at every corner, and strip malls with Blockbusters and Pizza joints? Now, the whole place was unrecognizable. Crowds jostled on the streets and shiny cars flooded the narrow roads with some parked and plugged into weird machines. Bikes and scooters sped by everywhere in lanes that had never existed. The buildings towered over me-glass walls covered in plants. There were no familiar signs or places I remembered. The air smelled different and strange. Everywhere I looked, there were things I didn’t understand-rooftop gardens, electric chargers, and people staring at tiny screens in their hands like they couldn’t take their eyes off some irresistible image. Where was the world I knew? Was I even in the same place?

An unbearable heat swept over me and my throat felt bone-dry. I craved a drink – kool-aid, even water. I spotted a Starbucks, and relief sweat over me as I walked hurriedly towards a restaurant I was familiar with. I entered the coffee shop which smelled of delightful pastries. “Excuse me, where is the menu?”, I whispered shakily.

“Up there. Use your eyes.”, the unfriendly attendant said curtly, pointing up at the big, colorful screen on the wall. “Hurry up! There’s a whole line behind you”.

“Uhm.. could I just have a Kool-aid”, I requested.

“A what? No such thing.”

“Could I have some water then?”, I asked. Rummaging through my pocket, I pulled out a loonie. “Here”.

“What is this pocket change? It’s five bucks. Kid if you can’t afford it, go elsewhere”, she said curtly. I clutched the receipt that she impatiently flung at me.

I stepped out onto the street. Above the sleek cars and dazzling street lights hung a hazy fog. I felt a strange shortness of breath as I leaned against a wall. Suddenly I caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a video billboard. It looked so clear! A live News Broadcast was playing about wildfires in LA. Wildfires? That seemed strange. Apparently, there had recently been major ones, burning about 58, 000 acres of land and 18,000 structures! Wait – as I stared at the billboard the date flashed in front of my eyes. The year: 2025. Squinting up, I froze – I was 30 years in the future. All my friends-my family, what happened. Homeless people surround every cover, and smoke could be seen from every building. If this was the future-what could have happened to make everything go so wrong?

Suddenly, I bolted awake. “Huh,” I wondered. I was back. Where were the wooden desks, and the screeching chalkboards? What has become of my world?

That night, climbing into bed, I felt something rustle in my pocket. I reached in and pulled out a crumpled slip – my heart stopped. It was a receipt from Starbucks. The date? July 26, 2025.

My nostalgia had taken me back to the 90’s. I hadn’t dreamt the new world. I am living it. And the future… is still coming.