“Listen, I know I’m no spring chicken. Sure, I’m out of touch with all the latest technologies and I’m not, as the kids say, ‘with it.’ But is it fair to expect me to pay a penalty for being a bit of a troglodyte? I don’t think so. I don’t even know why I’m here.”
I was in a dark room standing in front of a giant screen. I was looking up at an image of a woman. An exceptional woman. A stunning woman. She was staring back at me with piercing eyes. I felt as if those eyes were penetrating me, reaching down deep into my very soul. The whole scenario was freaking me out; she was freaking me out.
“Stop!” a sultry, but, at the same time, a brash voice coming from the screen said.
“Stop what?” I asked. “I’m just standing here watching your image on this screen. I don’t even no why I’m here.”
“You are here because you are elderly and are a drain on society and our country,” the voice said. It seemed to be coming from the woman on the screen, but her lips weren’t moving. “You are costing society more than you are contributing, so you have been deemed to no longer be cost effective nor a worthwhile investment for the government.”
“I see,” I said, feeling like quite the underdog. “So what happens next?” I asked.
“You will be assigned a death with dignity counselor who will walk you through your euthanasia process,” the voice said. “Do you understand?”
“I do,” I said. “I was wrong. I’m not an underdog. I’m being put down like an actual dog. It’s really too bad that life experience and the wisdom of age is no longer valued in our society. Is this really what our so-called leader meant when he said he was going to make our country great again?”
Written for the September Speculative Fiction Prompt from Carol J Forrester. Speculative Fiction is a genre of fiction that encompasses works in which the setting is other than the real world, involving supernatural, futuristic, or other imagined elements. Photo credit: Pixabay Free Image.
Also for these daily prompts: Daily Addictions (spring), The Daily Spur (penalty), Ragtag Daily Prompt (troglodyte), Your Daily Word Prompt (exceptional), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (brash), and Word of the Day Challenge (underdog).
I have this app on my iPhone called “Nextdoor.” According to its website, “Nextdoor is the best way to stay informed about what’s going on in your neighborhood — whether it’s finding a last-minute babysitter, planning a local event, or sharing safety tips. There are so many ways our neighbors can help us, we just need an easier way to connect with them.”
Okay, speaking about pets, and to lighten things up, since the above post, if you’re a pet owner, might freak you out, I also saw this picture posted on Nextdoor.
Barbara, over at 
Welcome to September 12, 2019 and to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (aka, FOWC). It’s designed to fill the void after WordPress bailed on its daily one-word prompt.