Seth never planned on ruling the world. At 23 he was content to lie in his sofa, Netflix Chuck Norris movies and play word games on his tablet. If he'd make it to level 30 on Letris before he died he would had consider it a life well spent.
So when his future-self, thirty years older and dressed in a burning space suit materialised in his living room and offered him the keys to the kingdom Seth was sceptical.
But Future-Seth had a load of convincing arguments.
And eventually he relented.
“Fine”, he said, “I'll rule the damn world if it means so damn much to us”.
He hadn't planned on it being so much work, though. Late nights monitoring multiple screens and waiting for stock exchanges in far-away places to open. And then once he'd amassed a small fortune an enormous amount of time went to just shuffling said fortune around in order to further multiply it. After that it was board-meetings with Future-Seth feeding him lines via an earpiece. Telephone-calls in the middle of the night from his senior staff. Magazine interviews. Tea at Buckingham Palace with the leaders of the free world. Whiskey at the Bouncing Yoo-hoos strip club with the leaders of the criminal underground.
“Fine”, he said, “I'll rule the damn world if it means so damn much to us”.
He hadn't planned on it being so much work, though. Late nights monitoring multiple screens and waiting for stock exchanges in far-away places to open. And then once he'd amassed a small fortune an enormous amount of time went to just shuffling said fortune around in order to further multiply it. After that it was board-meetings with Future-Seth feeding him lines via an earpiece. Telephone-calls in the middle of the night from his senior staff. Magazine interviews. Tea at Buckingham Palace with the leaders of the free world. Whiskey at the Bouncing Yoo-hoos strip club with the leaders of the criminal underground.
And working out. Piano lessons and dieting. Literature studies and learning proper table manners.
“I know it's exhausting”, said Future-Seth, “but we need to be our very best for when we meet Nicole again for the first time”.
“Then it'll be worth it”, he said, “She'll fall in love with you and then it'll be worth it”.
“I've been in love”, said Seth in-between push-ups. He wasn't sure if that was true. He'd been together with Sarah for six months before she left him and while he was sad to see her go he didn't really miss her. He slept so much better on his own. Tangled up in sheets instead of the hard elbows and knees of another.
“I know it's exhausting”, said Future-Seth, “but we need to be our very best for when we meet Nicole again for the first time”.
“Then it'll be worth it”, he said, “She'll fall in love with you and then it'll be worth it”.
“I've been in love”, said Seth in-between push-ups. He wasn't sure if that was true. He'd been together with Sarah for six months before she left him and while he was sad to see her go he didn't really miss her. He slept so much better on his own. Tangled up in sheets instead of the hard elbows and knees of another.
His biceps burned but he tortured his way through another set. Future-Seth was relentless when it came to exercise, a real drill sergeant.
“You don't know love, Past-Seth. You've only slept and dreamt of love. That's the closest you've been”.
“That's pretty, Future-me”, said Seth as he rolled over on his back and switched to crunches.
“It's the Smiths”, said Future-Seth.
“We like the Smiths in the future?”
“She likes the Smiths”.
“You don't know love, Past-Seth. You've only slept and dreamt of love. That's the closest you've been”.
“That's pretty, Future-me”, said Seth as he rolled over on his back and switched to crunches.
“It's the Smiths”, said Future-Seth.
“We like the Smiths in the future?”
“She likes the Smiths”.
Seth continued with the crunches. According to Future-Seth he was less than five years away from getting invited to join the secret cabal that ruled the world. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. But it was nice to have someone else worry about the future.
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