SciFi at its best.

I imagine Mike and Kendall having this conversation.

YR original fiction

As you may know, I'm taking a sci-fi creative writing class. The first assignment is to write a story involving an arbitrary combination of two characters and one conflict. I had to write something involving a chess player, an omniscient entity, and a terminal illness. And now, lady and gentleman, I bring you a YR original work of fiction:

Checkmate, I know you are dying.
Herbert the chess player touched his index finger to the pawn third from the left and before moving announced the following: "I'm dying you know. I have a fatal illness." He pushed the pawn two spaces and slouched back in his chair. "No, you’re not dying." sighed his friend Feldman, who happened to be an omniscient entity. "And also, you are going to lose this game - I can already tell."

Herbert was clearly irritated. His long time chess companion may in fact be some sort of god-like creature, but he had no right to be rude. "I think you are jealous! You have no mystery in your life!" And Herbert was right. Feldman was a creature from the high beyond. Only some remnant of his mind contained his long forgotten humanity; from a time before the technological singularity had raised him to a level Herbert could not possibly understand any more than a gold fish could understand the stock market. But if he was anything, Feldman was a sentimental being as he kept this entire planet of feral humans as a monument to the before time.

He pushed his own pawn forward and stated wryly “You don't have any illness” and with that, out of perhaps love for this simple creature, he broke a promise. There is only one agreed-upon rule for entities from the beyond: Never violate the time-line. It was such a small thing, that bird veering off course ever so slightly a few months in the past. A particularly energetic cosmic ray struck harmlessly on the bird’s tail feathers missing Herbert’s DNA entirely.

In an instant the deed was done and Herbert, appearing suddenly 20 pounds heavier, still wore the same shirt. Look how happy he is. Thought Feldman. What's the fun of being a god if you can't do whatever you want once in a while. “Check mate!” shouted Herbert, I won! Thank you for letting me win again!? But it seemed like you were not really trying!” Feldman froze, “I did not let you win, wait, I though we just started. Something is not right. I think I’m confused?”

"How could you become confused?" marveled Herbert "Are you feeling all right? Just because I beat you doesn’t mean you have to act like you are dying!”

The blood had completely rushed from Feldman’s face by this time, his reply was vacant yet wistful, “Maybe I did something I should not have. I am feeling undone...” And with that, like a sweater unraveled at the speed of light, he was gone.

Never violate the time-line.