Harold is the last frontier

Opening his eyes, Hiccup is surprised that he is still alive. It is November 11, a good day for his generation. He did his duty, for his country, but also for the promise of adventure and glory. And for all his fame and post-traumatic stress disorder, he's now rotting away in this Midwest nursing home. He misses the ocean. He is surprised not only to have reached his 92nd birthday, but also to have lived without  guessing his secret. If his wife knew, she never told him and never let him see her. She complained about his smoking and quiet disposition, but he was a loving and attentive companion. 

Today  is bingo day in the main hall. He shudders at the thought of bumping into Mimi, who is still trying to get him to be her girlfriend. He was handsome in his youth, but now he's bald and unkempt. That doesn't seem to stop women. He's thankful he doesn't have dementia, but his hips are so bad that he walks slowly with a cane. He knows his children won't come to visit him; he was an absentee father, always traveling for work. But he doesn't blame them. This weighs on him  and makes him wish he had more time to fix this mistake. But the fathers were not involved at the time and have grown over the years, especially after the death of his wife Sophie. And so it ended up in this landfill, although it is not the worst since it has been closed in  92 years. He is almost ready to drop his sword and escape the beige corridors of purgatory  filled with screaming madness. He is tired, and although he has not grown to give up, he is ready to pass  his faded torch.  At lunch he faints thinking about his best friend of 30 years who died 2 months ago. Luke. Lucas saw a hat. He only saw him once without a hat  and the nickname stuck with him. 

He never had the test, but it looks like he took it in the shower. When he comes out of his trance, they sing happy birthday. The blue flowers on the cake melt in the heat of the candles. The guard blows out the candles  with a fan and everyone tries to applaud. There is a woman he doesn't recognize, in her thirties, standing in a navy blue dress. So he gets distracted by the gifts. He gets new socks and a pillow, and after the cake they leave him  the comfortable chair in the corner so he can look out over the golden fields that stretch as far as the eye can see. 

The next day, in the plant room, he doesn't know if it's called that because everyone is sitting like plants or because of the  philodendron hanging in the corner. A woman comes and sits next to him, the same woman from yesterday. 

 --My wife was obsessed with plants, her little house looked more like a jungle than an apartment, she says. 

--Ah, she said, how beautiful it is. I also like plants. 

Harold is afraid of dementia. Should I know this woman?  

--Are you here to get some news? Hiccup asked, his eyes shining. She laughs. Harold is always good at making people laugh. Sometimes you touch yourself, but don't question it: a laugh is a laugh. 

- I heard you just celebrated a birthday this week. That's great, happy birthday.  I came to talk to you, she said. I am coming from a special project with a travel agency. 

She reached out to shake his hand, I am Commander Menon. 

- My traveling days  are over. 

--Well, we are not an ordinary travel agency. But I will tell you more when I meet my colleagues.  

They were in the meeting room and he motioned for Carol to come. Carol is wearing a  green dress, almost like a ball gown. 

"You look good," he said. She slowly turned around. Well, she said,  notice me.  

Harold asked, can you see this woman in front of me? 

Yes, he said, of course. So she says, is that the only reason you brought me to  this room? Shame on you. He slapped her on the shoulder playfully and returned to his  seat.  Harold asked if he could touch the commander's arm. He doesn't trust Carol. Not being cool, he said he just wanted to be sure. 

-- Yes, I am true, said Commander Menon. 

 Then Silvia came  to explain that he was going out for the day on a one-day leave. This is rare for  residents. 

 As he helps Harold into the long black car, Harold says, Thanks for getting me out of jail. 

-- Don't you get out much? 

 -- Well, if more means once every 4 years. I don't have any family or friends. Where are you taking me? 

- I'm meeting some of my colleagues for a meeting. 

They arrive at a large building and go up to the 42nd floor. Harold can see the whole city. When they reach the room, he sits down and rests his cane on the black lacquered table. There are 8 women and men talking and looking at their cards. 

-- Welcome Mr. Stanfield. 

-- Call me Harold.  

We are the managing partners of MIP, the Multi-Planetary Housing Program. 

Do you know Tess-3? Hiccup was digging. 

-- No, that's what it sounds like. 

The woman leading the meeting smiled shyly. 

--We are looking for senior participants who want to be pioneers on our nearest planet that can support life. 

--We don't have the technology to travel at the speed of light, said Harold, do we? 

- We have it, said a man. But you're cutting the engine, so we can't get  back. You'll be cryogenically frozen for the rest of the trip. When you land, you'll be 102 years old, but you'll still feel like a 92-year-old chicken. 

It was Harold's turn to laugh. 

- Is this a joke, a birthday joke? If a clown comes out from behind this door, I'm leaving.  

This is not a joke or a joke. We sent healthy seniors like you to test these planets and collect data. Let's be real, we've ruined the Earth and it doesn't support us anymore, we need other options. We  sent 8 more. The Beta 1 group had an engine failure. Unfortunately, the second group, the beta 2 group, contracted the flu and most of them died. But they were able to breathe the air and grow some herbs for a while. 

And now with the beta 3 batch, we want to see if we can  grow something in the ground. We'll check back every week to go over some of the details. Then we will come to you on the 1st of May  and you will live in a secret place for three months to train. 

The next week, they took him into the same room and showed him pictures of the planet. It looked like solid rock with a dust storm. But on the other side of the planet, there was a swamp with a tail. Small microscopic organisms live in the swamp. It would be his only life. Traveling with four other people. Three women and two men. His family receives $500,000. He gave the names of his children but said he didn't know where they were exactly, maybe somewhere in California. Harold realized that his  adventures were not over. He signed the papers. 

At home, he sat in the TV room trying to figure out what had happened. Steve walked in and put his arm around him, "Hey, where have you been?" » I think you have finally been taken to your real home: the zoo! Then he let out a loud laugh. Well done, said Harold, coming from a guy who showed himself in college. Steve shut  up and left. Will consider trying again with me. Hiccup began to think  again. Who cares if something happens? I didn't want to be lost in space, suffering. There was no one else around, if he remembered. The last she had heard of him, he was still alive, on Bleeker Street. But that was 10 years ago. 

 Harold could not sleep that night. He wants to talk to the nurse, but he's afraid she'll think he's hallucinating or making something up. He is woken up at 7 am by the nurse giving him medicine. My God, he exclaims, "Can't you even sleep  when you're old?" 

- You can go back to sleep Harold, - but  a delicious breakfast awaits you. 

He speaks in a singing voice as if he were a baby or a puppy. He pulled the covers  over his head. Why not, he asks, what kept him here? But  part of him fears being thrown into the cold, dark void. Sure, it's boring and tiring, but that's all he knows. 

 When May 1st came, they woke him up at 2 a.m. and piled him through a side door into a luxury city car. He met with others and  trained in the facility for 3 months. 

 On the last day, they had to choose what they wanted for dinner. He chose prime rib and Atlantic lobster with a few bottles of Rioja Gran Reserva. Homemade bread with butter and a portion of organic carrots and greens. It was  a real party. They were standing in front of the  windows at the end of the night and he turned to Joyce and said well, I think it's up to us to repopulate this new planet. She laughed and turned to him and gave him a small kiss. Even though he couldn't feel anything, the summer and the stars on the clear night were still the strongest magic he had felt in years. 

The next day he asked her if she wanted to watch his funeral on the computer. They had sent  an obituary telling the world that he was already dead. No, he said. He didn't care.  

On the day of the release, Harold grabbed the letter, the only one he had from him. 

 He boarded the ship, after the long security demonstrations that he had been forced to do. And after flying through space, they went for a while, and he looked at the blue and white marble, his eyes filled with tears.

By Taun17