Living Memories
Marie wanted to relive the version of Marie when she was 10. Before her dad left and before everything changed in the span of one car crash. And I tried to respect that, but we only had one set of goggles, and I had a horrible day and was really looking forward to reliving the Spring Break of 2025. Besides, Marie had already relived five memories that same day and was starting to miss too much school, keeping the goggles on way longer than Meta ever suggested they should be worn. But who was I to discipline her? She just wanted to see her father again and honestly who could blame her.
I would though. I would blame her. Even if it was solely for the fact to get to spend 10 extra minutes with the goggles, reliving a life where I could have the freedom of a kid again. Besides, why did she even need the goggles? She should be getting ready for the real world and stop reliving. She was still a kid, she didn’t need to relive anything. She was already “in the moment.”
“Why don’t you wait till the weekend, and get ready for the day instead?” I asked.
“I don’t want to leave the house, I want to see Dad.”
That hurt. I was the one that bought the goggles, they were registered in my name, yet she didn’t seem to care.
“The goggles are registered under my biometrics, you can use them when I say. And right now I say you can’t” I said.
“You’re selfish” she screamed, “I deserve to relive my own memories too, everyone else is reliving their life while I am stuck in the present.”
As I heard the door slam behind me, and as the mood sensitive lights we had installed immediately switched to red, I knew I messed up. But honestly I couldn’t care, it seemed to be something that was happening a lot ever since I bought the goggles. Whether that was a side effect of prolonged exposure to the goggles, or me simply dealing with a teenager, my ability to care seemed to decrease every day.
The Meta Live Life Goggles were released back in 2030 and seemed to forever alter the relationships we had with people. I sprung for the third generation version and spent nearly ten thousand dollars for the ability to relive every second of my life. Life was cataloged and I could finally see the time before Marie, before my husband died, before life seemed to spin out of control. Users had the ability to recall memories down to the second, and it was a euphoric experience.
That was the power of the goggles.
“Start, Live Life” I said, waiting for the time launch screen to pop up so I could change the time period I was in.
It was exhilarating, reliving your best emotions over and over again. Who wouldn’t want to relive innocence, a first love, the rush of dopamine that comes with the best parts of life.
With the red mood lights slowly disappearing as the goggles powered on and the light of the Live Life covered my vision, I was giddy to jump into a time period where the world didn’t seem as complicated.
“June 4th, 2025, 9:30AM” I said. Graduation day.
The goggles flashed a bright white light and all of a sudden I was back in college. Wearing my ugly blue graduation gown and listening to the cheers of family as one by one, kids grabbed their diplomas and finally set into the real world.
“Can you believe this?” Christina said, “we finally made it!”
I looked to my left, I had nearly forgotten that it was Chrstina who I sat next to for graduation.
I laughed and said, “couldn’t happen soon enough, five years never felt so slow.”
She laughed, and turned right back around to talk to her boyfriend. This was life though, with the cheers and laughs surrounding me, you could feel the joy in the air. I smiled at her back, and cleared my throat. “March 23rd, 2018, 3:30PM” I said.
The goggles flashed white again and all of a sudden I was in Costa Rica. The world shined around me, the real world forgotten, I was back on the beach drinking Pina Coladas with my friends. Music blared, the sun was bright and I was in pure bliss. Nothing mattered but enjoying the sun and making sure I ended the day with a tan.
Laurie said something I missed, and I said “Pause, rewind 10 second.”
That was the nice thing with these goggles, you could relive the same 10 seconds over and over again if you wanted. Meta said you weren’t supposed to as it fries your brain, but if someone was happy who cares. Technology had no bounds, especially when the goggles were on.
There were supposedly some weird side effects of the goggles. People tend to get a glazed over look if they spent too long of a time in Live Life. To be completely honest, I was falling behind at work, but my boss couldn’t seem to care as she spent all day within Live Life and no one would report her since that meant we could be within Live Life as well. See the Live Life goggles were addicting. Worse than every drug out there, because it was about reliving the best memories in life, and that feeling was something that could never be replicated.
I went back another year.
Oh… it was the state championship game for softball.
“Let’s go!!” my teammates all around me screamed. I had forgotten how close this game was, but damn did it feel good to win. Competitiveness and perfection drove me and that was a feeling I was glad to relive.
I went back another ten years, I was five.
God I was so happy, playing in the sand, soaking up the sun. My laughter echoed in my ears, my face hurt from smiling. I felt floaty from the pure happiness I was feeling. People forget how good it feels to be truly happy as a child. It’s the pure joy that comes from childhood that can never be replicated. I forgot how amazing life was back when there were no worries in the world. It could only get better if I kept going back right?
I went back another year.
I just started preschool. I was so scared but being smothered in my parents’ love was something I treasured forever. I turned my head as I saw the bus pull up, that trip was something I didn’t want to experience again. “October 11rd, 2003, 3:30PM” I said.
I was a baby. At that age it was pure emotions. I could do whatever I wanted. It was a freedom that can’t be replicated.
I went back even further. It was pure exhilaration. A drum started up, baboom baboom, it was a heartbeat. I was in the hospital. It was the first point of real emotions.
And then it was black. Black. Black. Black.
See that was the fatal problem with the Live Life goggles, if you go back to a time you don’t exist, you get stuck. Technology can’t solve all problems, it can’t bring things back to life, but it can definitely kill you.
