h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I asked the house to turn on the lights, parked the Electrolux/Triumph cycle, and entered the kitchen

The fridge held 6 bottles of water and a flask of H2wow, (the nearest thing to a stimulant you could buy and very, very expensive, fiendishly difficult to find, so I was saving that for a very special occasion).

I held up my camera and called Fonzie.

The holographic unit in the walls projected a very young Henry Winkler onto the bar stool next to me.

The Fonz smoothed his leather collar, gave me a tilt of his head and a double thumbs up.

*Heeeeey, Mr C, you been working?* Fonzie opened a holographic drink with a cool flick of his unreal fingers.

I motioned to the camera, took a swig of water and let the Fonz do his work.

The Future Offence Notification System (yup, the Fons, hence my rather retro choice of persona!) hummed quietly as it processed the 400 images on file. Fonzie pulling cool holographic faces as he worked.

*Heeeey, Mr C, cool stuff!*

I waited for the inevitable as Fonzie's brows knitted.

*Now I'm a big fan, biiiig fan of your stuff, very cool. Frosty even! But…. *

Fonzie allowed his persona to be overridden by the System.

*... 398 of the reviewed images breach System Codes and may cause offence to future generations, these files will be deleted.*

I looked at the view screen. Two shots remained.

Water flowing into a roadside drain dull but inoffensive, and a rather beautiful silhouette of an elderly lady with a dog, umbrella up against the rain, street slick in monochrome. The lighting was sublime. One of my best shots in decades.

Fonzie blinked slowly.

*System update. Possible future offence may be taken by the depiction of a living creature being enslaved by a human. The subject of keeping pets may be contravertial. This image will be deleted.*

One shot. Rain and metal. Not brilliant but acceptable to future sensibilities.

I opened the fridge, cracking open the H2wow,

*Made it Fonzie, got one through! Time to celebrate my friend!*

Fonzie gave me a grin and another thumbs up *Cool Mr C, heeeey!*

How good to hear Fonzie's voice again and to think, there are generations growing up that will not know of whom we speak.

Just a little nightshift daftness, thanks for reading!

"398 of the reviewed images breach System Codes and may cause offence to future generations, "



It's hard to predict what future people will be offended at. Or what our generation finds offensive but future ones will treasure (that means you, Huck Finn and Lemuel Gulliver).

Offensive but treasured? My work here is done!

(sits, waiting for future)

The pit and the pendulum is not a bad metaphor for the progression from one era to another.

Keep working, FWR.

Artists push boundaries. An there is pushback....