India is a country with a diverse range of terrains, from dusty plains to snow-capped mountains. From the small Thar Desert to the highest battlefield in the world, it encompasses everything, but for most Indians, it is often dusty.
After a dust-filled journey, Aric arrived at his grandparents' home. These were his maternal grandparents, and he loved being with them. They were kind, loving, and caring, unlike his other grandparents. Upon reaching the village, he even saw the shopkeeper who had his shop near his grandparents' home and used to visit quite often.
Soon, he was in the big house of his grandparents. The house wasn't large, but the surrounding land was vast. His grandfather had worked at the CBI once, and thus he and his wife lived off of pension and this home that he had built since it was his birthplace.
"Nana... I am back," Aric shouted as he removed his shoes and placed his small luggage at the side, then ran inside only to bump into his nana. He immediately gave him a hug. When his grandpa died, he wasn't able to attend the funeral due to academic reasons, and he regretted that. Now that he saw him again, he was elated with joy.
"Hahaha... It's good to see you, boy. Your mother called to say you'd be arriving," Grandpa said.
"We are on summer break, so of course, I'll be here to eat Vadapav every day made by my grandma," Aric said, intending it as a joke. However, his words seemed to incite some anger in his nana.
"You came only for her and not for me?" The wrinkles on his forehead deepened as he said that.
"No... I also appreciate the freedom you provide," Aric said, trying to ease the tension.
"Hahahah... I feel sorry for you, my boy. Your father is way too strict. At our age, we let our daughter roam the entire village," Grandpa said, reminiscing.
"The times have changed, nana. The world can be cruel at times," Aric replied. It had been a family banter until this point, but Aric's words made his nana serious as he looked deeply into Aric's eyes.
"You have grown up, my boy," Nana said, his tone softened.
"No, nana, I am the same as I was," Aric denied. He was given the opportunity to be a teenager again, so of course, he didn't want to grow up fast. He wanted to cherish his time. He and nana talked more until his grandma emerged from the kitchen. She was also happy to meet her grandson again and proceeded to talk with Aric.
It was afternoon, so soon they had lunch, during which Aric enthusiastically spoke of how he would like to roam the village around with the bicycle they had here and how he was looking forward to having fun. The grandparents were happy that their grandson seemed to be happy to be there too and even promised to cover for him in case his parents asked about him.
The village they were in was really safe, so they didn't worry much about Aric's safety.
"Nana, I'll be going out and be back by dark," Aric shouted as he pulled out the bicycle they had at the place. It was an old one but worked just fine since he and his nana used to maintain it quite well and oil everything.
"Don't go too far," Grandma shouted. Unlike nana, she was more protective, but Aric just waved at her and strolled away at a fast speed.
"Our grandson has grown up."
"And our time will soon be up."
"Why do you have such negative thoughts always? We both know that you will outlive me."
"That is never going to happen."
For some reason, both of them were quite casual speaking of their own deaths, as if they had made peace with it. Meanwhile, Aric was riding his bicycle fast and about to reach a small patch of forest land just outside the village. The small forest was protected, and there were no wild animals, at least not in recent years.
Aric wasn't there for the wild animals anyway. While leaving, he had snuck away some things: a knife and a lighter. After hiding the bicycle, he went into the forest and made sure nobody was following him. After looking around for a bit, he vanished from his spot.
He was back in Echorysia to check out of his hotel, as he didn't want to pay a fine. After coming out of the hotel, he asked Apis to find him a secluded place where there would be no one and he could be away from the technology around. Apis gave some locations around the city, and without much hesitation, he booked a taxi.
He was still in awe that his communicator could even know what he wanted just by being in touch. The taxi was like an Uber service but faster and automated. The car floated down and landed on the roadside of the hotel. The car was incredibly high-tech with loads of space. Unlike traditional cars, the four seats were facing each other since there was no driver, and it was fully automated.
As the car drove, he just looked out the window and marveled at the travel. He had only flown in airplanes, and this was the first time he was experiencing such a smooth "flight". The tall structures and the number of floating vehicles still felt like a dream, but it didn't last long as soon Aric found himself in a deserted location outside the city.
Even though the cars were floating, they couldn't get out of their already drawn road. It was because the cars worked on the principle of superconductivity, which allowed the cars to float unlike anti-gravity.
Most of the taxis in this place worked on super conductivity, while they did have a small engine of anti-gravity but that was mostly for small distance and if someone wanted to use the anti-gravity engine and veer off road, they needed to pay extra.
Yes. Capitalism was still here.