In the final Futures piece for 2017, we are pleased to welcome back Judy Helfrich with her unusual take on first contact in The coupon. Judy has previously toyed with history in Playing for keeps. You can find out more about her work by visiting her website or following her on Twitter. Here she reveals the inspiration behind her latest tale — as ever it pays to read the story first.

Writing The coupon

I’ve often wondered what the eventual fate of Voyagers’ two golden records might be. What if they really did fall into the hands (or pseudopodia/tentacles/cyborg extensions) of aliens? Would they figure out how to play them? Would they understand Earth’s message? And would they like Chuck Berry?

What if their interpretation of the golden records wasn’t quite what we intended?

The records carry greetings, images and the sounds of Earth — including music — from many cultures. If the aliens’ language was based on pitches and notes instead of pictographs or graphemes, they might think we were communicating through the music. We could be telling them anything, from “we come in peace”, to “prepare for invasion”, to “big sale on kitty litter”. I thought it would make for a fun story if the alien interpretation was something wacky, and The Coupon ensued.

Of course, the Voyager probes might still be hurtling through space, undiscovered, when the Sun expands in a few billion years and encompasses Earth. But that’s okay, too. It’s comforting to know that those time capsules of our civilization will persist after our planet had died. I just hope if aliens do eventually find the golden records, they interpret them correctly. Because any Earth coupons will have long expired.

This week, Futures is delighted to welcome back Alex Shvartsman with his latest story, Fifteen minutes. Regular readers will know that Alex needs little introduction, he’s written a number of stories for us as well as producing and editing many books in his own right. You can find out more about his activities by visiting his website or by following him on Twitter. Here he reveals more about the his latest sinister tale — as ever, it pays to read the story first.

Writing Fifteen minutes

I’d apologize for the terrible pun which closed the story you’ve just read, but really, I feel no remorse at all. Puns are awesome, and any sufficiently good pun must also be a terrible pun.

That line was my starting point for the story and its original title. I figured it would develop into something funny, but instead the idea grew into a bleak, dystopian world where an artificial intelligence overlord parcels out food and basic necessities to allow humanity to survive.

The story is inspired by Harlan Ellison’s I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream — a brilliant and dark tale by one of science fiction’s grand masters. In the story, the computer AM tortures the few remaining humans. But I’ve always wondered how and why the computer would develop such strong hatred for the species that created it. (Ellison’s narrator Ted does provide his own thoughts on the matter but, as with any good story, leaves room for us to consider other possibilities.)

In my story, the AI is clearly less evil than Ellison’s AM — but is it still a monstrous dictator making humans jump through hoops to study them as my unreliable narrator suggests, or is it a benevolent intelligence that is forced to make difficult choices? Perhaps the resources are scarce and the calorie quotas are the best it can do to keep the human population alive. And encouraging creative endeavours could be an attempt to help maintain their sanity and bridge them a smidgen of joy.

The ‘fifteen minutes of fame’ quote is by Andy Warhol and, as my narrator points out, he said that around the same time Ellison’s story was published. I stumbled upon this fact when I was writing the story, so it wasn’t by design. Sometimes history is serendipitous that way.

More Futures stories by Alex Shvartsman

Ravages of time | The tell-tale ear | The epistolary history | Coffee in end times | The rumination on what isn’t| A one-sided argument | Grains of wheat | Staff meeting, as seen by the spam filter | A perfect medium for unrequited love | Catalogue of Items in the Chess Exhibition at the Humanities Museum, Pre-Enlightenment Wing

This week’s Futures story is a conversational take on the influence of AI in the shape of Please consider my science-fiction story by David G. Blake. Regular reader will remember David’s earlier stories To my father, A kite for Sarah and Low-city life. Here he reveals a little more about his latest tale — as ever, it pays to read the story first.

Writing Please consider my science-fiction story

If you’ve read Please consider my science-fiction story, then you know that it already kind of is the story behind the story. I was sitting there struggling with an opening scene, for what seemed like the millionth day in a row, and I realized that a certain slanted take on the thoughts running through my mind might end up being the more entertaining story to tell. It ended up being the story I needed to tell, too. A way to utilize my issues with writing to my advantage.

It’s also the first story I’ve ever written start to finish with someone reading over my shoulder. Not a method I would recommend on a regular basis, but it’s something I wanted to mention since I lost my friend less than two months after that day. The memory of Mason laughing behind me as I worked through this one adds a unique layer of happiness to its publication. I am beyond thrilled to share it with the rest of you.

Speaking of sharing, there’s a sequel in the works titled Grasping at straws, so you might get more of Mr Writer before you know it. Hell, I might even try for a trilogy. We’ll just have to see how that conversation goes.

There is one more thing I want to say. In his life, Mason Proudfoot spent a lot of time and energy raising money for HIV/AIDS organizations. You can read Please consider my science-fiction story free online. If you do, or even if you only read this post, please also consider donating to one of these organizations.

Thank you all for reading, and have a happy holiday season.