America: The Ride
By Charles Yu, first published in Resist: Tales from a Future Worth Fighting Against
A family goes on a ride that allows them to see their entire future.
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Plot Summary
A family boards a ride that is similar to a roller coaster. The father claims that it was engineered by people and will allow them to see their future. The family starts the ride with the mom, the father, and their baby daughter; as the ride progresses, the daughter ages into a toddler that can talk. The ride takes them to a house, which they decide is an excellent place to live. However, they have no time to enjoy it because the ride moves again. The family later realizes that they have a son, which was born in the house. The ride then talks about the history of America, such as Japanese internment camps, Coney Island, and Brooklyn. After, the family then reaches the experimental phase, a 3-D version of America where riders can experience America for the first time in 3-D. The ride gives them a choice to leave or stay on. The family decides to stay on, and they see themselves doing mundane things such as cooking and aging. Eventually, the two parents realize that the kids are no longer with them, and they discover that the kids have their rides and are much older with their own families. The parents conclude they have died, and their ride enters a bright light. However, the father is content as his children know how the ride works.