Friday Fictioneers – The Fountain of Youth

~ Neil MacDonald
PHOTO PROMPT © Ronda Del Boccio

Drink of the fountain. Listen, and I’ll tell you of the olden times—when we aged, we got frail and sick. You might die of something as simple as a fall or a cold. Yes, it seems incredible now, but it’s true. The machine just wore out. Why couldn’t they grow new parts or fix the DNA errors, you ask? They didn’t know how.

But consider this, lad: when we discovered antibiotics, we revealed the scourge of cancers, dementia, and all the diseases of old age. What may we now have unveiled by defeating aging?

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Friday fictioneers is a weekly challenge set by Rochelle Wisoff Fields to write a 100-word story in response to a photo prompt. You can find other stories here

39 thoughts on “Friday Fictioneers – The Fountain of Youth”

  4. Since the “blood sugar revelation,” I’ve been exercising and have changed my diet significantly. My last labs showed my blood chemistry is great now. Sometimes, you have to take control away from the doctors and the pills.

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  13. Neil, I have long wondered if we’ve learned to keep our bodies alive too long after our brains are worn out! I worked as a social worker in a nursing home for a short time, and saw the indignity of a body still functioning after the brain was no longer capable of taking care of its body. People were stacked into beds, just waiting to die so the next person can come in. Those whose brains are still alert in old age are very blessed.

    I just read what I wrote. Quite gloomy. The up side, of course, is the elders who are still alert, vibrant, and full of great stories. Part of my job was to just listen to them. I felt it was a great privilege.

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      1. I know they’re working on that type of therapy. I don’t know, though, if I’m comfortable with tinkering with the brain. I’m well past the biblical threescore and ten, and I’m experiencing a tiny little bit of “old-age-brain.: Going into a room and not remembering what I wanted there–that sort of thing. It’s only momentary, and I usually end up laughing at myself. I can live with it–so far 🙂

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  16. Winning one battle just leads to many new ones we never anticipated. The current issues with the NHS and the old age pension are just a couple of problems we’ve created by living longer. Over population has reached crisis point.

    A really thought provoking piece

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  18. There’so much story potential in this one, and an interesting question to ponder. Our main problem, I think, is developing technologies faster than our brains can deal with the social and moral consequences. And when the fourth or fifth AI generation joines the fray, times are going to get really interesting. Brilliant writing.

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