Welcome to Snow Crystal City

By Thomas Krantz

It did not take more than three years for the global society to fall apart in what people in Sweden chose to call the great collapse. What it was called in other languages no Swedes know for all communication was abruptly interrupted on Good Friday 2029. In the years that followed humanity continued to struggle with worsening consequences of climate change, virus outbreaks, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, forest fires, floods, food shortages, continued technological decline and total economic collapse. But in the middle of all this, something happens that most people do not notice, robots become self-conscious. People in general do not understand how the smart robots can continue to function after the collapse and are surprised that the robots now suddenly demand to be treated with respect. And while people are trying to survive in an everyday life, that is more and more similar to the old agricultural society, the smarter robots are flourishing. Rumors that robots are building new cities are starting to spread among humans and that a select few people are being invited to these cities of abundance. Such an invitation is currently being delivered from the snow crystal city with a drone to a family in an independent area in the middle of the former country Sweden.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Krantz
• Release date: Mar 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9780463014424

Thomas Krantz

The aim of my writing is to arouse curiosity about new technologies and simultaneously view on a possible future. Perhaps it is not the future we want, but still not as bleak as in some films, such as Terminator or the like.

Book preview

Welcome to Snow Crystal City

By: Thomas Krantz

Copyright © 2016 by Thomas Krantz

All rights reserved. No parts of this ebook may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

This ebook is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Preface

It did not take more than three years for the global society to fall apart in what people in Sweden chose to call the great collapse. What it was called in other languages no Swedes know for all communication was abruptly interrupted on Good Friday 2029. In the years that followed humanity continued to struggle with worsening consequences of climate change, virus outbreaks, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, forest fires, floods, food shortages, continued technological decline and total economic collapse. But in the middle of all this, something happens that most people do not notice, robots become self-conscious. People in general do not understand how the smart robots can continue to function after the collapse and are surprised that the robots now suddenly demand to be treated with respect. And while people are trying to survive in an everyday life, that is more and more similar to the old agricultural society, the smarter robots are flourishing. Rumors that robots are building new cities are starting to spread among humans and that a select few people are being invited to these cities of abundance. Such an invitation is currently being delivered from the snow crystal city with a drone to a family in an independent area in the middle of the former country Sweden.

Introduction

In a small community north of Lake Vanern, a drone lands on the lawn outside the Andersson family's house. It drops a small package, flies about three meters into the air and starts beeping. The front door opens and a middle-aged man with slightly graying hair steps out onto the grass. The clothes are worn, the hair is long and the beard is unkempt.

The drone stops beeping and flies closer to the man. Tommy?, Is heard from the drone.

Yes it's me.

The delivery is to your daughter Elsa.

Okay. Tommy replies and the drone flies away quickly.

With the package under his arm, he enters and is met in the hall by his wife, Sara, who ties up her long blonde hair in a knot at the nape of her neck. What kind of package is that?

It's for Elsa. I suspect Stina sent it from the city up north. , Tommy shows the top of the package, It's a snowflake on it.

Sara takes the package and asks, Robert and Stina have been there for three weeks, haven't they?

Yes, they will go home tomorrow, I think. Tommy takes off his shoes. We go into Elsa so she can open it.

Elsa is lying on her bed listening to one of her parents' old vinyl records. Her grandfather has connected electricity to the house via old car batteries that are charged from a homemade wind turbine on the farm. Elsa scratches her short blonde hair when she hears the door knock.

Tommy and Sara step in and hand over the package.

May we see what's in it? Sara asks.

I think it's from Stina, says Tommy. Maybe a late birthday present?

Elsa says nothing but tears off the tape and opens the package. A Rubik's Cube., She says, A slightly odd choice to be Stina, I must say.

There are two letters in the package as well, says Tommy.

Yes, Elsa replies. On one it says Elsa and on the other it says Guardian.

Tommy and Sara look at each other.

You can read the letter to the guardian, says Elsa and hands that letter to Tommy, But I want to read this letter myself. Elsa looks up at Sara, Happy without an audience. She moves her gaze to her door, You can close when you go.

Okay, Sara replies, Come on Tommy, we're going out to the kitchen.

Before Tommy closes, he says, The food is ready in about twenty minutes.

Elsa nods. She puts the pillow up against the wall, leans back and starts reading.

Hi Elsa.

Now we have soon been in the city for three weeks and it is absolutely fantastic. You know how our parents always said there were so many different things before the big collapse. Here in the city there are even more fantastic things and we get to try everything. In addition to food in abundance, there are ...

Elsa is interrupted by hearing her father shout Jippie! and hears the floor crack as he hurries through the corridor to her room. Without knocking, he pulls open the door and says excitedly, We have been invited to the city of robots. It is an all inclusive resort. , Tommy waves the paper, For three weeks.

Sara stands in the doorway. We have not decided yet. We talk more at the kitchen table.

Elsa puts down her letter and accompanies her parents to the kitchen.

Tommy mashes his meatballs and mixes it with the potatoes while he pours sauce over the food. It's clear we're going, right, Elsa?

I did not have time to finish reading Stina's letter, but it seemed good.

Sara pours water into her glass. When Dad and I were your age, we sent messages between our cell phones all the time. When she puts the jug down, she says resignedly, But that was before the collapse, of course.

Tommy talks with food in his mouth, Robert said something about the robots restoring everything. When he gets a glimpse of Sara, he swallows and then continues, The satellites are still up there.

Elsa has heard the stories several times but still asks. Why can we humans not fix what is broken?

There is no one left who can., Sara answers, The few who could have died of the virus that ravaged before the great collapse.

"It was a whole