We thought it would be a nuclear war or a global pandemic. Perhaps an asteroid making a direct strike. We thought these thing might destroy our species. Turns out it was nothing so dramatic. What happened was that we all became too afraid to make any type of contact with the opposite sex. Anything at all could be misinterpreted, a smile, a wave, saying ‘hey’ in the wrong tone of voice. It was too dangerous to risk, a mistake could mean the end of your job, your family, your whole way of life. It could mean prison.
We weighed every word carefully before we dared speak it. We asked friends for their advice, we downloaded apps that evaluated and assessed, that made suggestions or told us to start all over again. In the end it was too much pressure, we stopped talking to people at work, to neighbours, eventually even to our family members. We could not take the chance of being reported.
The birth rate declined rapidly until it finally stopped.
The trend could not be reversed. Now there are just a few old folks left, pottering about, waiting for the end.
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