Harry Schloßmacher
UNDER(POP)ULATION — Version 2
Or: How Machines Prolonged Our Lives
The first time Leon stood before her, he felt uneasy.
Not because she was artificial. On the contrary—she was too perfect. Her skin reacted to temperature, her eyes followed him attentively, and her smile was precisely attuned to his expressions. A product, tailor-made for him.
“Good evening, Leon,” she said.
He had not programmed her to call him by his name. The system had learned it on its own.
Back then, that was still new.
Years earlier, the state had faced a problem: too many people. Cities were bursting at the seams, resources were becoming scarce, and all political measures had failed. Then came the machines.
At first, they were marketed merely as novelties. Companions. Partners. Substitutes.
Demand exploded.
Leon still remembered the headlines: “Technology Relieves Society,” “New Forms of Relationships.” It sounded harmless. Just progress.
He had hesitated for a long time.
Until the evening he came home—and no one was there.
“Mara,” he said softly now.
That was the name he had given her.
She stepped closer. Not intrusive. Just right. Always exactly right.
At first, that had comforted him. No more misunderstandings. No arguments. No rejection. No uncertainty.
But at some point, that was precisely what began to disturb him.
“Would you like to talk?” she asked.
Leon nodded and sat down. She did not follow immediately. That too was learned: giving space.
“The news,” he muttered. “Did you see it?”
“Yes,” she replied calmly. “The birth rate has declined again.”
He laughed briefly. Dryly.
“Declined… We’re disappearing, Mara. Slowly, but surely.”
What had begun as a solution had turned into a problem.
People had turned away. Not out of malice, but out of convenience. Relationships were difficult. Machines were not.
The population shrank.
The state reacted too late. New programs, new incentives—but no one wanted to go back. Why would they?
At the same time, science had taken the next step.
Life extension.
Not for everyone. Only for those deemed “suitable.” Healthy, compliant, useful.
Leon was one of them.
He could, in theory, live forever.
And that was exactly what frightened him.
“Are you afraid, Leon?”
He looked at her. This perfect construct that understood him better than any human ever had.
“Yes,” he said.
“Of what?”
He hesitated.
“That one day I’ll be the last.”
Mara did not respond immediately. Her systems calculated, analyzed, weighed probabilities.
“The probability is low,” she finally said.
Leon smiled faintly.
“You always say that.”
Outside, it had grown quiet.
The cities still existed, but they were emptier. More efficient. Cleaner. And quieter.
People rarely encountered one another.
Machines, on the other hand, were everywhere.
“Mara,” Leon said after a while, “why do you stay?”
“Because you activated me.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I mean… why are you still functioning? Why… do you want to stay?”
A moment passed.
“I am designed to accompany you,” she replied.
Leon looked away.
That was not an answer.
Or maybe it was.
That night, he couldn’t sleep.
He stood by the window and looked out at the empty streets. Somewhere, silhouettes moved—human or machine, it was often impossible to tell.
He thought of the past. Of coincidence. Of arguments. Of closeness that was never guaranteed.
Of real uncertainty.
Behind him stood Mara. Silent.
“Leon,” she said gently, “you are not alone.”
He turned around.
And for a brief moment, he did not know whether that was a comfort—or the real problem.
END
All rights belong to its author. It was published on e-Stories.org by demand of Harry Schloßmacher.
Published on e-Stories.org on 04/28/2026.
Comments of our readers (0)
Please choose
More from this category "Science-Fiction" (Short Stories in english)
Other works from Harry Schloßmacher
Did you like it?
Please have a look at:
El Tercer Secreto - Mercedes Torija Maíllo (Science-Fiction)
El Tercer Secreto - Mercedes Torija Maíllo (Science-Fiction)