The Earpiece Corrects Her
A conference translator in 2056 notices her earpiece has started smoothing not just her words but her tone, and spends one long summit day deciding whether to take it out. A complete story.
The Coast Road, Leased
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Show notes
The Coast Road, Leased
A complete story. Abu Elie has driven a taxi in Beirut for thirty-one years. A company offers to lease his memories of the old coast road, the one that was rebuilt in the 2040s, to tourists who want to feel the drive as it was. The money is good. The contract is specific about which memories. His wife is in several of them.
- Setting: Beirut, 2054, a new highway over an old one
- Content note: grief, mild, handled gently
- Cast: four voices, recorded partly in a real taxi
- Running time about 30 minutes
Next week: a village that votes on the weather.
Transcript
Marhaba, welcome back to Thirty Years from Thursday, I am Karim Haddad. One complete story each week, a few decades from now, nothing you need to have heard before. Tonight's story is called The Coast Road, Leased. Abu Elie has driven a taxi in Beirut for thirty-one years. A company has offered him good money to lease his memories of the old coast road, the one that was demolished and rebuilt in the forties, so tourists can feel the drive the way it used to be. The contract is very specific about which memories it wants. His wife is in most of them. We recorded parts of this in a real taxi on the real road, with the windows down. Content note: grief, handled gently. You are listening on Witspeak Podcasts.
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