Nukala 2.0

A Short Story

Tiga removed the headgear and held her head for a few seconds. Lately, her neck muscles were always sore. When she went to a doctor, he suggested strength training.

“You are too young to get neck spasms so often,” he scolded her.

Eighteen-year-old Tiga formulated a reply in her head. “I am too young to be designing a virtual country.”

But what was the point of snapping at the doctor?

Tiga sometimes worked for twenty hours at a stretch. When she joined her company, she was promised the sun and the moon.

Well, not exactly the sun and the moon, but a six-month salary in advance and a five-member team.

Two months into the project, all Tiga got was a painful neck for which she was at the doctor’s clinic.

“I’ll also suggest a physiotherapist.” The doctor scribbled on his notepad as he spoke. “Tell your parents I want to see them next time,” he added.

“I am a legal adult, plus I have insurance. Why do you want to see them?” Tiga’s voice rose.

The doctor dropped his pen and leaned back into his chair. “I hope they are aware of your physical discomfort. You might be an adult, legally, but still a teen.”

Tiga looked into his kind eyes and decided that he meant no harm.

“They do not live here.”

“Then how are you here?” the doctor was intrigued. “I am only a doctor, and I have no business knowing the details, but I hope you know that working on a student visa is illegal.”

Tiga sighed. She presented her employee card. The doctor’s face opened up in awe.

“You work for Zeta? Aah, now I get it. You are one of those tech geniuses Zeta picks up from school.”

Tiga nodded.

“Do they make you work long hours? That will explain the neck spasm. And here I was thinking that you might be a gaming addict or, even worse, a virtual universe addict,” the doctor chuckled. “Your parents must be proud,” he concluded his speech with a flourish of his pen on his notepad.

Tiga pondered the conversation. Her parents should have been proud, but they are not. Her parents should have been here, but they are not.

They were on an island not far from the mainland, hanging onto the last straw of hope.

Nukala 2.0 is based on a short story I wrote, titled, The Lost Children of Nukala, which in turn is based on Tuvalu, one of the first island countries to face mass migration due to climate change.

An excerpt : (Nukala 2.0 continues below)

“Isn’t it strange?” the nervous man pondered while clasping the urn firmly in his palms. “Our island, which was one of the first to receive the rays of the rising sun, also became one of the first few countries in the world to set into the rising seas.”