CURE
Prompt - Cure : Write about finding a cure for an illness
So what happens next?
He had spent so long on this project, so many years of failure and disappointment and never ending hope, and, finally, success. Finding the answers, overcoming the problems, getting the finance, getting others to believe in him, working long days, weeks, months without respite. That was what his life had been like for so long. There had never been time to sit, ponder, and try to see what the reactions to his exciting discovery would be. But now, on the verge of being able to release the news to the world, he realised there was more to this than simply getting to the end of his journey. There was always another path that had to be followed.
A cure for the common cold. One of the holy grails of medical science. Long sought for, never before arrived at. Until now. All the clinical trials showed it to at least ninety eight per cent effective, and there were hardly any side effects. Nothing to worry about. It could be taken as a weekly pill, or an injection every six months. No more colds, no more snuffly noses and streaming eyes, no more vague aches and pains and that feeling of wanting to sit down and forget there was a world going on. Millions would welcome it, look on him as one of humanity's beneficiaries. But would everyone?
Number one enemy would be big pharma, who would no longer be able to peddle their vast array of large useless 'cures' and 'preventatives'. Then the chemist chains who would see a reduction in income, and footfall. Then the people who relied on "I've gob a colb" as a good excuse to take some time off from the jobs they hate. So his acclaim would not be universal.
Which side would the media fall? How would he be portrayed to the public? He didn't even have anyone working on PR, so he would be fair game to be turned into whatever they wanted him to be. Saviour or Swindler. He knew from what was happening with climate change that the science would be ignored, in favour of whatever agendas suited the powers that controlled the output. And the pharma people had access to a lot of important ears.
It had all seemed so simple until this moment. At least in terms of knowing what he should do, what course was best to pursue. Now he was entering into a world beyond his experience. He would need help. He picked up his phone.
No comments:
Post a Comment