by Max Barry

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Region: The Free Nations Region

[Second Sina's irl name]'s take on life:

You start off on Level One of a big skyscraper. When you try to use the elevator, two armed guards stop you and reprimand you for "wanting to take the easy way out of the hard work and grind of life". However, when the son of a rich man comes to Level One, the guards invite him to use the elevator whilst offering him wine, cheese and crackers. He accepts, his meaty face grinning further hiding his eyeballs which were already impeded by layers of fat, and he gets on the elevator, ascending into the top of the skyscraper.

You start climbing. At first, you are optimistic, then you have climbed thousands of steps and realise you are nowhere near to even Level Two. You think you have it hard, until you see someone with chains connected to solid balls of osmium tied to their feet and carrying four bags in their hands full of tungsten. You do not help him- that would slow you down. You carry on climbing, step after step. After decades, your hair has grown white with age, and you keep on climbing. One day, as you continue climbing, you start to see Level 2. You continue climbing, until you reach the top. You have spent your youth climbing this staircase of millions of steps, and now you are old and brittle. The armed guards here observe you, deciding whether or not to knock you off.

GOOD ENDING:
After bribing them, the armed guards welcome you and invite you to take the elevator. Sure, you die at about Level 100 (you were old anyway), but your children at Level One got to take the elevator and are thousands of levels in the sky. You have started a new family of generational wealth.

BAD ENDING:
The armed guards knock you down the staircase. You roll until you reach Level One again. By now you are too old to climb anymore, and you die back on Level One. Your children have to climn the staircase just like you did, but now they wear the very chains and carry the very bags that you saw that person carry.

Now, replace the levels with money, the armed guards with government, the bags and chains with poverty. Boom, you have life.

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