He said, “Okay, I will. But remember, this is our secret. You can’t tell anyone, or show anyone, or use any of these devices. You have to act normal, and follow your own path, and make your own discoveries. You have to be yourself, and do what you love, and light 2040.”
The boy said, “I understand. I won’t tell anyone, or show anyone, or use any of these devices. I will act normal, and follow my own path, and make my own discoveries. I will be myself, and do what I love, and light 2040.”
Peter said, “Good. I’m glad you understand. Now, let’s have some fun. Let’s explore the future. Let’s see what you will do, and what you will inspire, and what you will create. Let’s see the televisions, and the computers, and the seatbelts. Let’s see the wonders of 2040.”
He took out the tablet from his backpack, and he turned it on. He showed the boy the screen, and he tapped on an app icon. He said, “This is a web browser. It can access websites, which are pages of information that can have text, images, videos, and more. For example, this is a website called Wikipedia. It’s like an encyclopedia, but anyone can edit it. It has articles about almost anything you can think of. Look, this is an article about you. It tells your life story, your achievements, your inventions, your legacy. It also has pictures of you, and your family, and your friends. See, this is you when you were older. This is Edison, your mentor and friend. This is your wife, and your children, and your grandchildren, and your great grandchildren. This is me, your great grandson. And this is Lucy, your great great granddaughter. She’s my daughter, and she’s very smart and curious, just like you. She asked me if there are televisions, and computers, and seatbelts in the future. Do you want to see them?”
The boy nodded, and said, “Yes, I do. I want to see everything. Show me, please.”
Peter said, “Okay, I will. But first, let me show you something else. Something that will blow your mind. Something that will make you feel like you’re in the future. Something that will make you laugh, and cry, and wonder. Something that will make you happy. Something that will make you proud. Something that will make you light 2040.”
He tapped on another app icon, and he said, “This is a video player. It can play videos, which are moving images and sound. They can be recorded, or streamed, or downloaded. They can be short, or long, or in between. They can be funny, or sad, or exciting, or boring. They can be about anything, and anyone, and anywhere. They can be real, or fake, or both. They can be amazing, or terrible, or mediocre. They can be art, or entertainment, or education, or propaganda. They can be anything you want them to be. And this, this is a video that I made for you. A video that I hope you will like. A video that I hope you will remember. A video that I hope you will light 2040.”
He pressed the play button, and he said, “Watch this.”
The screen showed a video, with music and narration. It was a tribute to the boy, to his life, to his work, to his legacy. It was a montage of clips, showing his achievements, his inventions, his impact. It showed his light bulb, his phonograph, his motion picture camera, his electric car. It showed his power station, his electric grid, his light show. It showed his friends, his family, his colleagues, his admirers. It showed his awards, his honors, his recognition, his fame. It showed his happiness, his joy, his love, his pride. It showed his greatness, his brilliance, his genius, his legend. It showed him, as he was, as he is, as he will be. It showed him, as the boy who did light 2040.
The video ended, and the screen went black. Peter looked at the boy, and he said, “What do you think?”
The boy was speechless. He was stunned. He was overwhelmed. He was moved. He was touched. He was inspired. He was proud. He was happy. He was grateful. He was amazed. He was awed. He was enlightened. He was light 2040.
He looked at Peter, and he said, “Thank you. Thank you for showing me this. Thank you for making this. Thank you for coming here. Thank you for being my great grandson. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for being my light.”
He hugged Peter, and Peter hugged him back. They smiled, and they cried, and they laughed, and they wondered. They felt a connection, a bond, a kinship, a love. They felt a spark, a flame, a fire, a light. They felt the past, the present, the future, the eternity. They felt the wonder of 2040.