Suppose that people live forever. Age becomes an insignificant number because every person will have an infinite number of years to live. One of mankind’s greatest fears—death—is only the reality of a different world, a different time. In this world, no person sheds any tears over a death. In fact, “death” is not even a word in any language. The world is filled with more happiness and less grief, at least for now.


In a house on Ephemeral Street, a family of ten people are laughing simultaneously. The harmonious melodies of their laughter travel out the window and down the street, livening up the whole street. Mr. Lee, his father, his father-in-law, as well as his two sons all have crisp and clear baritone and tenor voices. Mrs. Lee, her mother, her mother-in-law, and her two daughters all have beautiful soprano voices. This family is laughing about the hilarious jokes the four children just told. The Lee family is just like any other happy family, always prone to joyous laughter and frequent giggles. The parents of Mr. and Mrs. Lee are especially happy to be able to spend time with their grandchildren. The three generations living in this household are generally harmonious, save for the occasional fights over the TV remote control and bathroom. This household is typical of most other households: filled with several generations of the family, filled with laughter, and filled with fun.


Days pass by quickly in the midst of all the laughter and fun. People spend each day having fun with friends or family members. People go to movie theaters, go to parks, go shopping, and sometimes even go to school. People feel no rush to go anywhere, and even tend to walk slower. They also feel no pressure to finish school and start their careers in their 20’s because they have unlimited time to build their careers and make as much money as they desire. Life is carefree and relaxed, yet this brings to the forefront a trait that plagues humanity across time and space: sloth. People no longer feel motivated. They have unlimited time to complete tasks, get to places, and search for their identities. They only go to school whenever they want to go because they can graduate in four years or ten years. As the years pass by, people search for more adventures to take because life becomes mundane and routine. One adventure that many people go on is the journey of having children.


As more and more families have new children, more and more generations of people are living in each household. After several more generations, each household becomes overcrowded. On the couch, Mr. Lee, Mrs. Lee, their children, and their grandchildren must all squish together to share the same couch. It becomes typical for ten people to share the same bedroom. The same intrusion of personal space also occurs on streets all over the world. Pedestrians constantly bump into each other and walk slowly because there is always a crowd of people ahead of them blocking the way. As overpopulation worsens, people eventually embark on a desperate search for a way to decrease the number of people, a way to make some people disappear forever. As they live their eternal lives, they can only continue to search for the one mystery that always eludes their touch—death.