Fiction: The Libra Trap

This is a fictional story, glimpsing into a man who let himself get caught up in what I envision libra to be.

Image by Justin Martin from Pixabay

He sighed bracing himself, not quite ready to click that email.

He knew it would be bad.

His cousin @metzli had tried to warn him: "Libra isn’t steem.”

He heard it as a nag, but now he realizes that she was sad and pleading for him to stop. She always acted like that around credit cards, coupons and sales.

He really didn’t want to click that email open.

@metzli was a hypocrite anyway. She had just came back from Jamaica bragging about something called Reggae Steem. She had started sharing her husbands music online and found that people liked it. They'd made enough money to travel to Jamaica.

Image by Justin Martin from Pixabay

He had asked her what the difference was. “Steem isn’t ran by the devil.” She had boldly responded.

She didn’t take the time to explain what she meant of course, she just expected him to know that anything that was connected to Libra and Facebook was bad and should be stayed away from.

He put his phone in his back pocket while he got up. He didn’t want to know how much just yet.

If he worked overtime for the next 5 weekends in a row he would make a lot of money. That should be enough to pay it back.

Yeah, that’s what he’d do. He would work 5 weekends in a row.

5 weekends in a row would be worth it.

Those rolled up towel animals with the little mint by his bed were worth it. They had made his wife smile, and his son play, and him feel rich. In fact, he might work 10 weekends in a row and go again! He would just have to save up some more of those libra tokens. Maybe his mom would share some, she got a lot all the time. Maybe she would stop sharing her Libra food vouchers with everybody who would take them, and help him save for another cruise.

Image by Mary McGrath from Pixabay

She could come too. Libra loved keeping people together.

“It’s cause everyone wants containers baby. They love trading their tokens for containers.” His mom was always explaining her Libra math to him, he guessed that she was better off, though she had started gaining a little weight with all that Libra Ice Cream.

It was a great deal. She paid the $300USD a month fee, and then distributed the plastic containers to the people who purchased them. They were great containers, he used them for his lunch, and they all had the Libra and Facebook logo, even on their ice holders. It was cool to take selfies with them showing off their lunch.

Libra Food Voucher lunch on Libra Containers, on selfies posted on Facebook. He would have to post them all week, that would earn him more tokens. He’d heard that you got extra Libra when you used their items in the background

His mom would make so much Libra she even bought groceries with her Libra, and gave them away to the neighbors. They all loved her generosity. The groceries were given in a type of voucher which came with milk, cheese, bread, cereal, sugar, bacon, ice cream, pretzels and even 1 whole pound of organic fruit and one head of lettuce.

Image by Igor Ovsyannykov from Pixabay

But maybe his mom could ask the neighbors to share some tokes with them, like, give her ½ the Libra for the food packs..

He pulled out his phone again. Whatever the damage was, it had been worth it. How else would he and his family ever be able to go on a cruise? So he’d gotten wrapped up and bought new clothes for the family while he was there.

Everyone else was wearing new clothes.

And it had been perfect, like if the clothes had been hand picked for his family. Matching colors, perfect sizes, matching shoes, and accessories.

“They facebook stalked you and had someone pick clothes for you guys!” His cousin had laughed.

So what if they had. It was like having a personal shopper. Besides, there’s no way they know that much about you, how would they even track all those people?

No work. Great clothes. His favorite foods, no chores, pool side martini’s.

Oh, he had forgotten.

“Watch out for the alcohol” his friends who had already gone had told him. That’s how they get you! He never saw those friends anymore, they were always pushing coins and working overtime to be able to go on more cruises. He could see why they were addicted.

He almost thought it wasn’t fun for them anymore.

He was ready.

He opened the app, clicked on the button, downloaded his invoice.

He sighed in relief.

He only had to do three weekends of overtime.

“Don’t let them suck you in, Cuz!” He could hear @metzli talking to him through his imagination.

That’s how they get you. They suck you in, make you want more, and you end always being in debt, and never doing anything besides cruises.

He laughed as he started scrolling.

That was what @metzli didn’t understand.

Cruises were awesome.

Who cares is there were always camara’s everywhere? And it was always funny who ended up on the boat with you. They did it in networks, so sometimes you bumped into that ex.

The nightly tv show they showed in the cabin was always great and filled with lots of live boat drama, and, you got more libra tokens for watching them.

Yeah. Three weekends of overtime. He’d be back. And he would let himself try the casino and excursions this time.

If you enjoyed reading this fiction piece, you may enjoy my ulogs