Mathis sat in the lobby of the soul clinic reminiscing the past 35 years leading him to this moment. At 65 years old he was still full of life and unfortunately cancer too. Once he was cleared for Soul Fission he sorted his affairs and accepted his fate.      Soul Fission was first developed 35 years ago as a response to the energy and climate crises. Mathis was a lead scientist on the project. Soul Fission is the splitting of the soul from the body. The soul was discovered to have an immense amount of energy stored inside and could be used to power the world’s energy needs. Once discovered, the governments of the world mandated how it was to be used. An ethics board was set up and soon the dying and dead became one of the largest energy contributors in the world. Carbon emissions dropped and the effects of climate change slowed drastically. Mathis and his colleagues were branded as heroes and Mathis received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the project.      Mathis took a look around the lobby. He saw many elderly people, but he was shocked to see a child. The child was bald and sickly looking. Probably no older than six or seven.  His mother shrouded herself around him and rocked him back and forth. You could tell she had been crying for ages. Her face was marked with tear tracks and heavy bags under her eyes. Mathis knew anyone could be split, but this was a rare occurrence surely? A woman older than him leaned over and talked with her hand in front of her mouth as if that would shield her booming voice. “It’s sad, isn’t it?  Probably couldn’t afford the cost of living tax. My friend Linda says it’s really common these days. The ethics board voted against raising it, but no one listened of course.” Soul splitting was technically voluntary, but  you see, if someone is medically deemed to be terminal or unable to work they are taxed for each year they do not split their souls. Most families can’t afford the tax and risk being jailed, which eventually leads to having your soul split anyway since the courts decided splitting prisoners was legal.      Mathis felt a malignant horror creep into his stomach. He was no hero, he was a villain. He created the methods that lead to the deaths of countless people. This realization hit him like a bus. He quickly fumbled his check book out of his pocket and wrote the amount of the yearly tax in the blank space. He took a deep breath and stood, walking across the room to the mother and child. He silently held the check out to the mother who looked up at him in a confused awe. “What’s this?” She sniffed. “A drop in the bucket.” Mathis replied softly. The mother examined the check and finally realized Mathis’s intent. In any other circumstance she would not accept a stranger’s money, but in this was the exception. She began to cry, this time happy tears and embraced Mathis in a hug.  “I don’t know who you are, or why you are helping us, but I thank you from the bottom of our hearts.” “It’s the least I can do.” His eyes rimmed with tears and he broke away and rushed out of the building.      In the coming days Mathis used his acquired wealth to fund and participate in various political groups and movements that were fighting against the involuntary soul splitting that the taxes caused. He started his research again. This time for more ethical sources of energy. He dedicated his life to these causes until he passed away from cancer four years later.       You’ve probably heard the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. What could be more good than saving the world? If you had asked him 35 years ago if his work were crucial to the future race and planet he would have said yes. All they really managed to do was avert one crisis and replace it with another. Mathis and his team did the best they could, but society proved not to be trusted with such power. Guilt followed Mathis to the grave. How could it not? However his plight to make things right eventually bloomed into reality decades later after much fighting for change by his predecessors.