Time Enough at Last

by Delwin Rose V. Villarey, 2010-79267

Time Enough At Last features the character of Henry Bemis, a bookish man with thick glasses whose passion for books was curtailed by his wife, the bank president, and the ticking of the clock. His greatest wish is the time to read. One day, as he usually does, he sneaked down to the vault during his break - to read. While there, an H-Bomb was dropped! He became unconscious because of the shock wave. When he emerged from the vault, he entered into a "new" world, a world all to himself. Seeing himself alone, he decided to commit suicide. But before he pulled the trigger, he saw a library! He rushed to the books with glee and he excitedly organized his reading list for the future. As he begins to read a book, however, his glasses slipped and smashed. He's doomed to a world of hazy vision, surrounded by books but unable to read them...Even if he had time enough at last.

This show was based from a short story published in January 1953, after US President Harry Truman announced that they have developed the Hydrogen bomb (source). The development of nuclear bombs was an effort to counter the Communist threat because, by that time, USSR and the United States of America are engaged in the Cold War. Increasingly, the world relied on science to ensure the safety of the people and sovereignty of nation-states. Thus, the literature-loving bookworms were deemed silly by shrewish and efficiency-minded people (represented in the story as Bemis' wife and boss).

My adaptation:

The story happens at a time when most of the books available to the public are digital versions. The hero is a student, someone who likes to read online comic books.

Imagine that we see him reading an e-comic book where Iron Man and Batman are fighting. (Let's also imagine that Marvel and DC are still going at it, and they've started to pit their heroes against each other). He's in his room, reading the comics while holding his gadget which is being charged at the nearby power outlet. He is so interested in the outcome because he's betting Php 1,000 that Batman is a better hero than Ironman. At the chapter where the do-or-die battle between the two heroes reaches its climax, a lightning strike hit the electric cables, followed by a massive blackout. The student still has to read the part where the winner is revealed. But, the gadget runs out of juice and shuts down.