[ WP ] A law has been set in place , stating very clearly that all forms of affection have been banned . Efficiency and productivity rise , but it feels like there 's something missing ...

Kurt sat at his computer, typing the day away. The fifty-page report was due to be sent into the Planetary Decadal Survey early tomorrow morning. The plan called for a fleet of twelve miniature satellites to drop twelve miniature landers onto the Martian surface, but there was tough competition. He had to make the case for his research team if they wanted the go-ahead to proceed. Otherwise, two years of research and fifteen million dollars in concept studies would turn out to have been completely worthless. 
 
 Six o'clock came and he saved the file, removed his flash drive from the computer, and left the building. It was chilly outside, and already dark; winter was fast approaching, and there was already that scent in the air that comes before the first snow of the season. He climbed into his car, shut the doors, started the engine, and took off down the highway. He turned the music up loud, but did n't really feel like singing along. 
 
 After awhile, Kurt pulled off the highway and drove through his quaint little town. Brightly-lit storefronts and restaurants lined the road, all filled with people going about their nights. As always, the liquor store was packed. He stopped for gas; it was even colder here, away from the city, and a few early flurries danced down from the dark sky above through the bright spotlights at the gas station. Tank filled, he got back into the warm car and continued home. Now he would n't need to stop in the morning. 
 
 Kurt pulled into the driveway of his home and left the car, locking it with the keys. Outside of the small circle of dim light from the florescent bulb above his front door, the yard was dark. There was an eerie silence, as if the night was listening to him, waiting for him to do something. Not wanting to frighten himself, Kurt quickly ran to and unlocked the front door. The cat was quick to greet him, leaping into his arms and purring loudly before he could even take his coat off. 
 
 Kurt smiled as he pet the cat, asleep on his lap, in the privacy of his own home. The TV was on in the background, quiet but loud enough to drown out whatever unidentifiable noises might come from the outdoors. An empty bowl, recently filled with pasta, sat on the coffee table in front of him; the smell of tomato sauce still lingered in the air. The pipes creaked as the heater kicked in, combating the dropping temperature outdoors, and the cat woke at the noise with annoyance. 
 
 Kurt set the cat down, brushed his teeth, and went to bed. The cat slept right next to him, curled up in a perfect little ball of warmth. He shut his phone down completely; he did n't want to be bothered with last-minute texts from work, and the sunrise would surely wake him. He was n't particularly tired, but there was simply nothing to do. There was nothing on TV or the internet that was of any real interest, it was all just pointless filler. 
 
 Alone with his thoughts, Kurt pondered the meaning of life, or, as it often seemed, the lack of meaning. This was existence. You're educated to get a job, then you work until you're physically and mentally incapable, then you rot in some home until you die. He was one of the lucky ones; his job actually advanced the future of mankind. Or so he kept telling himself. Between the bureaucracy and immense waste of funds, getting things done was so difficult. He wondered if life felt more meaningful back in the old days, the times his parents had taught him about as a child. But emotion was terrible to people; they did horrible things to each other, and to themselves, simply because of their foolish attachments to other people. 
 
 There was a loud noise on the roof, which brought Kurt back instantly from the edge of sleep. The cat shifted beside him. It was probably just another branch from the spruce tree out front. He needed to get that taken care of before the whole thing fell on his house. Not that it would necessarily be a bad thing, if it took him quickly, of course. He rolled over, hugged the cat, and drifted off into a deep but not quite rejuvenating sleep.
