[ WP ] You live in a world where age is counted as how many years of life you have left

& nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp;'' Nathaniel Ward, child star of *That's Wicked! * died today, at age 87, in a tragic car accident,'' said the newscaster. `` He is survived by his parents, Nigel, age 54 and Elizabeth, age 57.'' 
 & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; I stared at the TV screen, and felt a little sick. It *was* a tragedy, but that was n't what made me feel ill. What did was the fact that the newscaster did n't look like he was announcing a tragedy, he looked like he was announcing a Kentucky Derby. He was probably just thinking of the rating boost this story would give. Fucking vulture. 
 & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; My thoughts turned to my little 92 year old. She was going to be inconsolable. Rose had had a major crush on the sprog, and was convinced she'd grow up to marry him. Now, she'd never even meet him or get his autograph, let alone marry him. Not that I ever believed she actually would. I assumed it was like any crush I had when I was a kid. She'd forget it by the time she hit 80. Of course, by then she would probably discover boy bands. 
 & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp;'' *That's Wicked! * producer Randall Scott had this to say,'' announced the newscaster, with a video clip of the producer appearing on the screen. 
 > & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; The producer, Mr. Scott, an elderly gentleman in his 20s, looked genuinely heartbroken, `` It is with a heavy heart that I announce an indefinite hiatus for *That's Wicked! *. With the death of,'' Randall choked a bit at that point, `` Nathan, we are presently unsure how to continue the show. Next week's episode will be replaced with a public memorial service aired live. We invite the general public to write in with their thoughts and memories of young Nathan. At 87, he had a long life ahead of him.'' He was silent for a moment. `` My heart goes out to Nathan's family. He was a dear boy and we, the cast and crew of *That's Wicked! * will all miss him.'' 
 
 & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; After the end of the clip the newscaster came on again, looking rather like a cat who'd gotten a dish of cream, `` Also in the news today, 19 year old media mogul Kensington Farnsworth has retired. A successor for his position at KFTV has yet to be announced.'' 
 & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; I turned off the TV at this point. Rose was still at school. I just hoped none of the kids were mean enough to tease her about her crush dying. It was n't much of a hope. Kids were often cruel. 
 
 *** 
 
 I could n't think of anything for the prompt except for a slice of life. I tried to pick a subject that would make the difference in age count apparent, hence the death of the child actor in the news report. Critiques welcome.
