Dying Leaf Disease

They were purple and turquoise green. Their hair was no longer gray and coarse, but silver and sparkling. They were 85 years old. To be old, was to be beautiful.

Wrinkles and knobby knuckles, arthritis and bad backs, diabetes and heart disease all still existed, but instead of reminding us of decay, it showed a road map of a life well lived.  The oldest were, by far, the most beautiful beings that ever existed. To live to 100 was to become a god.

Lilith Parkfield, of Richmond, Indiana, USA, was the first senior in History to turn a different hue. On her 85th Birthday, Lilith, or Lily, as she had been called in her youth, was alone at her senior living facility.  

The day had started normal. Lily had no need for an alarm clock, and she awoke to the neighbor’s dog barking outside. This did not bother Lily; she liked animals.

She assessed her body: eyes - open and working, bones- stiff but able, muscles - sore but still strong. As she rose from bed, she was vaguely aware that it was her 85th Birthday, but honestly, it wasn’t much of a thought. It didn’t feel like much of a day.

Lily visited the toilet without a glance in the mirror. It was not until she had her morning tea and looked at her hands that she noticed anything different. Her skin seemed to be almost glowing an emerald shade. Lily thought it must be her eyes, and moved to the sink to wash her face.

Looking back at Lily from the mirror was the most fascinating creature Lily had ever seen. She screamed and swooned gracefully to the floor.

She dreamed of her first crush and could feel herself blush in real life.

Lilith woke up to her concerned neighbors and the sound of hurried footsteps. That is all she heard; everyone was silent. It was Lily who broke the silence. She asked if she looked any different.

It started happening quickly after that, almost like an 85th Birthday present. The next day, two seniors, Albert Conrad and Marie Chung woke on their 85th Birthdays to their own surprising colors. Conrad, while on a cruise in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and Chung in her hospital bed in Hong Kong. Conrad was ruby colored, Chung was sapphire. The day after that, four seniors, garnet, amethyst, topaz, and onyx. The number of changing seniors grew exponentially.

When all the 85 year olds had fully bloomed, the older folks started turning.

The first name for it sounds laughable now, but “Dying Leaf Disease” is what this physical condition was called. Obviously all the tests were run, and nothing physical other than appearance had changed. And what a change!

The elderly glowed. Deep shades of every color, and all, except the bald, with the most exquisite silver hair. It looked like stainless steel, but felt like hair, original texture and all.

The road maps of the wrinkles each held a feeling, a story, and one could get lost just gazing at an old person’s skin. The comedy and tragedy of it all was hypnotic. 

It must be mentioned that not all 85 pluses led good lives. This was not Utopia. 

Some people almost got away with it. Evil doesn’t die young as a rule, nor does it necessarily die.  However, the wrinkles on their skin, their maps on their body, did not lie.  The truth and darkness shimmered as bright as the knowledge of what they had done. These elderly people still seemed magical, but also wretched, naked, and lonely.

Good deeds, on the other hand, shown like rainbow mist over the fields and valleys of skin. The truly exceptional could be displayed in a museum. Their complexion like dewy summer sunsets, the most loving, kind people were beauty incarnate. It became a goal: do the most good to get the most exquisite ending. Maybe it was Utopia after all.  

Their eyes did not change color, nor did their vision improve; however, in that glimmer was the Book of Life. When you looked an elderly person in the eye, it was no longer lost youth that you saw, but comforting knowledge.

People started going to senior care homes to see the colors, like taking the family to see the North East American leaves in the Fall. Instead of enticing the grandkids to stay with treats and toys, Nannas and PopPops were falling asleep with their loved ones gently petting and braiding their silver hair. 

85th Birthdays were more heavily attended than ever in History. Among the rich and famous there were grand unveilings. These were works of art, parts of History, and completely breathtaking.

Longevity became a goal. One may argue that it has always been a goal, but not by comparison. 65 year olds who were still working, supporting adult children, and giving birth to age spots everyday, had a new beginning to anticipate. 20 years time promised to deliver the recognition they have always dreamed, the love they have intensely craved, and the beauty they chased. 

In short, it was so perfect to die this way.