Marie Gatesworth walked past the small storefront, and stopped. There was a sign in the window that said: “Fantasy Online Network. What is Your Greatest Fantasy? Come On In For a Free One On Us.” She looked inside for a moment where there were a number of people sitting in chairs as if they were waiting their turn. She went in, and stepped up to the automated receptionist. On the desk was a palm-print reader. She lay her hand on it to sign in.
“Ms. Gatesworth,” the cyber-receptionist turned, and smiled at her. “How may I help you?”
“I – I,” she stammered. She was embarrassed to say exactly why she had come.
“Would you like to have an appointment to see what this is all about Ms. Gatesworth? The complimentary fantasy is free.”
“Yes,” she said. “I would. How long does it take?”
“Not long. It depends upon which fantasy you’re interested in. But, it’s usually about fifteen minutes.”
“Fifteen minutes?” She frowned. “Well, I don’t …”
“You’ll love it,” the cyber-receptionist smiled. “Really, you will. We have a 97% positive experience rating. Most people are very happy with it. In fact, most are disappointed when it ends. Almost unanimously, they all think it’s not long enough.”
“Really?”
“Listen,” the cyber-receptionist leaned forward, and whispered. “If for some reason you don’t like it – I am authorized to pay you one-hundred dollars on the spot.”
“A hundred dollars?”
“A hundred dollars. So please,” she gestured to one of the large overstuffed chairs by the wall. “Have a seat, and be comfortable. I’ll call your name shortly.”
Marie nodded, and sat down in one of the chairs next to another young woman – most of the people in the room appeared to be women – and waited.
“Oh, I loved it last time!” one of the other women said to her friend.
“Which one did you pick?” her friend murmured conspiratorially.
“I did the one where you’re absolutely irresistible! I swear – I picked up all the guys I could and they were all absolutely in love with me! They were! They took me out to dinner, dancing, and then out to a moonlit garden,” she sighed in ecstasy. “It was a fantastic dream come true! And it was just like real! You can’t tell the difference. Really, you can’t!”
“And exactly what did you do in the moonlight?” The friend gave a naughty chuckle.
“You know,” she laughed back.
“How many?”
“Every single one!”
They both burst out laughing.
“Well, I did the medieval fantasy. You know, the one where you are the queen – which was almost as good! I had an amazing palace, and everyone bowed down to me! There were Ladies in waiting, courtiers, Lords, and Knights! All of them were so good looking, and they had to do anything I told them to do. Loved it!”
“Rhonda Mazur,” the cyber-receptionist called out.
“Oh,” one of the women said standing up. “That’s me!” She slung her purse over her shoulder. “Can’t keep Prince Charming – and I mean the real Prince Charming waiting!” All of the small group laughed, and went back to talking amongst themselves.
Marie sat, and looked out the window for a moment. She sighed, and wondered if this could possibly be real. She shook her head. It sounded like one of those scam things. Well, as long as they didn’t ask her for any money, then she was alright. Somehow, all of this just didn’t seem natural. It sounded so nice, and very compelling, but there was just something wrong about. She listened again to the others talking, and they sounded so happy. Life wasn’t supposed to be that way. Happiness wasn’t supposed to be for everyone. Happiness sure hadn’t been a friend to Marie. The harder she chased after it, the further away it got. Prince Charming was only in a story book, and amazing palaces didn’t exist.
She laughed to herself for a moment. Her last boyfriend sure hadn’t been a Prince Charming. Oh, he was charming enough, when he wanted something. But, he was like all the other men in her life. None of them were princes. That was for certain. The only sort of man she seemed to attract were losers. They didn’t work and drank all day long, or they beat her up, and wound up in jail. No matter what the case was none of them ever stayed around for very long at all – none of them.
She looked at her own reflection in the windowpane for a moment, and then turned away. Once again, she was reminded of why she couldn’t attract a good man. No amount of make-up or make-overs could ever do very much to help her in that sort of thing. She sighed. It was something she’d learned to live with.
“Marie Gatesworth,” the cyber-receptionist called out, smiling at her.
She got up, and followed the cyber-receptionist down a hallway, and into a small office. A man was sitting at a desk, looking at his translucent computer screen in front of him. He smiled.
“Ah, Ms. Gatesworth,” he said, standing up shaking her hand. “Won’t you have a seat?” He gestured. She sat in one of two large overstuffed chairs in front of his desk. Off in the corner, there appeared to be a comfortable couch, with arms on it, similar to a one person lounge chair that wealthy people kept near the pool. But this one had a headpiece of some sort with goggles, like an old-time virtual reality headset.
“So,” the man smiled. “I bet you’re wondering what this is all about.”
“Yes. Your sign said that you gave away free fantasies? Is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct. What is your fondest fantasies Ms. Gatesworth?”
“Well now wait a minute. How is this even possible? What company are you with, and how much is this going to cost me?”
“Not a thing, Ms. Gatesworth,” he smiled, and leaned back in his chair. “We’re a new start-up company called the Fantasy Online Network. It’s just one of the incredibly startling things that the Centurion has created for us. And he just wants us to enjoy our lives much better is all.”
“Well, I’ve heard all about how the Centurion’s intelligence is now way above ours, and that he’s discovering so many things to benefit mankind. But, is this real? I mean, I heard some of the others out in the waiting room say that you can’t tell the difference between the fantasy and reality. Is that true?”
“Yes Ms. Gatesworth. That is exactly true. You see our implanted mindchips were originally invented by flawed humans, and therefore were very pixily, and choppy, especially when there was a lot of congestion on the web. But, the Centurion has overcome all that for us.” The man paused for a moment, and looked at Marie. “Listen – why don’t you try it for a moment, and see for yourself?”
“Well, I don’t know. I’m not really into castles, Prince Charmings, and fairy tale stuff.”
“Of course,” the man nodded. “I know exactly what you mean, and I think I have exactly the right one for you. It’s very straightforward, and should give you a taste of what it’s like. Actually, I think you’ll love this one best of all – many people do.” He stood up, and gestured to the lounge chair.
“What is it?”
“It’s very laid back – very low-key. It’s called ‘Backyard Barbecue,’ you like barbecues don’t you?”
“Sure, but …”
“Well, come on then,” he grinned at her. “The grill is lit, and you’ll swear it’s the best sauce you ever had. Come on,” he beckoned, and gestured to the lounge chair again. “Doesn’t cost a thing!”
Hesitating, Marie stood, and lay down on the couch, while the salesman lifted up the headpiece.
“It’s not going to hurt is it?”
“No, no, no,” he laughed. “Won’t hurt a bit,” he put the headset over Marie’s head.
“It’s not going to scramble my brains is it?”
“I promise you, that it’ll be just like Christmas morning, and you’ll be just exactly the same when you come back as you are right now. In fact, you’ll be wanting for more, I promise,” he gently tightened the chin strap, and put her hands up over her chest.
“Now,” he said standing up. “Just try to relax,” he went over to his desk, and sat down in front of his computer screen, and pushed a couple of green icons which alternately blinked, and then disappeared. “Okay we’re ready here. Are you ready?”
“I guess so.”
“Just close your eyes, and enjoy.”
***
Suddenly, Marie found herself standing on a backyard porch, holding a platter full of chicken, short ribs, and hot dogs. Over to her left a man was standing at an outdoor grill, turning some hamburgers with a spatula. Off to the side, she could hear the sound of children playing, and a lawnmower was working the lawn next door. She could smell the odor of freshly mowed grass mingling with the smell of the grilling hamburgers. Most of her body was in the shade, but her left hand was in the sunshine, and it was pleasantly warm on her skin. The man turned to her, and smiled.
“Ah, there you are, honey,” he grinned at her. “The grill is just right for that chicken, and those ribs,” he beckoned, flipping another burger.
Unsure of herself, Marie stepped out into the full sun, and carried the platter over to the man. He looked up, and there was a loving look in his eyes – a look that Marie had never seen any man give her before. He reached down, and kissed her gently on the cheek, taking the platter from her, and setting it down on the table beside him.
“Thank-you, sweetheart,” he said. “You are a gem.”
Marie looked up at him in surprise as he turned away tending to the platter. For some reason, his compliment was a shock to her. It was so sincere. No man had ever treated her that way before. There was always some sort of ulterior motive to it. The most she’d ever gotten was a sort of benign indifference. It made her doubt this whole fantasy thing. How could it be possible for that to happen to her? She was not the sort of woman that men even wanted to treat with sincerity.
But then as she turned her head for a moment, she saw another woman standing by the man in the reflection of the large sliding glass doors. Of course. That was it. It wasn’t her the man was talking to. It was someone else. She reached up for a moment to brush a strand of hair out of her face blown there by the warm, gentle breeze, and the woman in the reflection did the exact same thing but in reverse. Involuntarily, she looked around for the other woman, but then realized that the other woman was doing the very same thing. She stopped, and stared dumbfounded at her own reflection there in the sliding glass door.
Her mouth fell open in astonishment. The woman she saw looking back at her in the reflection was very beautiful. Marie took a couple of steps closer, and touched her cheek, turning her face this way and that in utter disbelief. She was wearing a simple but very pretty form fitting yellow sundress and sandals. Her hair was long, and curly, the color of light auburn, and it shone in the afternoon sun. She looked down, and smoothed her dress over her belly, and looked up again astonished. She was so thin! She turned to the side, and then back around to the front examining her very shapely, and bosomy form.
“You like your burgers medium rare, right?” The man asked her flipping a burger onto a bun, and putting it on a plate beside him.
“Yes,” Marie said, preoccupied. “Medium rare.”
The man turned with the plate, and without warning, embraced Marie with the other arm, and drew her close, kissing her passionately for a moment. Marie gasped. He smiled lovingly at her, and gave her the plate. Then, as if nothing had happened at all, he turned around back to the grill, continuing to tend to the sizzling burgers. Marie gasped again, and almost dropped the burger on the ground. She sat down overwhelmed, and set the plate down on the table. The man reached over to the platter, and began to put the chicken, ribs, and hot dogs next to the burgers
She looked all around her in complete amazement. It was indeed just like reality. Everything was so perfect, just like it was supposed to be. She couldn’t tell the difference between it, and reality. All of this was far, far – far beyond any of her wildest expectations.
Suddenly a very cute little girl about age six ran up to her, holding a piece of paper. She had on a pretty blue top, blue jeans, and red tennis shoes. Her hair was a curly light auburn color in pig tails, and it shone in the bright afternoon sun.
“Mommy, mommy, mommy!” She called, holding up the crayoned piece of paper. “Look what I just did!”
The little girl gave her the paper, and sat down next to her on the picnic table bench. She pointed at the paper. It was a childish crayon scrawl picture of four people standing on green grass next to a barbecue grill. Black circles rose up from the grill into a blue sky, and yellow sun in the corner.
“You did this?” Marie asked.
“Yes. I did it just for you, Mommy!” She lay her head against Marie’s shoulder, and she hugged her arm tightly.
“Oh well thank-you!” Marie said suddenly deeply touched in a way she’d never felt before. Suddenly the little girl jumped up off the bench, “I’m going to make one for Daddy too!” She said, and ran back into the house. “What a sweet little girl,” Marie thought to herself.
Marie looked down at the picture, and began to realize just how much she missed being a mother. Getting pregnant was something she always dreaded, and avoided at all costs. But here now, with a picture made by such a cute little girl who called her “Mommy,” she longed to have a little girl just like that one of her very own.
Then as she looked down, two muddy tennis shoes appeared in front of her. She looked up to see a small boy younger than his sister smiling at her, and holding a bunch of mangled dandelions in his hand. Proudly, he presented them to her.
“These are for you!” He said.
“Tommy,” the man turned, and shook his head. “Don’t give those nasty old weeds to your mother.”
“Oh no,” Marie said taking the flowers, once again surprisingly touched. “These are very nice. Where did you get them?”
“Oh, he got them from the garage,” the man said. “I pulled them out of the walk this morning. Those things always seem to come back no matter how hard you work at them.”
The little boy nodded yes, and reached up and kissed Marie on the cheek. Then he ran off into the house. There was an outraged scream.
“Tommy!” The man said. “Don’t do that to your sister! She’s coloring.
“He stepped on the picture I was making for you Daddy!”
“That’s okay, honey,” the man said smiling. “You can make another one.”
“Okay, Daddy!”
Marie sat there listening, when suddenly tears began to come, and she sniffed, bringing her hand up to her nose. The man turned, and looked at her concerned.
“Honey?” He said, sitting down next to her. “Why what’s the matter?” He took her hand. “Why are you crying?”
“I – I’m just so,” she took up a napkin, and blew her nose quietly. “I’m just so happy all of a sudden!”
“Oh, well sweetheart,” he took her hand in both of his, and brought it up, and kissed it gently. “You deserve it! You are the kindest, most loving, and without a doubt the most beautiful woman I have ever met. Really you are. You deserve all of this,” he reached up, and gestured to the house, and yard. “You deserve to be happy.”
“No, I don’t,” Marie shook her head. “This isn’t real. None of it is. It’s just a fantasy.”
“Only if you want it to be. You can make it real if you want to. And really, if you think about it, this is as real as anything ever gets.” He took her hand, up to his chest. “Look at me. I’m just as real as you are. And you have made me very happy these last several years. Truly, I have never been happier than I am when I’m here with you. I love you. You are the love of my life. I love you more than life itself, and I will love you until the day I die.”
Marie burst into tears.
“Look at all this. All of this is because of you. I was a third rate college student when we first met. I was about to quit, and who knows where I’d be now if I hadn’t met you. I am forever in your debt, and forever and totally in love with you.”
He kissed her on the cheek, and then looked around. He turned for a moment and looked back at the grill.
“Come on,” he smiled lovingly. “Let’s go upstairs for a few minutes. The kids will be alright for a little while.”
“What? But … ah,” Marie stuttered. “What about the grill? The food will burn.”
“Aw, that’s alright. We got more than enough, and most of it I haven’t even put on the grill yet. Come on,” he stood up, and smiling held out his hand kissing her on the cheek again.
Marie stood up, and he put his arm around her as they both walked into the house.
Suddenly everything went blank.
***
Marie opened her eyes with a start, and sat bolt upright.
“Wha – What happened? Why did it stop?”
“Time’s up,” the salesman said. “The fifteen minutes is over. That’s the end of your complimentary fantasy. How did you like it?”
“Like it,” Marie burst into tears. “I loved it! It’s beyond wonderful! Start it up again! Please! It wasn’t long enough! I want to go back! Please! I need to go back!”
“I’m so sorry, but we’re not allowed to repeat it.”
“But you promised! You promised that I’d be exactly the same coming back out as I was before! And I’m not! I’m not!”
“I – I’m very sorry. But I can’t do it again for free.”
“Well I’ll pay for it then! How much is it? How much does it cost?”
“A thousand dollars for a one hour session.”
“I have that. I have some money in the bank. I’ll gladly pay for it right now!”
“Well, I don’t know,” the salesman fidgeted and glanced back out to the outer office. “We do have a lot of other people out there waiting for their fantasy, and only a limited number of fantasy couches available. This one here is just for our new customers. I can’t hold it up for longer than fifteen minutes.”
“Oh, please,” Marie begged him. “There’s got to be something you can do for me. I’m willing to do anything I need to. The man – my husband – in the fantasy told me that I could make it real if I wanted to.”
“How much money do you have in the bank exactly?”
“A hundred and twenty-two thousand dollars.”
“Any bonds, stocks, or securities?”
“No, none of that. Just cash. Straight cash.”
“Well,” the salesman sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair. He got up, and sat back down behind his desk again. “There is a special offer which we have available for special cases. It is possible to make this a permanent situation if you want.”
“What do you mean permanent? You mean where I’m in there all the time? That I never have to come back out again if I don’t want to?”
“Yes.”
“Well, sign me up. I’ll do it, whatever it takes.”
“But it’s fairly pricey I’m afraid. What about your family? Do they have any money?”
“No. I don’t have any family. My parents died in an auto accident on my twenty-first birthday.”
“I see,” he stood up. “Well, thank-you for coming in, I …”
“No. No! I’ve got to go back in again! Please! There must be something I can do! There must be some way!” Marie stood, and seized his hand going down on her knees. “Please,” she said.
“Alright,” the salesman said quietly, and sat back down. “Let me see what I can do.” He gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk, and Marie sat down. He tapped the side of his head, activating his interface chip, and sighed.
“Yes, hi,” he said. “I have someone here who might be a candidate for our special offer charity case. “Oh huh. Yes Sir. I’ve already explained that to her. Hmm Mm. Well, right now, she tells me that she has only about one-hundred and twenty-two thousand dollars in her account – all cash. Okay. I see. Hmm. Well, I think she might just be willing to do that. Okay. Thank-you Sir. Bye.”
“And?” Marie leaned forward in her chair.
The salesman just looked at her for a moment, with his hand up to his mouth, as if he were thinking.
“Do you remember the movie The Matrix Ms. Gatesworth?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“And do you also remember how people provided energy to power the matrix?”
“You mean like batteries?”
“That’s right.”
“Yes. I recall.”
“Well, normally a permanent situation in Fantasy Online Network, is only open to those who have enough money to fully fund the infrastructure for the rest of their lives.”
“Of course.”
“This then pays for not only the berth they will be occupying, but also for the intravenous fluids they require for nutrition, and hydration, and the physical disposal of normal human waste.”
“Yes.”
“But, in your case, since you don’t have the money for more than just to start it up, we’d hook you up, just like in The Matrix to power up the systems required to run the fantasy.”
“Okay.”
“You’re – willing to do that?”
“Yes. But, will it be the same fantasy?”
“The very same one. But of course it would last longer than fifteen minutes. It would in fact, last for the rest of your life. All you have to do is give us the authority to charge your account, and to have the legal authority to provide for medical services. This is required by law, and allows us to maintain your bodily functions, and keep you safe, and able to enjoy a lifelong uninterrupted session in the fantasy of your choice.”
“Okay.”
“You’re sure about this?”
“Absolutely.”
“You’re willing to do all that?”
“Yes.”
“Are you also willing to allow me to keep this recording of our conversation this afternoon, and to allow it to be a legal documentation of our present fantasy agreement?”
“I am.”
“Okay,” the salesman smiled, and stood gesturing to a door to the back of the room. “Follow me, and we’ll get you back in again.”
“Thank-you!” Marie said. “Oh – thank-you! I will always be in your debt!”
“Yes,” he smiled. “Indeed you will be. But – you’ll be very happy for the rest of your life too. That I can guarantee.”
Marie followed him through the door, to another room where there were several dozen fantasy couches arranged in rows. Most were occupied by people who appeared to be sleeping peacefully, with tubes attached to their arms. Cyber-attendants roamed in between checking IV connections, and sitting on chairs next to them.
“I’ll have a personal cyber-attendant too?”
“Yep, one of your very own.” They went to a vacant couch, where a cyber-attendant stood waiting, with a headset.
“Here’s your spot,” the salesman smiled.
“I – I can’t believe it,” Marie said grinning broadly lying down on the couch. “I am so thankful that you could do this for me. But, don’t I need to give you my bank information?”
“You already did when you signed in. Don’t worry. We got it covered.” He smiled at her. “I hope that you will always have a fantastic time in your new life, and that your fantasy here with Fantasy Online Network will be all that you ever dreamed it could be.”
The cyber-attendant was just finishing fastening the headset strap, when the salesman nodded at the cyber-attendant sitting at a big desk in the center of the room.
“Just close your eyes, Ms. Gatesworth, and enjoy.”
“I will!” Marie smiled. “And thank-you!”
“You’re quite welcome.”
***
Suddenly, Marie found herself standing on a backyard porch, holding a platter full of chicken, short ribs, and hot dogs. Over to her left a man was standing at an outdoor grill, turning some hamburgers with a spatula. Off to the side, she could hear the sound of children playing, and a lawnmower was working the lawn next door. She could smell the odor of freshly mowed grass mingling with the smell of the grilling hamburgers. Most of her body was in the shade, but her left hand was in the sunshine, and it was pleasantly warm on her skin. The man turned to her, and smiled.
“Ah, there you are, honey,” he grinned at her. “The grill is just right for that chicken, and those ribs,” he beckoned, flipping another burger.
***
The salesman looked down at Marie Gatesworth, as she smiled, basking once more in the joy of her back-yard barbecue fantasy.
“Is she fully under?” He asked the cyber-attendant.
“Yes. She is no longer able to hear us.”
“Good. Make sure that you dispose of her remains in the usual manner once we’ve received confirmation from the bank that we’ve drained her entire account, and that it’s been deposited in ours.”
“Yes Sir. I will do that. Do you want me to notify the Centurion, or do you want to?
“I’ll let him know,” he said. “It’s always a good thing to notify the boss personally when you’ve been successful in something.”
“Yes Sir. And congratulations.”
“Thanks! This one was easy. The lonely ones usually are.”
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