Crimson Eden

 I spot an email from a company I’ve never heard of. My curiosity gets me; I click it open. It’s an invitation for 10 people to stay one year, in a hollowdeck-type bunker, which consists of only one room. It stated $10,000 would be awarded, at the conclusion, of the program. However, leaving the program, at any time, before completion, even with one minute remaining, the money was forfeited.

I second guessed myself, but I opt for calling the number listed. I reminded myself, of the bills that were coming due soon and the bills that were already past due. I waited patiently, until someone picked up. I told the woman I was interested in the program and she, in turn, gave me a time for my interview. As with a job interview, I was instructed to bring proof of ID, age, medical records, and citizenship; Well, ok, maybe not medical records, for a job interview. Maybe they were trying to ascertain no one from any rival companies would sneak a spy under their noses, in order to steal their space-age technology. I call it space-age, after all, it seemed it was going to be just like the Hollowdeck, which was showcased, in the TV show, Star Trek.

I readied myself at 2 PM and 4 PM I was sitting across from the reception desk, waiting to be interviewed. A man and woman entered the foyer, from a door, on the left, of the room, with the woman’s hand firmly grasping the man’s elbow.

“I’m sorry Mr. Ludlow, but we cannot keep you locked in a room, for one year. The room is equipped to handle emergencies, but this is a trial phase and we cannot take the chance. It might malfunction and if you were to have a heart attack, then we might not be able to get to you quick enough. I hope you do understand.”

“It’s a chance I’m willing to take.”

“Mr. Ludlow, please.”

“You don’t understand. I need that money for a heart transplant.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Ludlow, I sympathize with you, but it’s just, too, risky. I’m sorry,” She was about to turn away, when I decided to speak up.

“Mr. Ludlow, please, have the institute give me your contact information; If I am chosen for the test, then I’ll be more than happy to give the money to you.”

“Can she do that,” He asked the woman, after she stopped walking away and turned toward me.

“Yes, it’ll be her money, to do with, as she pleases, if she lasts a year, in the room. If you will, please, follow me back to my desk, Mr. Ludlow, I will get the information she requested.”

We, both, followed her and her quick handwriting had him out the door in a few minutes; And me on my way to “the room, as she called it. I handed the woman a thumb drive, which contained a soft copy, of my medical history; After perusing it, the woman had me sit in the room, which she and Mr. Ludlow had vacated. She walked around a small round table, on which sat a slide projector, and before sitting, she turned off the lights. I saw from a dim security light, over the doorway, that she picked up something, and then the projector came to life, displaying images on a blank wall.

“Here’s a model of the room that you’ll be staying in and these are several of the things that the room is capable of.”

One-by-one images flicked onto the wall and I was amazed at everything I saw. You could, even, act out your favorite TV shows, and movies, with you being a character, from them. I asked about weather phenoms and she assured me that every precaution had been taken to ensure that no dangerous situations would arise, but in case one did, a panic button was installed, by the door. Once pressed the simulation would end and the door would open.

I filled out a list of shows and movies, making certain that none were, too, violent, as in a hail of bullets or a surfeit of tornadoes. I read down the list and was satisfied I had no errors. I, then, handed the list to the receptionist, whom fed the paper into a data processing machine that transferred the list to the main computer that ran the simulations. I was then taken, from the interview room, to a door that led to a long hallway. From there we passed 12 doors, with numbered lights over them, with mine being the one at the end, of the hall.

The number 13 has always been considered unlucky, but I thrust that thought from my head. I, now, had someone counting on me making it through, to the end, and I couldn’t let him down. I never welch on a promise, nor a bet, if I can help it, and I wasn’t about to this time, either. The door slid open and I walked into an empty room. I turned to ask the woman where the furnishings were, but was met with a closed door.

“Hmmm, what to do now,” I said, aloud, as I walked to the center of the room, and gazed about me. I stood there 5 minutes, waiting for something to happen, but nothing did; So, I muttered I wish I had a chair to sit on and, out of thin air, a chair materialized.

“What the…,” I was stunned, my jaw dropped open, and I almost felt giddy with wonderment. I guessed my reaction is the reason I was not told what to do once inside the room. I, gingerly, sat on the chair, testing its solidity, and was quite thrilled when I didn’t plummet to the floor.

“Coffee table, please. I would, also, like you to place a glass of ice-cold tea, with sugar and no lemon, onto the table.”

“Halt, Computer,” I shouted, because my legs were about to be encased in the glass-top, of the metal-framed, coffee table, “Please, move the table away from the chair.”

Ah, much better, now that I wasn’t having visions, of me leaving this room an amputee. I asked for a TV and a bowl of popcorn. The TV didn’t work, so I asked for the TV taken away and replaced with a TV that had the “The Facts of Life” program on it. For the rest of that day I binged every episode, of the last season, which I have never gotten to see, and asked for a bed, when I was ready to sleep.

That first night, was uneventful, or at least I thought it had been, until the following morning. I slowly blinked the sleep, from my eyes, and then tried to blink away what I saw. The room was filled with water and the bed was floating. WHY WAS MY BED FLOATING??? In the center of the room was a whirlpool. Did I mention the room was about the size of an Olympic-sized swimming pool? Well, anyways, there’s this whirlpool and my bed is going round it, getting closer to the center all the time.

“Help,” I screamed, “I need a rope tied to something, so that I can get away from this terrifying eddy.”

I really needed to watch my mouth, because a rope dropped onto me, with one end tied to a bedpost and the other to nothing. I finally got a rope that was tied to a tree and I used it to lash the bed to the tree. On command the CU got rid of the eddying water and I sat on the bed for a bit, while trying to figure out how it happened. I groaned, as I recalled the dream I had during the night, and made a mental note to never again think of a story I was working on, before going to sleep, at least not in a Hollowdeck-type bunker. Well, maybe if it’s a romance: Now, that kind of intrusion I don’t mind. (Wink Wink.)

I asked for a telephone and made sure that I said to call the receptionist on. I was shocked that it worked, as she picked up, on the second ring.

“Hello, Miss Abernathy, are you giving up so soon?”

“No,” I disliked the hint of smug mirth, which I heard in her voice, “I am already having problems, but I am not leaving. I just thought you might like to know the problems, so that the institute can come up with a way of correcting these. It would not bode well that any of your customers should buy these bunkers, to only have them turn on them. You need to implement more safety precautions, where dreams are concerned.”

“Dreams?”

“Yes, because last night I dreamed, of a character, in a story I am writing, and there was a whirlpool in the story. This morning I awaken to my bed being drawn into a very large whirlpool and it was only quick thinking, on my part, that I did not get sucked into it.”

“Thank you for letting me know and if you have any other problems that arise, please, inform us ASAP. Good day, Miss Abernathy.” She hung up before I could reply.

A month went by, without further incident, and I had a great time, of hiking through Yellowstone and biking through the Adirondacks, which are mountains that Rachel Ray mentions in one of her books. I had the CU synthesize every chef, which appears on the Food Network channel, and once I learned from them, I competed against them, Iron Chef-style. I was 5^th place, out of six contestants, right in front of Bobby Flay; However, I think Bobby let me win. I didn’t care that I didn’t win 1st place, because the experience was a prize, in itself.

The 2^nd month I was incapacitated, because I decided to try scaling a rock, climbing wall, which I had seen at an event I attended before. The wall was an exhibit by the Marines, but in the room, I had no spotter, which was a huge mistake, for I fell and put a hairline-fracture in my ankle, when I landed, I forgot to tuck and roll. For 6 weeks I was laid up binging everything that I had on my watchlist. I got bored, about 2 weeks in, and asked for a library. Be careful what you ask or wish for, you just might get it. I had the entire building sitting in the bunker, luckily the CU didn’t have me squashed beneath it.

I hobbled around, on AI-made crutches, while I scouted out books to keep. I spoke the library away, but that left me disgruntled, because it, also, took the books. I re-worded the command and asked for the books that I wanted to read. I had the CU create a reading nook, complete with a window seat, and window, which had a real-world setting on the other side of the window. With nothing else to do, it took me 10 days, of almost non-stop reading, to read the 5 books I had chosen.

I forgot the bathroom. In case you are wondering, every amenity can be conjured up. Isn’t technology grand? Well, some of the time, it is.

I had started a diary, on my first day in, of every mishap, and on the 4^th day, of the 4^th month, I got to tell the CU to record that house fires are still possible, in this type of bunker, and that an automated, fire protocol needed to be installed. I nearly panicked, but, yet again, I remembered about fire extinguishers, just in time. I asked the CU to, also, suction out the smoke, but that nearly took all of my oxygen.

I don’t know if this hallowdeck crap is a good thing or not.

The 5^th and 6^th months were Halloween and Christmas. Do you know how boring it can be, when your by yourself, during the holidays? I made a mental note to have the CU create me a date for Valentine’s Day. I decided to give it a try on New Year’s and had the CU synthesize Sam Elliot, my favorite actor. We watched the ball drop, in Time’s Square, and kissed at Midnight. I wonder if kissing the real man would feel, as spectacular? I would probably never know, but at least I have this memory.

January the CU clothed me, in the warmest designer ski apparel, and I went skiing at Aspen, Colorado, which garnered me a broken wrist. I hoped no medical bills awaited me when this was over, because Mr. Ludlow wouldn’t be getting the new heart, which I had promised him. I called up the receptionist, whom was sounding more peeved, with every call, and asked her about medical bills. She assured me that no bills would be forthcoming, as this is just a test, but that when buying, customers maintenance expenditures would be included in their purchase price, with a yearly fee.

Valentine’s Day finally came and I had the CU prepare a full-course meal, from the best French restaurant, in Paris, and the dining experience took place on one of the Eiffel Tower’s top floors. Per my request, the CU blinked in several actor’s from my watchlist, in Black Tie affair, of course, and I chose Patrick Swayze, as my dashingly, debonair dining partner. He didn’t go by Patrick, but, since the movie on my watchlist was “Dirty Dancing”, instead, he was Johnny. We talked about the movie, as if it were a real place and not a movie. It would have been more romantic, if not for the fact that, he couldn’t stop talking about how great “Baby” was. Right then, I wished I could push “Baby” from the Eiffel Tower. LOL!!! Am I bad or what? Hahaha.

For a week, I walked around in a cloud, and went out on dates, with various male characters. So, all of February, saw me doing a myriad of activities, with Johnny, from “Crybaby”, Ulysses Everett McGill, from “Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou”, which, I think, Clooney looks darn sexy in, and a few characters from action films. My favorite date was Jackie Chan, though, because in it, he and this guy fight over me. What gal doesn’t like it when two guys fight over them? Am I right or am I right?

Nine months into the program, I decide to play out the movie “Junior”, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, and had the CU record it, so that I could watch it later. It was so funny watching the playback and hearing Arnie’s voice, coming out of my mouth. It was, also, very strange seeing myself, as a very pregnant woman, about to give birth and I wondered if that was how I would appear IRL.

April, found me on the White House lawn, during the annual Easter Egg Hunt, while noshing delicacies, with the President and First Lady, Heads of State, and other political figures. At least that was the contingency, however, one muttered, albeit not-meant-to-be-heard sentence ruined it all. Note to self: Never, ever, when in the bunker, to utter the words: “I hope no one tries an assassination attempt while I am here.” I believe that the only thing the CU heard was the word “assassinate”, because all heck broke loose.

A weaponized drone flew directly over my head, as men in black body suits and masks parachuted onto the lawn. A gunman advanced and I cowered behind a buffet table. My mind was racing, but mostly it was saying, over-and-over, ‘OH MY GOSH, WHAT DO I DO!!!???’ I looked through a bullet hole and saw the man was engaged, in hand-to-hand combat, with a Secret Service agent. I looked around me and found that I was no longer in eminent danger; Ergo, I had time to think of a plan. I quickly told the CU that I wanted to watch Mary Poppins, starring Julie Andrews.

May, was the month that I took a world cruise and visited every continent. I lived as a Viking, I watched the running of the bulls in Barcelona, and I listened to an orchestra in the Sydney Opera House, among other things. It’s amazing that a person, could live in one room, in one country, and travel all over the world, without ever leaving that room. I, even, traveled to Ireland, with Samantha Brown, the host of my favorite travel show, and kissed the Blarney Stone. It was a bit weird and my neck ached for a few moments, from the angle the stone had to be kissed at.

The last day, of the 12^th month, I was hit with the worst calamity, of my life, and forever changed how I viewed natural disaster movies. If I ever buy one of these pleasurable, torture chambers, I’m going to never be able to watch anything that isn’t very, very mild. No car chases, shootouts, or anything that can fry my human brain, nor make me permanently paranoid.

I asked to watch Sister Sister, but, instead, I am shown Twister, with Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton. I was almost done with the movie, when, out of nowhere, a huge cyclone begins whirling, like a dervish, descending from the ceiling. I think about hitting the panic button, as my hair is whipped around, my face, wildly, and I call for a tether, which can withstand gale-force winds. I harness myself into it, then, I command a phone to be conjured and I shout, into it, that I don’t like having movies trying to kill me.

“Whatever is the problem, now?”

“The computer gave me ‘Twister’, instead of Sister Sister. The room is now trying to send me to meet the Wizard of Oz. This is crazy!!! How much time do I have left?”

“You have,” I heard fingernails on a keyboard, “One minute remaining.”

I wonder how Mr. Ludlow likes his new heart?