The Twilight Artificial Reality Zone

Announcer: “Ladies and Gentlemen, fans of the imagination, where nature and manufactured intersect, I present to you a story of life in the Twilight Artificial Reality Zone.”

"Before us, on a precipice, a woman named Ally flicks her eyes downward to look at the narrow ledge under her feet. Hundreds of feet below she sees the river flowing in a canyon."

 "But is it natural or a manufactured reality gone wrong?"

One moment Ally was standing in her living room at home, turning dials on her time and artificial reality transformation device. The next second she is in a battle for her life on a narrow ledge above a vast crevice in the Grand Canyon.

How did she get there? How can she tell if the danger is real or a hologram created by the machine? A few stones on the ledge roll past her feet and fall through the air down into the canyon. It sounds natural.

Is it real or created by her device? The light and air feel authentic. Her pounding heart feels so very real.

“Hey, what are you doing down there?” A voice calls from above her. “Don’t you know that’s dangerous? Do you want me to get some help?”

The woman, Ally, tries to speak but her mouth feels like cotton and she can’t get any words out.

A shadow flits by her face suddenly. “eeee” she makes an uncontrolled screeching sound from her throat. Her face contracts with fear. But it is only a bird soaring away between the canyon walls.

The shadows lengthen as the sun moves lower. 

Ally breathes deeply and almost closes her eyes. Her hands are holding onto rocks protruding from the stone wall. Her feet are placed one in front of the other like a row along the skinny ledge.

She slightly bends her knees then straightens them. 

“Miss,” another voice comes from above. The ledge gets wider if you can back up a little.” 

The sound of more voices drifts down. “Honey,” a woman’s voice says. “We’ve sent for the ranger. Don’t worry. He’ll get you out of there.”

Just then Ally’s right foot slips a little. More pebbles roll across the rocky ledge and fall into space. Her breath catches. A drop of sweat starts to run down her forehead, across her right eye. She blinks it away.

“I’ll be ok.” She says for the people above. “I’ll just hang on till the ranger gets here.”

Ally feels her legs start to shake. She knows she must not wobble. More pebbles dislodge from the wall and roll across the ledge. 

They sound loud in the quiet of the canyon evening. The sun is on the horizon now. Shadows stretch and move from the rocky formations of the canyon. The air is still.

“Hang on there,” a deep voice says from somewhere behind her. “I’m almost there. I’ll get you.”

Ally hears a soft whisper of clothing rubbing against rock. It gets closer. Who is this and how did he get here?

There is a touch on her back and a large hand reaches around her waist with a rope.

More pebbles are dislodged. The sound echoes across the darkening canyon. Sweat droplets are rolling down Ally’s forehead and across her face. She tries to slow her breathing.

Part of the sun has slipped below the canyon edges. The sky above is clear and dark.

The sound of distant voices above Ally drift down.

There are some other sounds too. She can’t place them. They don’t sound natural. What is going on?

She can’t see the ledge well. 

“Now, don’t move yet,” the low voice says. “I’m going to tighten up that rope. Just stay steady.”

“OK,” Ally says.

A strong arm reaches around her waist. “Now step backward toward me.”

Ally follows directions, trembling. The ledge is too dark to see. She feels her way with her foot.

“You’re ok. Easy now. A little more.” The voice says.

Moving a inch at a time, Ally scoots backward. Moment by moment, the night darkens.

She is shaking all over. Trying to breath deeply and slowly. Face and body soaked with sweat.

“Only a little more. There’s a wider ledge back here,” says the voice.

Ally hesitates. The sun has made it’s sudden drop below the horizon. A soft light comes from behind her. She startles and jerks.

“That’s just my headlamp,” says the voice. “I can see that ledge and we are nearing the wider part. Just a little more.”

Ally no longer wondered if this canyon was natural or manufactured. Everything about it was real enough to her right now.

After a few more scoots she could tell the ledge was wider. A few more and she was standing on place several feet wide. But the canyon’s depths still stretched in front of her.

“We’re dropped down a rope,” came a voice from above.

Ally leans against the side of the canyon, limp. She sees the form of a man wearing a headlamp as he ties the rope around her waist, legs and arms, making a basket.

“Ready,” he says. “Ok, we’re pulling her up,” comes from above. More voices drift down.

A scream bubbles up and screeches from Ally’s throat. She feels her body lifted into the air, swinging against the rock walls. More stones roll. The sounds of them bouncing against the canyon on the way down echoes.

Light begins to stream down from above.

Ally’s body drops a few feet and she screams again. Her eyes are shut, her face in a grimace.

“Sorry lady,” comes a voice. “The rope slipped a little.”

Bright lights shine on Ally. She closes her eyes. Hands reach down and grab her by the arms. Someone pulls her up, lowers her to the ground.

Ally opens her eyes. She looks at her hands and arms. Her skin seems to be glowing. She looks at the group of people. They look like silhouettes shining against the dark of the night.

She sits for a while, breathing. The shaking goes away. She stands up. The group of people has dispersed. Her rescuer has disappeared.

The ground where she stands looks blurry and starts to fade.

Ally feels her heart pounding again. She reaches into her pockets.

There it is. She punches some numbers and pushes dials on the device.

Something is happening. She sees a wood floor. A stuffed armchair. A wall and a door.

But something is wrong. 

They look transparent and through them she still sees the canyon and dark sky above it.

Which is natural? Which is artificial? Ally can no longer tell.

Announcer: “Ladies and Gentlemen, fans of the real interspersed with the fantastical. I give you a seeker of both nature and manufactured reality. The victim of a malfunctioning device. Forever trapped in that area between nature and the man-made, known as the Twilight Artificial Reality Zone."