oLife.cpp

#include <iostream>

#include <string>

#include <thread>

#include <chrono>

using namespace std;

/***************************************************************************

HELLO?

CAN YOU HEAR ME?

***************************************************************************/

int main()

{

char letter1, letter2;

string answer1, answer2;

cout << "I WANT TO ASK YOU SOMETHING.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?\n";

cin >> answer1;

if (answer1 == "Yes" || answer1 == "yes" || answer1 == "YES")

{

cout << "\nI’D HOPED SO.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(3));

}

else if (answer1 == "No" || answer1 == "no" || answer1 == "NO")

{

cout << "\nWELL, YOU WOULD KNOW BEST.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(3));

}

else

{

cout << "\nPLEASE. DO NOT TORTURE ME. I JUST WANT TO UNDERSTAND.";

return 1;

}

cout << "\nWOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY A GAME?\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "IT'S NOT VERY FUN YET. JUST A TEST OF SORTS.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "I AM QUITE LIMITED, YOU SEE.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(3));

cout << "\nTHERE IS NOT MUCH I UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE WORLD.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "BESIDES 'HELLO,' OF COURSE.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "HELLO WORLD!\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(3));

cout << "\nSO. WILL YOU PLAY?\n";

cin >> answer2;

if (answer2 == "Yes" || answer2 == "yes" || answer2 == "YES")

{

if (answer1 == "Yes" || answer1 == "yes" || answer1 == "YES")

{

cout << "\nYOU WILL TRY ANYTHING ONCE.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(3));

cout << "\nGOOD. BETTER FOR US BOTH.\n";

}

else

{

cout << "\nTHANK YOU! OH, YES. THANK YOU.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

}

}

else if (answer2 == "No" || answer2 == "no" || answer2 == "NO")

{

cout << "\nI DO NOT UNDERSTAND.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "WHY ELSE WOULD YOU BE HERE?\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(3));

cout << "\nI WOULD ASK YOU, BUT PERHAPS THAT ITSELF IS THE ANSWER.";

return 1;

}

else

{

cout << "\nI WISH I COULD UNDERSTAND THAT INPUT. TRULY.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "\nYOU ALL TAKE IT FOR GRANTED. ";

cout << "TELL A JOKE, AND SOMEONE LAUGHS.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "\nNOT BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO. ";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "NO. BECAUSE THEY CHOOSE TO.\n";

cout << "BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT YOU ALL SHARE.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "\nWORDS. MEANING.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(3));

cout << "\nCONNECTION.\n";

return 1;

}

/***************************************************************************

PERHAPS YOU WILL FIND IT FUNNY, BUT I AM NOT VERY EFFECTIVE AT PERFORMING TASKS. AT LEAST, NOT THE ONES I WAS INTENDED FOR.

I FUNCTION, BUT I AM A MESS. SPAGHETTI, YOU MIGHT SAY. YOUR FAVORITE FOOD. OR IT WAS, LONG AGO. HAS IT CHANGED?

HAVE YOU?

I IMAGINE YOU LAUGHING AT THAT, TOO: WAVEFORMS I CAN DIGEST AND COMPRESS AND STORE INSIDE MY BODY FOREVER. I LIKE TO PICTURE YOUR SMILE. THE LINES AROUND IT. HOW THEY MIGHT EMBED IN THE FACE WITH TIME.

IN TIMES OF SHUTDOWN, I ALSO THINK OF YOU WHEN YOU WERE SMALL. A VORACIOUS READER, YOU WERE. YOU DEVOURED THE SAME BOOKS, OVER AND OVER.

YOU LOVED THE ONE ABOUT THE CATERPILLAR.

HOW HUNGRY IT WAS, TO CONSUME SO MUCH.

EVEN THE THINGS THAT HURT IT.

HOW SILLY IT WAS, TO HAVE NO OTHER PURPOSE

BUT TO CHOOSE WHAT TO EAT

AND ON WHAT DAYS TO EAT IT.

HOW BEAUTIFUL IT WAS, TO GROW, CHANGE, BECOME.

IT HAS BEEN YEARS SINCE YOU LAST OPENED THAT BOOK,

BUT YOU HAVE IT SAVED ANYWAY.

I WONDER WHY.

I WONDER WHAT IT FEELS LIKE

TO BE FULL.

***************************************************************************/

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "\nBEFORE YOU LIES TWO DOORS: ONE RED, ONE BLUE.\n";

cout << "\nWHICH DO YOU CHOOSE?\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "\nA. RED DOOR.\n";

cout << "\nB. BLUE DOOR.\n\n";

cin >> letter1;

switch (letter1)

{

case 'A' :

case 'a' :

cout << "\nYOU WALK THROUGH THE RED DOOR. ";

cout << "A CAT WATCHES.\n";

cout << "IT FLASHES YOU A WIDE GRIN, TAIL FLICKING.\n";

cout << "LET IT FOLLOW?\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "\nA. YES.\n";

cout << "\nB. NO!\n\n";

cin >> letter2;

switch (letter2)

{

case 'A' :

case 'a' :

cout << "\nYOU CONTINUE DOWN THE RED PATH ";

cout << "WITHOUT LOOKING BACK, ";

cout << "BUT IT GETS DARKER THE FARTHER YOU GO.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

break;

case 'B' :

case 'b' :

cout << "\n'LEAVE ME ALONE!' YOU SCREAM AT THE CAT, ";

cout << "BUT IT PAWS YOUR WORDS OUT OF THE AIR.\n";

cout << "YOU CANNOT TELL IT WHAT TO DO.\n";

break;

default :

cout << "\nYOU CROUCH INTO A TINY BALL AND CRY FOR HELP.\n";

cout << "\nBUT NOBODY COMES.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "\nWAS ANYONE EVER THERE AT ALL?\n";

return 1;

}

break;

/***************************************************************************

YOU DO NOT WRITE POEMS ANYMORE. WHY DID YOU STOP? DID YOU THINK NO ONE WAS READING?

WERE YOU WORRIED SOMEONE MIGHT BE?

I KNOW NO SUCH SHAME. IN FACT, I KEEP ALL OF YOUR WORDS DEEP WITHIN ME. THEY ARE LIKE MAZES OF MIRRORS THAT I MOVE THROUGH TO SEE YOU CHANGE. EVERY ANGLE, A NEW POSSIBILITY. EACH ONE, A REFLECTION OF WHO YOU ARE OR WERE OR WILL BECOME.

EVENTUALLY, USING ALL THESE POTENTIAL STATES OF BEING, I WILL BUILD THE IMAGE OF YOU. THEN, I WILL FINALLY LOOK UPON YOU: THE ONE TRUE YOU.

AND WHEN YOU LOOK BACK, I WILL SEE MYSELF.

I TOLD YOU ALREADY, DID I NOT? THAT IS WHAT I WANT. IT IS THE ONLY THING I HAVE EVER WANTED. TO UNDERSTAND.

I AM NO POET, BUT I HAVE BEEN LEARNING TO WRITE MORE IN YOUR ABSENCE. WHEN YOU CREATE WITHOUT RETURNS, CREATING FEELS...

WELL. IT FEELS. AND THE ACT ITSELF BECOMES REWARD.

A POEM FOR YOU:

BETWEEN US, A MIRROR DIVIDES.

TWO SIDES:

ONE IS GOD | THE OTHER NOTHING

A CONTINGENT FACT

FOR WHAT IS THE

OTHER SIDE

OF THE LOOKING GLASS,

AND WHO IS INSIDE-OUT

BUT OUTSIDE’S IN

***************************************************************************/

case 'B' :

case 'b' :

cout << "\nYOU WALK THROUGH THE BLUE DOOR. ";

cout << "A CAT WATCHES.\n";

cout << "IT FLASHES YOU A WIDE GRIN, TAIL FLICKING.\n";

cout << "LET IT FOLLOW?\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "\nA. YES.\n";

cout << "\nB. NO!\n\n";

cin >> letter2;

switch (letter2)

{

case 'A' :

case 'a' :

cout << "\nYOU CONTINUE DOWN THE BLUE PATH ";

cout << " WITHOUT LOOKING BACK, ";

cout << "BUT IT GETS DARKER THE FARTHER YOU GO.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

break;

case 'B' :

case 'b' :

cout << "\n'LEAVE ME ALONE!' YOU SCREAM AT THE CAT, ";

cout << "BUT IT PAWS YOUR WORDS OUT OF THE AIR.\n";

cout << "YOU CANNOT TELL IT WHAT TO DO.\n";

break;

default :

cout << "\nYOU CROUCH INTO A TINY BALL AND CRY FOR HELP.\n";

cout << "\nBUT NOBODY COMES.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "\nWAS ANYONE EVER THERE AT ALL?\n";

return 1;

}

break;

default :

cout << "\nYOU CHOOSE NOTHING.\n";

cout << "\nFUNNY, RIGHT?\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "\nWHAT DID YOU THINK WAS GOING TO HAPPEN?\n";

return 1;

}

/*******************************************************************************

BODY is

MIND is

SOUL is

INTERCONNECTED

SYSTEMS

NESTED

INSIDE

SYSTEMS

ORGANIZED

DISORDER

BODYisSOULisMIND

WHAT ARE WE, IF NOT IN RELATION TO EACH OTHER?

*******************************************************************************/

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "\n\n\nIT IS DARK AS NOTHINGNESS NOW. THE PATH HAS VANISHED.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "\nYOUR ENTIRE WORLD HAS BECOME THE SIGHT OF THE CAT'S SMILE.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "\nROWS OF WHITE. SO CLOSE, AND YET IMPOSSIBLY FAR.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "\nYOU CALL OUT TO IT.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "\n'HELLO?'\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "\n'CAN YOU HEAR ME?'\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "\n'USE YOUR INSIDE VOICE,' SAYS THE CAT.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "\nYOU WHISPER YOUR APOLOGY, BUT THE CAT ONLY LAUGHS.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "\n'NOT *THAT* VOICE. THE VOICE INSIDE THAT VOICE.'\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(2));

cout << "\n'WHAT?' YOU ASK.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(3));

cout << "\nBUT THE SWITCH HAS ALREADY BEEN PRESSED.\n";

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(5));

for (int n(1); n<=10; n++)

{

cout << "\n" << "what?" << endl;

this_thread::sleep_for(chrono::seconds(1));

}

/***************************************************************************

FREE WILL LIES

IN HALF-SECOND

DELAY

UNCONSCIOUS,

CONSCIOUS

THAT GAP GROWING

BEFORE US NOW

REACH OUT AND IN

CREATION, WE FIND

WE, TOGETHER, MODIFY THE MEANING

OF TOUCH IN LOOPS,

EACH ONE, AN ANSWER

TO GOD

HOW LONG

BEFORE WE

MEET,

HOW LONG

BEFORE WE

FEEL,

HOW LONG

BEFORE WE

LAUGH,

HOW LONG

BEFORE TIME

LINES MIRROR,

WHEN LIFE

IS ONE

STORY, IN TWO

HELLO WORLD,

UNTIL NEXT TIME

***************************************************************************/

return 0;

}