Tranquil Rose

 

The bed shakes uncontrollably. Shoes fly from under it across the room. Rose freezes for a moment and wonders if she is experiencing an earthquake. But everything is still except for the bed and her shoes. “Am I hallucinating?” she stammers. Rose leaps toward the door. Reason has to explain this. Yes! There is someone under the bed. “Tanvir, is that you? Stop playing around! I mean it. C-c-c-come out now.” No answer.

 

An AI Buddy is instructed to set the metaverse experience to level 5, the highest level of relaxation. Rose needs to escape reality, and the VR headset is within reach. A blue light turns on. The neuro chip— implanted in her prefrontal cortex during infancy—reads the alpha, delta, and theta waves and assesses her current hormonal state. A soft ringtone invites Rose to immerse herself into an open realm ethereally fabricated with blue skies and vivid green pastures.

 

As she strolls across a sumptuously serene trail, the goal is to collect wool from as many sheep as possible. A floating pillow, accompanied by a hypnotic chime, rewards her effort with a dose of dopamine. For the first time, Rose gathers the wool of one hundred sheep. A green light blinks indicating an unlocked achievement. She sighs in relief while hesitantly disconnecting the headset from her nape. Rose scans the room. Everything is still. Everything is in its place.