Darkness over the imagination.
Imagine choosing and living any life you wish. At any time and any place, or any combination. Be anyone. Remix historic events just by thought. Being truth that it only takes an instant to change the mind. What once was shock is now laughter. Humility becomes mainstay and original thought is well known to no longer be true. No thought leaves its source.
The body never knows its purpose. Simply a common vessel to carry remixed thought. Basics sustenance and bio-mechanical medication as it were, serve this vessel like an appliance. The conscious self notices its ego only when living inside the mind. For outside of this surrealism natural life is regarded as trivial.
“I’m pregnant” she said with a tremor in her voice.
“That’s…that’s fantastic!” He replied obviously shocked
“Let’s tell everyone! Let’s tell everyone right away!” He then glowed.
“No, (name here), we cannot tell anyone.” She sobbed.
“Why? What do you mean?” he shouted as she looked away.” This is a miracle, I…!”
“I cannot think of what my (other popular) would think! I cannot think of an abortion either!” She continued to sob. “We are too different…this will never last.” I cannot be having babies now!”
“We will keep him!” He shouted. He was born to rock like his father before him. Late night parties, orgies with the most beautiful people. Famous beyond his wildest dreams. Every night a different city, a new crowd to hear him and the most well known rock band in ages. Always a good time to be had. Never a dull moment. All his wishes had come true and he was still very young and ambiguously beautiful. Yet, all of this was not real.
Reality was that he was a box head on a planet that had succumbed to over population. The only way to escape this was through advanced virtual reality. Biomechanics installed at birth and carried over your face until your eventual demise.
This is what her Mother feared the most. That and what her true family would think of her now. This was the way the Divine had taught the populous on how to deal with emotions over run by many others emotion. Escape meant everything. Individuality was lost without V.R. Family dinners were not anything but a turnoff in reality. See, in reality the long armed, stringy hair of his real body was unappealing. Hair was to protect him from the many others who had over run the planet long ago. He nearly walked on all fours and frequently brushed against strangers who had taken common courtesy to this new morality junkyard. No, “pardons”, no “thank you”. Only with V.R. could one lead a happy life of believing themselves as an individual. This includes the family, and now the worries of what they might think over dinner as you break the news, “I’m pregnant.” That is how the Divine had the knowledge to insure a Box heads natural state of happiness. Drama was unheard of in a box head life.
Sure you can share V.R. with whomever you chose. Sometimes, it was heard that when you had learned everything, the Divine would not halt your right to demise. In fact, they could join you. Lead to you a place of the Divine wisdom where you knew all the answers but merely needed them shown to you again. ‘The future is a surprise you keep to yourself’, they said. All you needed is the smile you kept hidden behind your boxed head.”
Always this young box head had joined many voyages to places only dreams could create. Now, a new found determination of being a Father led him on a new path.
His passion was music though. He had been every famous rock star at least once at the pinnacle of their respected careers. The 50’s when Rock and Roll was born from blues to the 3220’s when the compilation noise revolution slammed the media outboard. The 50’s to the 5050’s. Yet something was missing. She told him of death once. There was never a friend who died in V.R. Never an over dose or an S.T.D. Come to think of it, every one of the box heads V.R. trips never once showed a single bad feeling in emotion. There was never a virtual death even if you chose to be a famous surgeon. No mistakes to be made. No misunderstanding whatsoever. Pure bliss. Curious, he thought. What will this new baby he had fathered with her want from this world?
He thought? Yes he had chosen before. Explored his free will as to what V.R. trip was to do next but he had just stopped to think. Simply forgot to start again. There in his trip was the most beautiful site. She was tall like him. Long golden locks of hair that most surely smelled like tulips he thought. Auras were well known in VR Trips but nothing quite like hers. She lifted her eyes at him and his heart soared. His broad smile reflected by hers. His band mates were leaving to the hotel and called out to him. They must have noticed the pause in his step but could not see this lovely hallucination. He blinked and she was gone.
How would he see her again? What had he done to conjure this beauty? Could he do that again? Was it strength or courage? Maybe just dumb luck or a bit of loves premonition of the "one".
Never mind that now his band mates were calling him. He walked towards the elevators with them and turned before the doors shut. She was just there, he thought. Now, they had a child together.
Always a game within rules the VRT was. Never a dull moment picking any story you have or have not known and being the star of it. Not a double life but an infinite one. Never feeling robbed of freedom. Now quite suddenly, being robbed of that and much more he would soon discover. It may affect that spongy thinker in that big hard skull of yours!
Chow time was always a favorite in VRT. Being tremendously overcrowded, many box heads found them selves overlapping while lapping it up by creating the same meal as the same individual. This would reveal strange duplicated dioramas that left little or no choice for individual taste. If you had not wired ahead, you may get stuck in reality. In reality, the planet was dry. Large ancient fountains would fill with warm porridge and paste that would be knelt into and food is gathered in clumps by the hair on their arms and legs. A strange feline ritual of feeding and grooming.
This was one of the few chances to see a smile when lucky. To see lips that made up an individual face as they pulled the porridge from their hair would in an odd way create sexual desire to the observer. A glimpse of the nose or shadows of eyes was much more desirable than actually watching two join their common bodies in sexual splendor. It was not uncommon and looked upon as if watching the same two simply consuming. Even a casual observer will not witness much as box heads naturally join bodies in a fashion that masks out nearly all the action. Besides most in the meal time dutifully ignore this and just continue their personal eating and cleaning ritual. Some box heads left out of VRT during chow time by choice or demand would find time to mate after a good meal. Still sex and consumption were thought of as synonymous.
VRT during a meal time chosen by the Divine according to what time of day you were born. You could have only one ritual meal a day. In VRT it was the most succulent enjoyable meal with family or friends. The unlimited VRT menu would suit your hearts content.
Not today though. He had not wired ahead and found himself pressed against the fountain. After this particular meal he noticed a young female who had not much hair. To his hearts desire he noticed that her aura he could recalled matched that woman in VRT from earlier in the day. He caught a glimpse of her golden locks within her boxed head. He stood up to pursue just as 10 or 20 new bodies rushed in squelching his chances of finding her again. Was that the same woman from the VRT vision? Is she real? His mind went racing as sleep crept in. The gathering of warm bodies of others sharing this cool night motioned to him. Quickly removing his busy thoughts and into a box heads dreamless state of rest.
The morning was dry as usual. He awoke and began grooming as most young box heads would. Back arching upwards to casting a feline shadow with the early morning sun. Joining a yawn and stretches with his mind to thoughts of what could be new in the idea hut. There Divine would post what some of the new product was. A blog for better combinations for a ratings revival. Along with individualist Chart topping VRT. He always made the grade. Thought to be well rounded, adored by his fans and sought after by his peers. As the box head though, no one dare even notice him.
Today he saw something new.
‘Experience the Divine first hand!’ It read.
‘See just what it takes to make peace of mind a peaceful place!’
Reaching his arm into these new files and gathering it as electronic dust with its long hairs. Then using his limb as a brush, he painted over his box head body and masked out this dry speechless world surrounding himself with new thoughts new visions with enthusiasm.
Suddenly quicker than an Amen he was there. There within the Divine temple. It was larger and more colorful than when it’s created by VRT. The colors were of favorite faces he remembered or played now making mirrored images on the walls and floors of literally millions of VRT chapters. All animated from floor to the cathedral ceiling. Projected simultaneously, shared by the thousands. He looked down at the shine of his shoes and smiled with a new confidence by being Divine. Halted abruptly with his grin paused in place by the passerby nearly pushing him over. “Pardon me”, she said. Quite simply at this range her scent was tulips. He was locked in fear to look her in the face. Fear that just maybe this was all just some damn hallucination. ‘VRT and it is!’, he thought. ‘There is that thinking again!’ She smiled and glanced away to the direction she was headed. He pursued with no hesitation his grin now widening. It was as if they were joined some how. Joined as the Divine.
‘How do I know you?’ he asked attempting to lower his voice to a male octave.
‘No thought leaves its source.’ she responded with teeth added in her smile. Eyes locking to his searched out a reaction that was too numb to react.
‘I thought you….but there… the bulletin at the idea hut and I thought…’ He stammered.
‘I invited only you because you think outside the box, James.’ She firmly interrupted.
“Our family is from the Divine and I am not going to let them know you have discovered your free will. I would like to observe you first. Before you are placed on forget.”
‘What? Who is James?’ his eyes grew with a sense of loss.
‘You are, James. You have been placed on forget many times. You might be a risk to the peace of mind or possibly an icon to our ego or our passion; stronger than either world~real or not. No one has ever given you a second thought once you forget’
She reached for his shoulder motioning him into a darkened alcove. Laying out his story very calm and soft. No matter how many times he was placed in forgotten, his free will always surfaced. His talent for musical expression somehow enabled his imagination and stirred up his free will to create and always remember a little better. His last chance had come up and she had intervened and saved his life. He had learned much at this young age. Even with an undefined ego. The Divine could simply grant his demise now. He would then like the many others before simply actualize this as a personal reality.
He was mesmerized by her eyes, her curves. Her pointed hands rested gently on his knee. The smell of her hair, it was all too surreal. She refocused his distraction by his attraction by leaning in close to his face so he could feel her breath as she spoke these words.
‘You must go now and be silent of your wisdom. The Divine family knows you have awakened your free will.’
‘What will they do with me? James whispered his concern.
‘Nothing that you have not already been shown. I will see you at chow, ok?’
She smiled a soft white smile that faded slowly. Then her body was enveloped by the structures shadows from the darkened alcove until it was apparent James was back in his box.
That day seemed to pass much faster than time. Or maybe too slow, it was hard to tell for James. Now his mind was awakened. All thoughts had him on pins and needles. He tried some old favorites in VRT he always enjoyed. Still nothing seemed to put out the thought of seeing her during night time chow. It was hard to be silent in this patience. He had never carried a secret. Or at least not what he could recall. VRT was small and narrow minded compared with these new emotions and imagination that now struck him even in reality. He looked out to the horizon of this dried landscape with VRT off and dreamed lucidly. Suddenly the horizon began to grow with the herd for dinner time. He saw them all as colors ebbing and flowing with the earth. ‘As one.’ He thought.
Usually he would shove his way to the center fountain where the porridge is fresh and held company of older box heads who actually maintain their manners.
Not tonight though. James headed to the edge of the fountains where only a few young ones merged together and paid little attention to their surroundings.
He began by dipping his arm in the creamy goo. Lifting it up to his face and peeling open his trap to slowly drink the chewy mixture. He was careful to eat all that there was so to leave a nice impression for her with his manners he hoped. Some time passed and his instinct took over. He must eat his fill and get some rest. She was not coming he thought.
The sun drifted slowly behind its horizon and the lights from individual VRT could be seen for miles in the blackness. It created a soft glow that reflected the earth below as if it were liquid.
‘It’s like a city, isn’t it James?’ She mentioned quietly as she approached him.
‘Ahem! Ah yes a city…sorry but I do not know your name.’ he queried her through his hurried thoughts..
‘What is your favorite?’ she retorted kindly while wrapping her slender arm around his waist. He naturally lifted his arm to tuck her under his wing. She felt warm, inviting and why was he thinking now about a family. The future of children created with her. Seeing a real home and happiness not imagined. He knew he could build them a real home.
‘Isabelle’ he paused with the thought of how he knew her name like it was always known.
‘So, Izzy, you want to go for a walk together?’
‘Yes, James I would like that. VRT or natural?’ She spoke this so softly. Feminine tenderness and then tightened her arm around his waist. They shared a wise smile that answered for them both.
They walked about that night for the longest spell. Trading the growing pains of childhood follies. Laughing at the thought of some what was thought to be personal history may have been VRT. Real or not was of no concern, they were together. They shared their wisdom on the latest VRT and possible futures for this small planet just inhabited by too many folks. Her laugh made his eyes wet. He wished the box could be removed for them. Like the VRT but tonight was so special, so natural were they that the thought left as quickly as it came. Soon twilight morning appeared. The VRT lamps were blending back into the landscape. James could now see Isabelles eyes behind her heads light. They were wet and shined with excitement that in turn calmed him. He did not want her to leave when she had to.
He wished they were coupled forever. Never another missed moment without one another, together sharing this feeling. Yet, wishes James has might only come true in VRT, never in reality. There was too much risk. What risk he cared not to think of. She remained safe by his silence. She left that dawn saying they would meet again for dinner chow. They did. Many times they would. Never speaking around the many other box heads who remained oblivious to this enlightened couple.
His memories of her during their time away from one another had his mind and heart engulfed in flames. A heated desire to be with her. Speak with her and treasure each passing moment with her. His friends and family went curious why his sessions of VRT were not the norm. He had missed many shows on the schedule. It was said not another box head could portray these famous rock stars the way he could. His fans took notice. His passion was somewhere else now. It was in his creative mind for new music, a new love. ‘These new thoughts that generate ideas could lead to creation of a new world.’ He hummed this and many other ideas in his silence. He was now mindful of surroundings he never even noticed prior to this awakening. What dull mainstay a box head life was.
One day it finally happened.
“Can we live without these boxes?”
‘Yes. We all can.’ Isabelle interrupted.
James thought, ‘Did I ask that out loud?’
They began one late night or it was early morning on their regular walks to visit her home finally. Where it may have all began he thought. Entering the Kingdom of the Divine in reality was quite a shock. It was hardly comparable to a box heads life unless you were in VRT. The walls were once again reflecting millions of box heads in dreamless rest running simultaneously. The floors polished reflects the walls of windows to VRT. He noticed some programs running where he should be right then being portrayed worse than he had imagined during his hiatus.
‘This is surreal being here as it is in VRT, Isabelle. I feel as though… this is all a dream.’
‘I assure you are not dreaming.’ She whispered back while tugging his hair.
Isabelle then lead him further inside down a spiral staircase into her room. It was dark.
‘Take it off.’ She asked at first kindly. He hesitated, not knowing if it could come off at all. This box head had not been changed since he was 21. Four long years it was plugged onto his shoulders. ‘James, take it off please?’ she asked more firmly this time. ‘Here I can help’
‘I got it! I got it.’ James replied with a bit of panic in his voice. Isabelle leaned over his shoulders to help remove it. Her shadow looming on the wall from the glow of hers already removed. The feeling as she lifted it off was total satisfaction followed by fear and embarrassment. He rubbed his eyes hard and blinked as she came into focus. The glow of two boxes now placed beside one another providing a clear soft light that she was bathed in. James could see their shared profiles as shadow. A certainty of the real event about to take place as they take part as it unfolds into history. Their shadows draping the wall merge in a kiss.
Shadows now transform into other forms of beauty. Animals of the forest flattened long ago, forgotten to be remembered better. Now brought to life through shared passion, free thinking and love. Herds galloping freely on open green earth. A blue bird singing to his mate. His flock sharing this love song with everyone that can hear.
Soft shared giggles followed by sounds of throwing passion and murmurs in ecstasy.
‘We are thinking outside the box.’ James whispered as Isabelle, smiling, lip synced his words.
What happens next is never discussed or treasured between them as it was that night. Many others are hastily involved all trying their best to do what is best. Picking sides and destroying lives. Taking strides towards emotional demise.
turnnoffyourmind
andulkaphoto
tangentwithtanner
blakekathryn
