by Amy English
Dylan relaxed. This was awesome. The only drawback so far was he couldn’t speak. He tried to but no sound came out. He soon noticed a second drawback to the game. He noticed the people had eyes that appeared not to look at you. Dylan wished there was a mirror around so he could see if his eyes were different from those of the virtual people in the game. Frank had told him the game had preset people and animals that would be influenced by his actions. If he was near a heard of animals that were walking and started to run, the animals would run with him. That they’re behavior would be based off of his mood and somewhat under his control. So, he realized that the people were so nice because of his moods. He couldn’t be happier to be there and so his happiness was controlling the output and interactions of the virtual people around him.
Dylan immediately noticed that his illumination shined brighter than everyone else. He shined brighter than anything around him. Dylan looked around the amusement park in awe. He looked at the rides, the people and at the sky. He saw the electrical outline of a bird. He continued looking as he took in the environment and was ready to see what it felt like. He could see an electrical outline of a Ferris Wheel. It was perfectly formed. Only difference was it was electrical in all its parts and features. No metal, no wood, no glass and looked fully functional. Dylan walked over to it and the virtual people moved out of his way and bowed their heads. They opened their hand in a kind gesture, then pointed to the front of the line. A gesture that suggested he could go in front of them and get on.
The men and women were friendly. They seemed to pay extra attention to him. Dylan bowed his head back and waved at the people. He liked how friendly they were. He noticed that the virtual people had no pupils. They had eyes a nose and mouth but no pupil. They had an outline of clothing. No distinct things like buttons or shoelaces. Dylan planned to tell his dad. It would make the experience better if the virtual people could appear to look at you. The blank eyes gave them a robot look. But Dylan still believed that overall, his father did an excellent job at making everything seem real.
Dylan walked to the front of the line and got on the Ferris Wheel. A man stepped to him and buckled him in. The man walked back to the control station and started the Ferris Wheel. It turned slowly at first, then sped up. Dylan was amazed at how he felt. It was the exact same feeling he got whenever he was on an actual Ferris Wheel but multiplied times ten. It felt deeper in his soul as if he had become one with it. As though the electrical pulses of him and the Ferris Wheel had merged.
The feeling could not be put into words. He closed his eyes. He opened them and looked around. The other riders looked to be enjoying it. The ride was great, almost magical and he didn’t want it to end. He looked at the people on the ground. Some walked by. Others stood at concession stands to get snacks and drinks. Dylan felt like he was at a real amusement park. Every detail was precise. It was better than he expected.
After what seemed like a long ride, the Ferris Wheel came to a slow stop. He sat dangling in the air waiting for his turn to exit. Finally, his seat was at the exit. He got off and walked down to the ground. He thought about riding again. But there was so much more to see and do. He walked past a virtual woman walking with her son. She appeared to be pleasant, happy even but had no pupils. She had electrically shaped eyes nose and mouth but no pupils. It seemed strange. It felt as though he was trying to communicate with a doll. He didn’t particularly like that feeling and so he moved on.
Dylan walked through the amusement park and came across a fun house. He saw virtual families entering and so he decided to enter as well. When he got inside, he walked past a clown and other fun house features and noticed what look like a mirror. He stood there taking in the scene and watched as a virtual man walked past and his reflection appeared in the mirror as he passed it. Dylan walked slowly towards the mirror and saw himself as he approached. He was shocked at his appearance. He had more detailed features than the virtual people did. He had eyes that actually had pupils and he could see himself. Clearly.
He smiled and saw that he had an electrical outline of teeth. Individual teeth and a tongue. He looked at his face closely. He could see each individual strand of hair on his head. Dylan smiled at himself in the mirror. He liked his electrical impulse self. It was cool. It was the coolest thing ever. He wouldn’t change a thing except he would want the people to be more real. To be able to look him in his eyes. To be able to talk. There was an element of loneliness without those things.
As Dylan prepared to walk out of the fun house the virtual world went black and he was back in his room. He looked up and Frank was staring at him. “Hey son,” he said. It took Dylan a moment to gather his composure. He felt as though he had just awoken from a long nap. “Hey dad,” he replied. “Well. Tell me. What did you think?” he asked, smiling and anxious to get a review from his game loving, smart, analytical and tech savvy son.
“Oh, geez dad. I was not expecting that. It was phenomenal. Absolutely great. Better than I expected,” he replied. “Any questions on it?” he asked. “Well yes, just one. I was wondering why the people have eyes but…” he hesitated. “Oh yeah. I realized that. It’s an AI system but even technology, as advanced as it can get, has flaws. There was no way to engineer the people to give actual pupil responses so that it looks as though they were really looking at you. The virtual people look like there looking through you not at you. I know. It’s weird. I’m working on that too. It’s tough though. That’s actually the hardest part to work out. Getting the people and the animals to look as though they are looking you directly in the pupil. Not some blank stare and a fake smile but more simulated reactions that are more genuine.”
Frank stood up to leave out. “That’s enough for the day son. Don’t play it again until I’m home tomorrow,” he said, as he walked out. Dylan got up and laid in his bed. He wanted to go in again. He wanted to sample every location. It was the weekend and he planned on getting into every setting. He was anxious. He laid in his bed staring at the ceiling. He had trouble sleeping.
He closed his eyes but realized the game had him feeling rested so he didn’t feel sleepy at the moment. Dylan looked out his window. He was proud of his father. It was all surreal. He wasn’t prepared for the genius invention his own father had created. He had underestimated him. He watched the stars twinkle. Tomorrow, I’m going into outer space, he thought, as he closed his eyes again, this time drifting off to sleep.
Dylan jumped up when he heard the door close. He watched as his mother and father got into their minivan and pulled off. Frank always took his wife to brunch on Sundays. It was a chance for Claire to see her friends and Frank used the opportunity to catch up with his buddies. Dylan hurried over to the console. He set the timer for ten minutes. He waited to make sure his parents didn’t double back then placed the headphones on his head. He selected Space on the unit, and then laid back on his leather bean bag Claire purchased for him. Dylan closed his eyes as the unit counted down. Soon the metal bulbs moved slowly into his ears, touching his ear drums and placing him in a deep sleep.
A moment of darkness was replaced with stars. Dylan looked around. He could see the milky way. He was floored by the realism, He looked down at his body. He could see he had on a space suit. He smiled. His father had incorporated the suit obviously to make the user really feel like an astronaut. Dylan felt like he was floating but he seemed to be drawing closer to the milky way. It’s stunning multicolored lights swirling like a vortex had him intrigued. He stared at it then looked around. Dylan tried to figure out how to move. It wasn’t the same as his time at the amusement park. There he was on the ground and could walk to where he wanted to go. But in space he was floating, and he neglected to find out from his father how to get around.
Suddenly Dylan realized he was moving towards the milky way. It was pulling him. Dylan started to feel anxious. He tried moving his arms and legs hoping to propel himself away from the giant swirling hole but he continued to move towards it. Dylan became fearful. He
stressed about being in a possibly dark, bottomless hole for what would feel like an hour. He regretted selecting ten minutes and he regretted going in without his father. He had been told not to and he had disobeyed.
The milky way was pulling him at a faster speed. He was approaching it as he flailed his arms and legs. Unable to yell out, he felt hopeless. Suddenly he was quickly sucked into the dark hole. He looked down. It looked like a beautiful tunnel. He was glad it wasn’t some pitch-black passageway. Something that would have been more like a nightmare. He enjoyed the light show. He was again, struck by the detail his father put into the game. He made note to tell his father about it.
After a few minutes, Dylan exited to a planet with no animals or people. He landed on the ground and looked up to the sky. He could see the milky way. It seemed close enough to touch. He looked around then began walking the land. He saw what looked like water ahead of him. He walked in the direction of it, amazed at the detail. As he neared the water, he went to the edge and kneeled down. He removed his glove and touched it with his hand. It was cold and thick like gel. It stuck to his fingers. He brought his hands close to his face. The thick water had a sparkle to it. It was beautiful. He wiped his hand on his pants and put his glove back on.
The planet had low gravity. He felt he could fly but was unable to. He bounced along the ground as he walked, trying to get into the air. He wanted to get back to the milky way. Maybe it was an exit. But he couldn’t. Every attempt to fly was a hop on the ground. Boredom set in on the lifeless planet. He sat on the ground near the edge of the water and sighed. He removed his glove and looked at his electrical outlined hands. Traces of the iridescent, thick water was still on his fingers. He removed the other glove then his helmet. He sat on the ground waiting for the game to be over. He was sure he wouldn’t want to visit space again unless there was a way to control where you went. The information was noted. A part of his mental running log, of what details he needed to talk about. His father needed to fix Space.
The metal bulbs slowly moved out of his ears. Dylan opened his eyes and removed the headphones. “Ok. That needs work. What the heck,” he complained, as he rubbed his eyes and stretched. He decided not to go into any more settings until he talked with his father.
He wondered why the space experience put you at the milky way. He wondered if his father did it on purpose so the gamer could get sucked into it. A way to have fun other than simply floating around. Dylan wasn’t sure. The descent down to the planet turned out to be a beautiful journey. But the planet needed more. Something to do. Friendly aliens. Space craft to ride in. Architectural sophisticated buildings with whimsical shapes different from those on earth. Dylan had ideas on how to make the experience better.
Dylan went to school the following Monday beaming. Emily was standing around talking to a group of girls when she saw him walking down the school hall. “Hey Dylan,” she said, as she began walking with him, waving bye to her girlfriends. Emily looked at Dylan. “Ok what’s up,” she said. “What?” he replied. “Something’s up. I know you. What’s with the smile?” she said. “What do you mean. I always smile,” he said, as he smiled at her. “Uh No. Tell me Dylan,” she said.
Emily liked Dylan. She had a bit of a crush on him. But they were friends. Good friends. And it was more important to her to maintain their friendship than to go on a date with him. And besides, she was only fifteen years old. Emily knew she had plenty of time to date when she got older. “Ok. Ok. Meet me under that big tree on the school yard after class and I’ll tell you all about it. It’s not good to talk now,” he said. “Ok. I’ll be there,” she replied with a curious look on her face. She wondered what it was. She couldn’t wait until the bell rang. She had to hear what this was all about.
After class, Dylan made his way out the door to meet up with Emily. He was stopped briefly by Chad, one of his classmates who wanted to see what his weekend plans were. Chad and Dylan were the high school basketball stars and often practiced together at the park in their neighborhood. Chad was extremely competitive and often set up meetings with Dylan at the local park in an effort to outplay him. He practiced with him all the time but was never able to beat him.
“What’s up Dylan. Thomas, DJ and I are going over to Clawson Park to play ball. Want to come? We supposed to meet up in an hour,” he said. “I can stop by, shoot a couple of hoops. I’m not going to be able to stick around though. Got a ton of homework. My pops will pull me from playing if I let my grades slip. You seen Mitch?” Dylan asked. “Yeah. He was still in the cafeteria last I saw him,” Chad replied. “Ok man, I’ll catch you later at Clawson’s,” Dylan replied.
The two bumped fists before Dylan walked away to find his other basketball team mate and friend. Mitch was Mitchell Parr, another popular kid who had struck up a friendship with Dylan. He was a skateboarder and often entered tournaments and had won trophies for his skill and ability to complete difficult moves. Mitch asked Dylan to meet up at the movie theater after class.
Dylan saw Emily as he made his way to the cafeteria to locate Mitchell before he left. He spoke as he approached her. “I have to find Mitch right quick. I’ll be at the tree in a minute,” he stated. Emily talked with her girlfriends for a few minutes before heading to the tree. Dylan walked away and went into the cafeteria.
“Don’t you owe me a cheeseburger and a shake man,” Dylan said laughing and mocking Mitchell for his basketball team losing the game. “What! That sorry team of yours. You got lucky on that bet,” Mitchell said, as the two laughed and talked about the NBA game they watched the night before. “Hey I can’t make the theater. I gotta get going. But Chad told me to tell you that the crew playing at Clawson’s later. I’m going for a while. I just can’t stay,” he said.
Mitchel walked with Dylan and the two left the school together before parting ways once they got outside. Dylan said bye to him and walked towards Emily. “Hey,” he said. “Hey,” she replied, taking a seat on the ground right under the tree.
Dylan sat next to her and pulled a bottled water from his bag. He hesitated telling her at first. He knew his father would ground him for talking about his secret invention that he asked him not to disclose to anyone. But Emily was his friend. Someone he knew could be trusted. “Ok so look. My dad let me play the game,” he admitted, as he looked around. “What!” Emily shouted with excitement. “No way Dylan. Ok. So, can I come over and play it with you,” she asked. “No! It’s not that kind of game. It only has one input/output port and that’s it. Each player has to have their own console,” he explained. Emily frowned and looked down. “Dang. That’s a bummer,” she said.
Dylan looked around. He paused as he tried to decide if he wanted to include her. He had already disclosed the game to her and she knew more about it than he did because her father bragged about it on many occasions when he was home from work. Dylan knew Emily knew just as much as he did. Besides, Emily was his friend. The first person to befriend him and introduce him around. She was a popular girl and so her introduction gained him friends fast. He always liked her. She was his best friend.
“Ok. Look! My father has another unit. I saw it. He keeps it in the basement inside our storage closet. It’s locked but I know where the key is. I’ll get it and let you play with it for a while but you have to give it back and you can’t tell a soul Em I swear,” he warned. “I won’t. I swear I won’t,” she replied. “Ok. I’ll bring it to you tonight after I come from practice and explain everything.”
“I’m going to need your head in the game,” the couch yelled at Dylan as he ran past to block Kirby McDonald. Kirby was his main rival and the two had more than one heated exchange. “Alright, alright let’s go. Concentrate,” Coach Peterson yelled, as he pushed his star athlete. But Dylan wasn’t performing as expected. Coach Peterson blew his whistle. “Ok. Time. Dylan. Let me talk to you,” he said as he turned and walked to his office right outside the locker room.
“Yeah coach,” Dylan said, as he walked into the office right be
hind Mr. Peterson. “Sit down Dylan,” he said. Dylan knew his game was off. He was usually a much more aggressive and sharp player. The coach looked at him. He wanted to cause tension. He didn’t say a word allowing Dylan to get nervous. After several minutes of silence, he spoke. “I don’t know what’s going on with you today but if you need to sit this practice out and get some R&R, then I need you to do just that. Because you are playing poorly. What has gotten into you? Anything you want to tell me?” he asked. “No sir. I tired. And I haven’t been sleeping well sir. But I assure you I can play. I just needed to warm up.”
Coach Peterson sat back in his chair. He wasn’t so sure Dylan was being forthcoming. His game was more than off. The men continued to talk as Kirby McDonald walked by. He was on his way to the locker room. He stopped at the office and placed his ear to the door. He wondered what the coach was saying to Dylan. He envied how much praise everyone gave to the tenth grader. Kirby had been on the team a whole year before Dylan even started. And he was a hometown boy, not relocated from another city like Dylan. Kirby felt betrayed. Mr. Peterson was a family friend and had promised his father he would push the teenager and help develop him as a player. But since Dylan arrived, it seemed the coach had a new prospect.
“Look son. A lot is riding on you. You are hands down the best player. If you lose your focus, the team will suffer. You are lead. But I can’t allow you to lead if you can’t keep up the pace. You understand. This next game is important. Scouts will be there. And although you’re a sophomore, they will still keep an eye on you. You can still catch the attention of some of the best in the league. So, play like your life depends on it. Every time. You got that,” he urged. “Yes sir.”
