Fool's Paradise

Chapter 5- Inbetween

The next day, I woke up expecting everything to be a dream and for me to be back in my own room. I stared up at the blank white wall, so different from my own... my own what? I knew that I have memories stored in a little cranny in my mind somewhere, but just as I grasped the wisp of it; it slithers out of my grasp. I don't know how long I lay in the bed, staring up at the ceiling and trying to remember what my old ceiling looked like. Finally, I let out a huff of frustration and stomped over to the washroom.

An hour later, I was standing in front of yet another white door, waiting for the doctor. The corridor I stood in had a steady stream of people moving about; there were nurses dressed in light blue, doctors dressed in pure white and patients dressed in the same light green as I. They all bustled and hustled about with a sense of purpose, never slowing down or making small talk with each other. The people were all simply in their own little world, hurrying to and fro, ignorant of their surroundings.

I had become so engrossed in studying the people that I jumped when the door behind me opened.

"Ah, Miss Ettinger, please come in." Dr. Morrison said, "I hope you slept well last night."

"Yes, I have, thank you." I walked into the doctor's office. It didn't seem any different from the office that my family doctor had back home-- I mean in the 21st century.

Halfway through the examination, Dr. Morrison suddenly said, "You look like you have something on your mind."

"Yes..." I trailed off. I had been thinking about the entire experience I've had so far. "How do I know that all of this is really happening? How can I trust that it's actually not the 21st century? I mean.... I fell asleep... and then I woke up and was here... I guess I'm just having a hard time believing that everything has changed, that everyone I knew has died."

I uttered the last word with a sense of surprise. My friends have long moved on and lived their lives. I had no parents to begin with. I had no one in this supposed future.

"I understand your confusion," the doctor said kindly. "It's entirely normal for you to be feeling this way. In a sense, you don't feel displaced yet, because these two worlds are only separated by a session of unconsciousness. But I assure you, Miss Ettinger, what you're experiencing is very real."

"How am I supposed to believe that? Everything looks the same! Nothing has changed in the last century!"

"On the contrary, a lot has changed. This centre has been specifically designed to have many facilities, each resembling a certain era of life. We assign the newly-awakened patients different rooms, furnished with familiar furniture, to help them transition. Not everyone has been as accepting as you of the change." the doctor added dryly.

"What do you mean?"

"We've been reviving people in a backward chronological order, as those cryopreserved most recently used the most sophisticated technology. You were one of the last ones in the 21st century to be revived, as your wounds were life-threatening and it took us a while to heal you. There have already been a few from the 20th century that have been revived and let's just say that some cryopreserved without consent were quite upset about others taking away their rights."

I nodded my head and we lapsed back into silence until the end of the exam.

"Well, Miss Ettinger, it seems like everything is functioning properly. Your cognitive processes also seem to be working fine, judging from our conversation. Are you ready to go into the future?"

A sudden spasm of electricity shot through me and I suppressed a shudder. Even if I wasn't ready to find out the truth, it was time for the truth to come out. I nodded my head and followed the doctor into the twisting corridors again.