ALTERNATIVE LIFE EXPERIENCE - part 1

Chapter 2.2

"Do they want us to jump into the open?" Eo asked, just as astonished as I was.

The moment he uttered these words, three large capsules materialized before us. Floating in weightlessness, close to the ground, they looked like huge, six-foot-high vitamin pills. Their envelope was secured to a metal structure and was made of glass or Plexiglas. A door slid open, inviting us to enter.

We each installed ourselves in our cocoons. The doors closed silently. Cramped in my cabin, I felt both nervous and impatient. Suddenly, three hoops appeared to encircle me: one at my knees, another at my hips and the last one around my waist. There were two handles on either side of my body. Round hooks comfortably surrounded my shoulders, wedging me in. A countdown began flashing digital numbers right in front of my eyes

10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1

The word GO replaced the numbers in a flash, and a split second later the capsules sent us flying onto the craziest of roller coasters. We were tossed in all directions, as if we were being sucked up a huge transparent straw, head first, sometimes above the clouds, sometimes below, so much so that I didn't know which side Mother Earth was on. The speed was extraordinary. I had trouble breathing and my head kept bobbing from side to side. There was no slowing down, no climbing that could give time to apprehend the plummeting descents. The speed was kept at a constant pace, whatever movement or pirouette was being executed.

I gripped both handles firmly and closed my eyes to focus as much as possible on my breathing. I inhaled through my nose and exhaled through my mouth until my heart rate stabilized. Then I opened my eyes and could see that we were headed like comets into the unknown. Occasionally, I crossed Eo's and The Messenger's capsules and imagined our courses intertwining intimately before separating again. Then we were projected side by side, in parallel formation and began our dizzying descent. Head down, I saw the ground approaching and I heard the blast that propelled us. I looked at the approaching ground, the blast, the ground, the beating of my heart pounding in my temples. I was headed straight for the ground. I started a little prayer to myself, even though I am not a believer. God, if you exist, make sure that I don't crash, please... My Emotion gauge climbed three notches.

I never knew if it was the result of my prayer or simply the hypersonic capsules' intended circuit, but our path was reversed. We skimmed the grass, then launched up to the heavens again, only to be spat out a few meters further, like cannonballs fired from a cannon. There was no more pressure, no more blast, just our projected cabins terminating their wild ride. When they were almost immobilized, the capsules split open, releasing their passengers, each in turn: Eo, The Messenger, then me. I took off. I (finally) felt free. I felt the wind caressing my body, hot air filling my lungs, and gravity doing the rest. Unfortunately, I didn't have 'flight' or 'take off' or any other such options!

I was falling.

Looking down, I saw only a void between my feet and a small lake below, the only one for miles around. The falling sensation caused my stomach to rise once again. The air whipped my face harder and harder, and chills ran through my body. I was getting an injection of pure adrenaline. I thought I was going to die.

"It's going to feel wet!" cried The Messenger, falling right in front of me.

He spread out his arms. His coat fluttered like a superhero cape. He leaned forward, stretched his arms above his head and entered the water.

I was petrified. I couldn't do the same, but, going with the flow, I did enter into the water, rather like a large pebble. Instantly, I was invaded by a feeling of 'wet'. Instinctively, I held my breath under my headset and immediately tried to reach the surface, frantically waving every limb. With my head above water, I tried some dog paddling but sank back down until my feet touched the bottom.

I was the last one out, feeling like the lone survivor of a shipwreck at sea.

The wet sensation disappeared the moment I got out of the water. My clothes were dry. Phew! I thought to myself. Everything was not lost in this magic virtual world. I was afraid of becoming Miss Wet T-shirt due to some programmer's childish whim!

I climbed onto the shore and sat my avatar down between two clumps of grass, then rested my forehead against my knees, panting. After all this repeated tension, I was shaking from head to foot, whereas my body, the real one, remained lying on my bed. The world was spinning slightly and my blood seemed to have stopped flowing. My gauges wreaked havoc.

I barely heard Eo's over-excited voice not far from me. "Wow, awesome. This thing rocks! I'm still shaking!"

"Rather a nice introduction to the subject," said The Messenger, who was more balanced.

Given their sudden silence, I guessed that the two guys were looking my way. When I looked up from my knees, I saw them approaching.

"Our little surfer girl went under?" asked Eo, teasingly.

Sitting on the ground, I looked up at him. "No, I'm trying to get over my emotions. It scared the hell out of me! I've never been a fan of attractions like that for real, but I think that in simulation it's worse."

"Man! I loved the speed of the downhill and the ejecting capsules... my stomach was like, down in my shoes!" exclaimed Eo. "So do you have any idea where we are?"