These Dreams of Truth

Classical Misery

I wandered blindly down the hallway, kept only in consciousness by the paced click of Silvia's heels on the cold tile floor. I was completely enveloped in my thoughts per usual on this lengthy walk, going by pure memory.

It certainly wasn't uncommon for me to ponder the things I didn't know, but I hadn't put this much effort into my inquiries since many years ago.

Generally, a person's curiosity can be turned down dramatically or even permanently damaged if they've been taught that it is bad. Children need to be encouraged to wonder so that their brains can grow and develop properly. At the Facility, the doctors and scientists didn't seem to care about this  at all. From the day I got here, nearly anything I'd asked had been shut down with excuses like "I'm not authorized to tell you that," or "You don't need to know." Sometimes I'd hear of them shutting down curiosity using force. No one ever specified, but I assume they meant something along similar lines as the Sparkler Room.

The only form of education we were allowed was limited access to specially approved books. Fortunately for myself,  I quickly become friends with someone who happened to be always looking for trouble. After mentioning my growing love for reading once, Sebastian told me about books he'd spotted on one of doctor's desks as well as his willingness to retrieve it for me. Even at the age of six he already despised the place enough to test his limits. Nine years later, he hasn't changed.

The more the thought entered my mind the less possible it seemed that we were getting no form of education. I know some patients that have never read a book in their time here but can still read and write fine. I was lucky enough to have learned those basic skills before my admission here, but I was positive others had not.

Part of me suspected that they could have somehow developed a liquid form of basic knowledge. Every year on New Year's Day we would receive our yearly shots: a hodgepodge of 15-20 shots that contained drugs for vaccines and physical tests to keep everyone healthy. I'd never found any of this unusual, but now looking back it doesn't seem very likely that all 15-20 of those shots had such a purpose. If anything, it's probably more than basic education they're slipping into our blood streams. They've done questionable enough things before that I wouldn't underestimate their capabilities as well as-

"Cynder?" Silvia interrupted my thoughts with a tone that told me this wasn't the first time she'd attempted to achieve my attention.

"Oh, yeah?" I responded quickly. "Sorry."

"Never mind that, I just need you to listen to directions. Once I open the door you should go and lie down on the cot in the center. Close your eyes and try to relax. I'm going to coat the parts of your skin that will be hooked up to the machines in a cold salve to relax your muscles and coax you into sleep. You know what to do from there."

I nodded and she opened the door. As soon as I walked in, what caught my attention most was the massive machine next to the cot with what must have been close to 1,000 wires protruding from it.

I did as I was told and laid down while pretending not to care about my surroundings as usual. I didn't hear Silvia approach me when she did, so I was startled as the cool solution came in contact with my skin. She coated my major arteries and muscles leaving me with a tingling feeling of tranquility as she moved away to rinse off her hands.

I drifted into sleep as a pair of headphones were placed on my head. And then I woke up, on the other side of reality. 

I sat up in a bed, similar to that which I had just fallen asleep in. I was not in the same room though, but rather a small dark room with cold concrete walls. I stood and noticed that for the first time I had ever dreamt, I was not wearing the same clothing I had fallen asleep in. Instead of my blue spotted hospital gown uniform, I was wearing a fancy golden dress that glimmered in the light, similar to one I remembered seeing my mother in for a formal event.