Chapter Twelve
Through the small, square holes that served as windows, crudely cut into the sides of the brown walls, I could see that the sun had completely gone under the horizon. I didn’t even bother to ask Ellie how an enclosed city could experience weather and the sun, for she told me herself. Everything having to do with the heavens (the stars, the sun . . . everything above), the seasons, and the changing temperatures weren’t real. She defined them as “holographic illusions”, almost like the sky were nothing but a big projection screen and that the unbearable heat during the day was caused by some sort of heaters or heat lamps. The slight breeze that swayed the branches of the palm trees were probably caused by fans. In short, they were just artificial.
But it was difficult to picture the Efaque citizens creating the city and everything in it, for I knew that I was the one who created it with a subconscious mind that I would define as utterly crazy. What made it even more unusual was the fact that this girl – Ellie – sitting right beside me had no idea that I was the Lucid. Yet there she was, talking as if everyone inside the dream had done everything to make it all possible. It was clear to me that they were aware that they were inside someone else’s subconscious. So why was Ellie acting like she and everyone else were just a projection of it? Surely she must’ve known that there was a Lucid running around, and that that particular person had created the entire dreamscape.
I was looking through one of the many piles of paintings Ellie had lying around. What astounded me were their ethereal qualities; one of the most memorable ones was that of a girl sitting on a wooden bench gliding above a still body of water.
While I was doing this, Ellie was setting up the shower in one of the back rooms. I couldn’t get over the futuristic elements that ceased to stray from sight. A small, wooden radio with a built-in clock sat on a shelf among steam powered gadgets and machinery. I didn’t have much time to scrutinize their qualities by the time Ellie had come from the bathroom, hands wet, stress on her petite face. “It’s ready. Your towel’s in there.”
I nodded to her gratefully and headed into the bathroom. The shower, as I suspected, was running inside an enclosure made of tinted glass. There wasn’t any steam, so I figured that it was cold. Perfect, I thought. After a hot day, at least.
I stripped off my sweaty cloak and slid open the door, leading me to the relief of cold water. After a while, however, I was beginning to feel a little too cold. I looked around for some sort of lever that could alter the water temperature, but there was none to be found. “Ellie, how do you turn up –”
It was then that a female voice sounded throughout the room, saying, Water temperature has been turned up ten degrees.
The shower instantly felt warmer. Sweet. I called out, “Turn up to eighty degrees.”
Water temperature has been turned up to eighty degrees, the female voice replied.
After taking my shower, which included changing the temperature numerous times via voice command, I noticed that Ellie had laid out pale-blue pajamas on top of the counter with the two sinks. I picked it up with gentle fingers, admiring the wavy, smooth silk that seemed like it was imported from a place like China. How many cultures does Efaque City have in it? I thought pensively. More importantly, why did Ellie have Men’s clothing?
