Virtual Insanity (standard:science fiction, 6726 words)
Author: Cucicu	Added: Feb 22 2002	Views/Reads: 3554/2504	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Sometimes the boundaries between sanity and insanity are blurred. Sometimes it is difficult to know who is sane and who is insane. This story is about a young mental patient who visists the future. Or does he?

Virtual Insanity 

I think they call it déjà vu. Charlie was yelling at me for wetting my
bed again. 

"Son-of-a-bitch!" he said, slowly. He was emphasising each word as he
changed my sheets. 

"Charlie, you know someone else did this just to get me in trouble,” I
said. “I can remember getting up and peeing in the toilet." 

"You must be hallucinating again," Charlie said loudly, and then
finished making the bed. 

My mom always said that I would end up in an institution. Ever since I
was a little boy, there seemed to be something wrong with me. I just 
never fit in. I thought it would get better when I got older, but it 
never did. If anything, it got worse. Sometimes I would wake up and not 
know where I was or how I got there. 

“Michael?” 

I heard a voice calling my name, but it didn’t come from Charlie. I put
my pants on and headed towards the shower room, but it wasn’t there 
anymore. All of a sudden a tall figure came in through the door. 

"Hey, how you doing today?" 

It took a while for me to remember who he was. It was kind of like when
you wake up in the morning and have to sort out what’s going on in your 
life. Sometimes it’s hard to know whether you’re awake or still 
dreaming. 

"Not that great. I'm a little confused," I said. 

"Well, don't worry. A few more days and you'll be like brand new." 

"Here, I have to scan you again," he said, and handed me something that
looked like a pair of sunglasses. “All you have to do is put these on 
for a few seconds,” he said. 

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered that Apollo was a
government agent. His speciality was psychological disorders. It seemed 
that I had known him for a while, but everything was really fuzzy. 

"You've already given me your consent, but you probably don’t remember
that day very well. Anyway, regulations say we have to get it again,” 
Apollo said. 

He was right. I didn't remember anything that had happened recently. 

"None of the procedures we are about to perform will harm you in any
way. Your participation is totally voluntary. If you choose to, you can 
withdraw immediately without any penalty. After the investigation is 
completed, we will return you, fully safe and sound to your previous 
space and time." 

Previous space and time? 

"For your protection, this session is being recorded." 

It was then that I first noticed what looked like a butterfly floating
around the room. 

"Apollo, how long have I been here?" 

He stared at me for a few seconds and then started to speak very slowly.
His voice had a strange, almost mechanical accent. "Well, that depends 
on how you look at it. The journey took us about five earth months, but 
we changed rhythms several times,” he said. 

I wasn't quite sure what he meant by that, but I knew by looking around
that we weren't anywhere that I recognised. 

"Are we on another planet or something?" 


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