By Kat Gal Good morning, Rayn. You are safe. I wake up to the sound of Paradise123, my personal computer. I would never call her that out loud. I only think about it when I’m upset with her. She is an AI. But she is more than that. She is my safekeeper. I am safe. I repeat. Then I go visit Pinky. I do that every morning. Pinky tells me people used to go outside and it was safe. I don’t even know what’s outside. Pinky says it’s like VR, but real. I don’t know what she means. VR is absolutely real. She says VR is not real. That’s why it’s called Virtual Reality. I call bull on that. There is nothing virtual about Virtual Reality. It feels just as real as this chair I am sitting on. She says that they didn’t use to stay indoors all the time. I don’t understand, I say. She says they could open the door and walk out. Take the stairs. Go to the park. Go running outdoors. Watch the birds. But you can watch birds in VR, Pinky. She says they could walk to school and the shops. Though most people shopped online anyways. I’m confused. Is it like turning on the VR and walking into the park with my hologram and playing with Benji? Kind of, she says. We are done discussing it. She seems sad. She always seems sad when she tries to tell me about this thing called outside. Pinky is my great-grandma. She has seen a lot. It’s been nearly 50 years since the Third World Pandemic. She has seen it all. I like hearing her stories. She says that when the First World Pandemic came, some people were scared. It was a new virus. It didn’t seem dangerous at first. But it spread. It wasn’t serious for most, but many still got sick and millions died. They had stay-at-home orders. Suddenly they couldn’t go out, only to the supermarket and for exercise. What is the supermarket? The supermarket is where you get your food, Pinky says. Did your food robots break down too, Pinky? We didn’t have food robots, little Rayn. Now I’m really confused. She says she had a black cat that used to curl up in her lap every evening. That reminds me of that cute orange one in VR. I love scratching her ears. It’s just not the same, she says. A cat is a cat, I shrug, they are all cute. Once the First World Pandemic was over, people didn’t know it was only the first one. People rushed back to live life. But then the economy collapsed again. What’s the economy? I ask. Money, business. She tries to explain. I guess things got hard. People lost their jobs. There wasn’t enough money. A lot of people went homeless. Some were still scared. I don’t understand it. I always felt safe. When the Second World Pandemic came, people were upset. Not another year indoors. But it was worse. Their leaders got stricter. The European Union broke apart. The United States started to collapse. The virus was dangerous. More people died. Including the rich. Nobody expected anything like this. It was worse than the plague. What’s the plague, Pinky? What are they teaching you in school, little Rayn? Not history, I’m guessing. But she doesn’t tell me what the plague is. The Second World Pandemic lasted three years. By the end, people were afraid to leave their house anymore. So scientists and architects started to design containers. It was only an idea then. No one believed it could happen. Where did you live before, Pinky? Houses, apartments. You could open your doors and leave. I don’t understand it. I turn on VR and can walk anywhere. We run around the field with Benji all the time. The Third World Pandemic hit. Climate change was leading to more and more catastrophes too. Fires, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes. There was war everywhere. This virus wasn’t as deadly but left people with long-term damage. They couldn’t risk it anymore. That’s what my history teacher said. See, we have history. I still don’t know what the plague is. The remaining population moved underground into air-seal containers. Oxygen pumping in mechanically. I don’t understand how. Pinky doesn’t either. She says it was a hard transition. She also had my grandma Rose by then. She never wanted kids. Grandma Rose was an accident and abortion was illegal by then. I don’t understand it. Babies are made in labs now when a couple plans to have it. VR sex doesn’t make babies and live-in couples are on birth control. Eggs and sperms are submitted to the lab at 18 for future use. Pinky doesn’t like it when I talk about sex. I am too young, she says. I am not. But I avoid the topic with her. Pinky says she used to play with her grandma by the lake. But, Pinky, we go to the lake all the time too. But for real, little Rayn, for real. But we go for real too. She looks really sad. She tells me about the movies. They were big rooms with many people watching the same film. I don’t understand the point. I feel safe. Paradise123 has always taken care of me. She tells me every morning that I am safe. And I trust her. Then I go into VR. Visit Pinky. See my parents. Go to school. Play with Benji. We play in the field and go biking. There is no danger in VR. I am safe. We used to go for ice cream. Cookies and cream with hot fudge. Pinky smiles. What is ice cream, Pinky? Kat Gál is a writer, runner, traveler, bookworm, and cat-lover. Kat is a freelance health writer creating online and offline content for functional medicine doctors and enjoys creative writing in her free time. You can find her at katgalwriter.com.
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'Climb Cat Climb!' is a delightful comic strip drawn by Santiago G for the Meditating Cat Zine. Santiago (he/him) likes to cook and animate. His goal is to make 1000 comics before 2030.
Helloo! Issue 4 will be released on 30th September, 2022. Issue 4 is a cozy, fall-themed issue, so be sure to check it out for those autumn vibes. Moreover, Maple Leaf Cat and Pumpkin Cat will be hiding amongst the pages of issue 4, waiting for you to find them....
We thank Sophia Lai for creating the front and back covers, Maple Leaf Cat, and Pumpkin Cat for issue 4. Curios appreciates having materials to read while snuggling on his bed! |
Photos used under Creative Commons from France1978, JarleR, Raed Mansour, Ruben Holthuijsen, L a r a -