Mindgate II
The next morning, Kevin woke up at 7:04 AM. He stretched his arms and plopped his feet out of bed. After rubbing his eyes, he realized something was different. He was no longer in his bedroom, yet at the same time he was. His bedroom had taken on a new form. He saw things as simply existing in relation to each other without labels, definitions, or explanations. Simultaneously, he knew the history of everything in his surroundings. He could also project farther into the future. Kevin’s understanding started as a trickle, but quickly picked up speed to become an undammable flash flood.
He knew his body was perfectly normal and that the world was just as stable as before, but this new information was pulling on something far below the surface of Kevin’s awareness. His entire experience had been revamped with a new level of depth and acuity.
Kevin took a long inhale of fresh air. He noticed his room smelled different. It was something he never smelled before. The new sensations stirred his mind to seek out more new experience. He went into his kitchen. On the dining table was a packet given to him by the doctor that implanted his Mindgate. In the packet was a booklet titled How to Enter your Mindgate. Kevin turned the title page over and began reading.
“To enter your Mindgate you must be relaxed. Take a minute to settle yourself in a comfortable chair.”
Kevin jumped up with his stapled guidebook in hand and went into his study on the second floor. His Laz-e-boy recliner sat half reclined. He leaped over the extended foot rest and landed deep in the soft cushions. Kevin resumed reading.
“The Mindgate experience can be extremely traumatic to the uninitiated. Proceed at own risk. Implants are designed for removal with minimal to no damage to individuals. With that in mind, take your relaxant dosage as prescribed by your physician.”
Kevin put down the paper and flipped down the leg rest. He went into the kitchen for a glass of water. The package on the table had a bottle of pills inside. He took out the suggested dosage of two and gulped them down with big swigs. Back in the chair, he continued.
“Read this next step in it’s entirety before attempting it. Close your eyes. Quiet your mind. Imagine you are floating in the emptiness of space. Soft black velvet expanding in every direction. Allow yourself to give in to the abyss. Once the mind is quiet, allow thought; no matter the direction. Any resistance will pull the mind back to it’s old habits.”
Kevin understood the directions. He tried to relax, but the warnings from earlier got his nerves sizzling. He did not want to leave earth or his life. He wanted to go back to normal. His pulse monitor alerted him to the accelerated heart rate. A few deep breaths and it was back to ‘nominal’. The reagents in the pills began to take hold of his body. His heart rate dropped and Kevin felt beyond safe. He read over the directions again, and this time slipped into his Mindgate for a moment.
For that moment the world disappeared. What replaced it was distinctly Kevin. It was an amalgam of his childhood bedroom and his new house. His childhood bed was in the center along with his toys littering the floor, but it was decorated like his adult room. Outside, fuzzy trees and other green shapes could be seen under a large blue blob. Kevin focused on the outside and it became clearer. He could see varieties of trees and the sky had lazy clouds floating by. Kevin spun around to walk out the door. He grabbed the knob, but it did not move. He pulled hard, and the door opened to reveal nothingness. One more step and Kevin was headed for an endless tumble into the void. The unreality of it scared him. He was back in the recliner.
