Skye is the Limit by Phenomenal Pen (best time to read books txt) 📕

The projection screen in the studio of American syndicated talk show The Sofa became a literal window into the mind of host Beverly Stanton. Scenes were broadcasted live while being perceived from a first-person perspective – Stanton’s. The feed fully captured the memory or dream but it had none of the jarring and alienating quality of a First Person Perspective game, which was a common genre of VR at that time.  It was like found footage recorded by the steadiest yet most mobile camera. You knew it was too good to be real but you couldn’t stop looking.

Stanton imagined her grandparents’ ranch where she spent most of her summers as a child enjoying the outdoors and the horses. In high definition, the quaint and rustic memory was transformed into something breathtakingly beautiful. The sugar cookie hills against the artic blue sky and the flush on Stanton’s cheeks as she glanced briefly in a mirror were things the naked eye could never capture. The sounds of birds chirping and Stanton’s hair swishing were amplified. Yet everyone watching in the studio and in their homes knew that what they were witnessing was no trick but a miracle of science.     

At first, grownup Stanton walked, sighed and hummed as though completely lost in the reality of her surroundings. And then Alex Chase activated a control panel fitted inside a metal briefcase that he had brought into the studio. It was linked directly into the “live” video feed and a squirrel ran down a nearby pine tree, startling Stanton.

“Hello, Bev,” the squirrel spoke.

The casualness with which Stanton accepted the source of Mr. Chase’s voice was not a reaction any actress could fake.   

“Alex? Is that you? Why are you a squirrel?” she asked, totally perplexed but still suspending all disbelief. “Is this like some high-tech robot squirrel?”

“Something like that,” Mr. Chase spoke into the microphone on the control panel. “Bev, would you please check if your Omni Phone has any signal in there?”

“Hmm. That’s weird. There’s no signal. Worse, I seem to have forgotten my passcode. Is this some kind of prank? Did you replace my phone? I know we’re supposed to…”

“Supposed to what, Bev? Come on. Think. What were you doing before you went out here under this tree?”

“Well, I was eating waffles in the kitchen and…”

“And what, Bev?”

“Hmm. That’s funny. I can’t seem to recall anything before that.”

“All right. Let me remind you. You were supposed to be interviewing me at The Sofa.”

“OH EM GEE! Was that today? How could I have forgotten? That’s so irresponsible of me. But the crazy thing is – and I’m gonna be honest with you here, Alex – I’m not in California right now. I can’t believe I’m saying this but… do you think we could reschedule?”

“There’s no need, Bev. You’re actually in the middle of your show right now.”

“I am? Did we agree to a remote interview? But that’s just so wrong because I’m on vacation right now.”

“Are you sure you’re on vacation?”

“I’m really ashamed to say this but I am. I’m in my grandpa’s ranch in Oklahoma.”

“No, you’re not, Bev. Can you recall what today’s episode is?”

“Of course I can! You said you were finally going to talk about… um, SKYE, which is really huge.”

“Do you already know what SKYE is?” 

“Yes, you said you found a way to… to…”

“To what, Bev?”

“OH… MY… (bleep) GOD… Is this it? Am I looking at SKYE right now?”

“Yes, to be exact, you’re inside it.”

“WHAT THE (bleep)! I can’t (bleep) believe it…”

Bev Stanton looked visibly shaken and emotional. Tears were pouring down her cheeks.

“This is… oh em gee… oh em gee… (bleep). It’s so lucid and the colors are so vivid… I… I don’t think I can handle it. It’s like my senses have been dialed to a hundred and I’m seeing the world through a whole new pair of eyes. And the sounds, the smells… this intense feeling inside me. It’s pure sensory overload.”

“Now just breathe and don’t get too excited. You’re right that people don’t normally notice a lot of things around them. It could be a strain to your eyes and brain, but nothing we can’t get used to.”

“I have so many questions. Like, why won’t I wake up even though I know I’m dreaming?”

“That would be the effect of the sedative, Bev. We’re able to control the time of your surfacing.”

“It’s like those UHD flat TV ads. I’ve literally stepped into a screen…”

“Can you describe to us further what you’re seeing and feeling right now, Bev?”

“I don’t think I can, Alex. There are no words. You’re telling me this is a dream but all my senses are saying the opposite. Even my gut instinct is telling me that this is real. What you’ve created is… a miracle. It’s gonna change everything. How we view reality. How we do entertainment.  Thank you for giving me this… dream, memory, whatever it is.”

“Well, you’re welcome.”