A-Nu-U                     by: C. Sprite

 

The minutes seemed like hours as I waited for the clock to tick off the final minutes before quitting time on Friday. Working as an accountant gave me a very secure existence but a rather dull one, and after ten years of staring at balance sheets and profit and loss statements, I had become a bit of a clock-watcher. I was rarely in my office past quitting time, and today would definitely be no exception. When the clock at last indicated that it was 4:30, I wasted no time in locking my office and hurrying to my car so that I could get home to shower and shave. I had been planning tonight's date for too long to let anything stand in my way.

As I drove home, I thought about my date. Actually, my date tonight wasn't with a person, so I guess that it would be more accurate to call it an appointment. I had finally decided to take the plunge and visit A-Nu-U, the newest company, and by everyone's account the greatest, in the field of Virtual Reality. Virtual Reality wasn't a new concept, but A-Nu-U had taken a major leap forward with its revolutionary technology.

By the 1980's, a new form of computer science had surfaced. A user could experience a different reality by donning a special pair of viewing goggles. Initially, you could only be a passive presence in this 'new" world. You could appear to move, or more accurately 'float' from place to place, but there was no interaction possible. The computer simply generated a different set of images that appeared in the goggles relative to your perceived position.

As technology advanced and computers got smaller, faster, and cheaper, the world of Virtual Reality advanced rapidly. The quality of the imagery improved first, developing from the early, simple geometric shapes, to three-dimensional complex structures that allowed a participant to really visualize the new environment as a 'world', although there was no mistaking that it was not real.

In the 1990's, special sensors placed on the participant's body allowed them to become an interactive part of the scene, and by the end of the century, full body suits containing hundreds of sensors were in widespread use. A participant could, by now, really begin to feel that they were a part of the virtual world that appeared in their goggles.

Over the next several years, refinements in the body suits continued. Special pneumatic air sacs gave the wearer the sense of touch, and of being touched, but they could never mimic real feeling. It took all the effort of the participant's imagination to believe that they were in a real world.

Holographic research was touted as the next step forward in Virtual Reality, but it never delivered. It was great for having meetings, both business and personal, where participants were hundreds or even thousands of miles apart. Airline travel among business travelers dropped off precipitously as Holo-Calls became popular. Why travel when you could have a three-dimensional face-to-face in your own city, or office. You could do everything except shake hands or slap someone on the back. All new office buildings were constructed with Holo rooms, and executive offices even had their own Holo emitters. But there was never any tactile feedback with holographic technology. Unlike in the television shows and the movies, there was no substance to the holographic character, and wearing VR suits restricted mobility.

It wasn't until last year that A-Nu-U, Inc. announced that they had made a breakthrough in Virtual Reality technology. A special helmet allowed a participant to slip into a virtual reality world that was indistinguishable from the real one. The clunky body suits were gone, replaced by the helmet with its new synapse receptors and transmitters. A participant would be fitted with a helmet and then slowly immersed into the world that they had selected over a five-minute period. Once the cycle was complete, the participant's real body appeared to be in a comatose state. At this point, the participant's mind became totally oblivious to the real world, so the helmet, with it's thousands of micro-filament wire connections, ceased to exist to them.

A-Nu-U's business was slow in gaining acceptance the first year because people feared the new technology. They worried that the company, or even the government, might take advantage of the comatose subject's vulnerability to secretly probe their minds for information. A-Nu-U vigorously denied that this was possible. They said that although the body's signals to the brain were intercepted and replaced by signals from the computer, the participant was totally aware of all brain activity and that the participant would remember everything that they had experienced while at A-Nu-U.

I had read all of the information in the company's brochure about a thousand times before making my decision to actually try it out myself. For the past few weeks I had spent most of my waking time thinking about what my trip might be like. I had finally made up my mind and was on my way to A-Nu-U's center in Atlanta, a mere 25-minute drive from my home.

As I had been instructed when setting up the appointment, I parked in the garage annex and took the elevator to the lobby. I guess that I was really anxious because I had arrived 30 minutes early. A receptionist smiled at me knowingly and told me to have a seat. I would be called shortly, she added.

I only had to wait about five minutes before I heard my name called by a friendly young man who smiled warmly as he greeted me and pumped my arm. He escorted me into a small private office and indicated that I should sit down while he took his seat behind his desk.

He tapped a few keys on his computer keyboard and then said, "As I said in the waiting room, I'm William Crowley, but please… call me Bill. Welcome to A-Nu-U, Mr. Jamison. This is your first visit?"

"Yes, it is."

"Fine, then let me explain how things work. I realize that you may have learned some of this from our brochure but the company requires me to say it anyway. When we leave here I will take you to a disrobing room. You will remove all of your clothing and put on the hospital gown you'll find hanging on a hook behind the door. A physician will give you an examination that will take about… 30 minutes. If you pass, you'll be escorted to one of our VR wards and your journey will begin."

"And if I fail the exam?"

Bill looked at me apologetically. "Then we would have to refuse to let you participate… for your sake as well as ours. We are a fairly new company and we can't afford to have anyone injured while using our equipment. Plus we certainly don't want to place anyone in danger."

I nodded.

"But you look very fit so it's unlikely that you will fail. Uh… you aren't a drug user are you?"

"No. Except for the prescription kind when I have been ill."

"Fine. Then there shouldn't be any problem, but the doctor will go over all that. After the examination you will be taken to one of the VR wards where you will be assigned a chair and fitted with a VR helmet. An attendant will make the adjustments and start your customized program running. It takes about five minutes for you to go completely under and then you begin to enjoy your journey. The computer monitors the signals from your 'relaxed' body and informs our medical staff when any attention is needed."

I interrupted with, "What kind of attention?"

"Oh, if say a cramp develops in one of your muscles. A physical therapist will be called to massage the muscle. Sometimes the only attention needed is to move the arm or the leg to a slightly different position."

I nodded that I understood.

"Where was I? Oh yes, our medical staff will watch over your body while you enjoy your journey. When your time is up, an image of Dr. Burgess, our chief medical advisor, will appear and inform you that it is time to go home."

"What's the longest amount of time that someone can go under?"

"Oh… We don't really know. I suppose indefinitely since intravenous feeding is established for all travelers who opt for more than 20 hours, and they are treated like comatose patients would be treated in hospitals to eliminate bedsores and muscle problems. Of course over the long term some problems such as muscle atrophy are bound to occur. Dr. Burgess would be the one to make the decision if someone should be returned before their time was up."

I nodded again.

"After the process to wake you up has begun, you will be fully conscious in two minutes. It's faster coming out then going in. Once you become orientated again, you will be escorted to a shower area where you can clean up and shave. Of course you are free to leave without cleaning up if you prefer." After a couple of seconds pause he added, "I think that I covered all of the points. Any more questions?"

"Yes. I didn't see any mention about the drugs used to facilitate the journey."

"That's because we don't use any. The equipment does it all without assistance from the pharmacy. Anything else?"

"Yes. What happens if the computer link is broken during the journey."

"It's never happened, but we have performed immediate terminations in our testing. We found that the subject is disorientated for up to an hour if proper termination is not made, but there have been no long lasting complications. It's sort of like waking from a bad dream. The human brain is amazingly resilient that way, and we always have experts standing by."

"How soon can we start?"

Right away. Let me just record your personal history."

He began tapping keys on the keyboard as I answered questions. When he had completed the history, he asked me what kind of a journey I wanted.

"What kind?"

"Yes, you know, futuristic sci-fi, ghost hunting, mountain climbing, kayaking on the Amazon, skiing in the Alps?"

"Uh, I guess normal life in the nineteen-fifties".

"Hmm, we don't get too many for that. The era of Elvis and Rock and Roll, eh?" he said as he typed into the computer.

"How old do you want to be?"

"Uh… say sixteen."

"Where? Here in Atlanta?"

"No. Southern California."

"Any other special features?"

"No. Surprise me."

"Okay, that takes care of the basic information. The computer will create a program for you as soon as we have a few more details. So that you are prepared to blend into your new surroundings, the computer will implant certain memories about the people that you will meet." Reading from the screen he said, "Families during the fifties had an average of three children and you will recognize your parents and siblings when you see them. Since you will be traveling to a different era, the computer will also implant other information that you will need such as customs, special speech and slang, fashions, and personal grooming." Looking at me again he added, " All of our 'different era' programs have been developed by experts who have researched each minute detail. Of course, our 'future' eras are only best guesses by the finest sci-fi authors and scientists that we could hire."

I nodded to convey that I understood.

"Okay. That's everything except for physical appearance. I'll let you look over the choices while I go to accounting and have them prepare the invoice for the charge to your credit disk. Just click on your selections with the left key on the mouse. I'll be back in a few minutes."

He swung the computer screen around to face me and pushed the mouse over by my hand before getting up and leaving me alone. I spent ten minutes looking over all of the choices before making my selections. When I was finished I clicked on the 'complete' button. The computer came back and told me that I hadn't selected eye color so I went back in picked a color that appealed to me before clicking on 'complete' again. This time the computer responded by presenting me with a composite of what my new body would look like.

Bill returned just as I finished. I guess that he had been doing this long enough to know just how long it took a first timer to make their selection.

He sat back down as he said, "All done?"

I nodded and he pulled the computer monitor back to face him. I saw his eyebrows rise as he looked at the image. He stole a quick glance at me before tapping on the keyboard some more.

"You're my first."

"You're first to go back to the fifties?"

"No, my first to go under as a different sex. We were told during our training that we might encounter such travelers, but I haven't helped any so far."

I could feel my face becoming flushed. "Really... how long have you been doing this?"

"Since this center opened three months ago. Uh… can I ask a personal question?"

"You want to know why?"

He just nodded.

"I don't know. I've always wondered what it would have been like to have been born a woman. This might be my only chance to find out."

"Are you gay?" He quickly added, "You don't have to answer that."

I smiled. "No, I'm not gay. I like women. In fact, I wondered if I would be a lesbian if I had been born a woman. Maybe I'll find out tonight."

I signed the charge slip and waiver of liability papers so that we could proceed. Bill seemed a lot more distant as he escorted me to the disrobing room so that I could undress for my examination. He wished me good luck and a pleasant journey before leaving me there. I could see that he was disturbed about my selection but he was trying to remain professional.

I removed my clothes as I had been instructed and put on the standard type of hospital gown that I found hanging on the hook. Opening the room's door after I had changed, , I was surprised to find a nurse waiting for me. She told me to leave my clothes in the room and follow her. She led me down a narrow hallway and had me wait in an examination room. A female doctor appeared a few minutes later.

"Take off the gown please" she said as she put her clipboard down.

I had never been examined by a woman doctor before, and I hesitated for a moment.

"There, there, dear, it's all right. You're going to be one of us in a few minutes anyway."

SHE KNEW. I guess the surprise registered in my face.

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe. All employees of the center are required to sign strict non-disclosure agreements."

I shrugged and slowly removed the hospital gown. The only way that I was going to get into the VR ward was by letting this doctor examine me. The examination was one of the most thorough that I had had in several years. Results of a blood test, taken early in the exam were returned before it was over. They were definitely well organized and efficient. The last step was to measure my head for the helmet. I learned that the wards were organized by helmet requirements.

"Well, Mr. Jamison, or should I say Miss Jamison, I'm happy to report that you are in excellent health and you can begin your journey at any time. Please put your gown back on and an attendant will be by in a few moments to escort you to the VR ward where a chair is being prepared."

I refused to rise to the bait and simply said, "Thank you, Doctor," as I put on the hospital gown. As she started to leave, I said, "Doctor, can I put my clothes back on before going to the VR ward?"

"I'm afraid not, Miss Jamison." There it was again. "Only hospital gowns may be worn in the VR wards so that access to the body is easier in the event that problems such as muscle cramps or spasms occur."

I just nodded and then sat down to wait after the doctor left.

Several minutes later, a young woman, who was dressed like a candy stripper, appeared, to escort me to the ward. Our path led us to a very wide hallway, and I was surprised to find an electric cart waiting. This place must be bigger than I thought. After we had traveled for several minutes, I was glad that I hadn't had to walk. We had passed several carts going the other way. One was empty but for the driver, while the other two contained what appeared to be recent travelers. My conclusion was based on the fact that both were men and both needed a shave.

My candy-stripper stopped our cart next to a set of doors that were marked C-24, and upon entering I found myself in a windowless ward that appeared to contain about 30 VR chairs. Each chair was like a stretched out recliner and about 20 of them were occupied with sleeping travelers. I was greeted by a nurse and brought to an empty chair.

"Good evening, Mr… or would you prefer Miss Jamison."

"Mr. will be fine."

"Very well, Mr. Jamison. Please have seat so that we may begin."

Once I was seated and comfortable, the nurse put a clear plastic helmet on my head and took some more measurements. After removing it, she took the helmet that was attached to the VR equipment mounted near the head of the chair and made a few adjustments to it before placing it on my head. It was similar to a motorcycle helmet in that it covered my head but left my face exposed.

"Now just relax Mr. Jamison while I make the final adjustments."

With the helmet covering my ears I could hear the sounds of my own breathing and I could feel my heart beating faster with the anticipation of my journey. Suddenly I heard the nurse's voice, not muffled, as I would have expected, but crystal clear as if she was inside my head.

"Okay, Mr. Jamison. We are almost ready to begin. Please raise the thumb on your right hand to signal if you agree, or extend all five fingers to indicate that you disagree."

I raised my right thumb.

"Very good. Although your face is not obstructed, talking makes the final adjustments a little more difficult because it makes changes in the contours of head where muscles are used to control your jaw. Please don't speak for the next several minutes."

It didn't take more than three or four minutes for the nurse to make the final adjustments. At several points she asked me to agree or disagree that I heard a particular sound such as a buzzing or ringing.

"Okay, Mr. Jamison, we're finished and you are almost ready to begin your journey. It takes about five minutes to go 'under' but you will not be aware of the time. Your name during this journey will be Patricia Jamison. You live in Santa Monica, California with your parents and a younger brother and sister. You will recognize them when you see them. You requested a 'Normal-life' trip in the 1950's. Now just close your eyes and relax. And have a good trip, honey."

I wondered if the last remark was something that she normally said, or if it was special because of my selection, but I decided to ignore it. I began to hear soft music playing and despite the fact that I had been alert and wide-awake, I found my eyelids getting heavy and I couldn't stop them from closing.

All at once I was wide-awake again, but I didn't know where I was. It looked like a diner and there was a young girl sitting next to me and yanking on my arm. Then I realized that this was the Sweet-Tooth Ice Cream Parlor. I remembered that I spent a lot of time here with my girlfriends.

"Patty. Wake up. Stop daydreaming. This is important."

I looked at her and recognized her as being my best friend, Sally. "Okay Sal, I'm listening. Stop yanking my arm."

"Well? What should I do?"

"Do? About what?"

"Haven't you been listening? I swear that I don't know anyone who can daydream like you. You just completely blank out. Bobbie Mondel asked me to the dance tomorrow night, but I already told Jimmy that I would go with him. How can I get out of it?"

"You can't. Not without having Jimmy hate you."

"Well… There might be one way."

"How?"

"If you go with Jimmy." She grabbed my arm again and lowered her voice as I tried to pull away. "Now I know that you already turned him down, but please do this for me."

"I don't want to go with Jimmy, either."

"But you don't have a date now that Peter isn't going to be around this weekend."

"And you think that a date with Jimmy is better than no date at all?"

"Oh, come on. He apologized for that night at the drive-in. And you don't want to miss this dance. Sheila and her crowd won't let you live it down if you don't put in an appearance with you being the head of the decorations committee."

"Oh… all right. But if Jimmy tries to squeeze my breasts again, he won't be able to sing with his band except as a falsetto."

Sally giggled and said, "I'll warn him when I tell him that you finally agreed to go out with him again, on a trial date."

"I have to go now. Call me tonight. I'm babysitting for the Hendersons."

As I walked home, I felt like there was something that I was forgetting, but try as I might I couldn't remember what it was.

The first thing that I saw as I entered the house was my little brother, and he was coloring in my newest MovieStars magazine. I had only bought it yesterday and I hadn't even begun to read it yet. I shrieked, and he jumped up and went screaming into the kitchen with me close behind. He ducked behind Mother, who was washing dishes, just in time to avoid my reaching him.

"Patty, stop chasing your little brother."

"But Mother, he's ruining the new magazine that I bought yesterday. I haven't read it yet."

She stopped what she was doing and dried her hands. Reaching down she took my magazine from my brother's hand. "Gary, where did you get this magazine?"

"I don't know".

"He does so know," I said. "He took it from my room."

"Gary, you know that you aren't supposed to go into your sister's bedroom. Now you stay out of there."

Burying his face in her leg, he mumbled, "okay" into her thigh.

"Patty, here's your magazine. Now go change and come back down so that you can help me prepare dinner."

I sighed and said, "Okay, Mother."

As she turned back to the sink I stuck my tongue out at my brother and he made a face at me. There was nothing that I could do to him so I went to my bedroom and threw the now mutilated magazine against the wall. Removing my blouse, skirt and stockings, I put on a pair of shorts and a light sweater before returning to the kitchen to help with dinner. My little brother was nowhere in sight. Lucky for him or I might have been tempted to rap him on the noggin when Mother wasn't watching.

When my 12-year-old sister Ellen arrived home from her friend's house, she was immediately recruited to help with dinner also. Mother believed that every young girl be indoctrinated into homemaking activities as young as possible. While Gary was allowed to leave his bedroom as messy as he wished, we girls had to keep ours picked up constantly, with the beds made whenever we weren't sleeping in them. It wasn't fair, but Mother insisted that by learning good habits early, they would stick with us for our entire lives. I always asked what kind of habits Gary was learning but Mother usually ignored me, or simply said that his wife would do the picking up when he got married.

Dinner was ready by the time that Daddy got home from work so we sat down to eat. No talking was permitted at the dinner table because Daddy always read the paper during the evening meal. Even Mother knew better than to speak during the meal because she knew that she would be ignored. This household policy always caused us kids to eat as quickly as possible so that we could be excused from the table.

When I was finally permitted to leave I headed straight to my room so that I could change again for my babysitting job. Mother always insisted that I look 'grownup' when I went to a babysitting job. 'Grownup' to her meant a skirt or dress.

I left for the Henderson's a little before 7 pm. They only lived two blocks away so it took less than five minutes to walk there. I always enjoyed sitting for the Hendersons because it was easy money. They had two young girls, Jenny, aged 8, and Sharon, aged 6, and both girls were always well behaved for me.

Mrs. Henderson answered the door and stepped back so that I could enter as she said, "Hi Patty. Come on in. We're almost ready to leave. The girls are playing in Jenny's room."

I stepped in and closed the door behind me. "Okay, Mrs. Henderson. I'll just put my schoolbooks down."

I went to the dining room while Mrs. Henderson went to finish putting on her make-up. I put my sweater on the back of one of the chairs and my books on the table before walking to Jenny's room to say hello to the girls.

I found them sitting on the floor, listening to a small record player as it played children's songs. They both jumped up when they saw me and we all hugged. I joined them on the floor and we sat for a while listening to the songs until their parents were ready to leave. Then it was the usual contact telephone numbers and instructions before Mr. and Mrs. Henderson left for their evening out.

I played games with the kids until their bedtime and then worked on my homework in the dining room. The Hendersons arrived home a little after 11 o'clock, and after being paid, Mr. Henderson drove me to my house. Daddy was still up watching television as I went to my room.

I stashed my babysitting money away where I thought that no one else could find it and then got ready for bed. I still had the nagging feeling that I was forgetting something but nothing would come. Oh well, maybe in the morning.

*****

When I opened my eyes, the sun was already up. I felt incredibly refreshed and got out of bed with enthusiasm despite the fact that it was just another school day. It was early enough that I could take a quick bath.

Mother had breakfast ready when I got downstairs and was just finishing up making the lunches. I had a piece of toast and half a grapefruit, plus a small glass of juice before kissing Mother on the cheek and hurrying out. I picked up my books by the front door as I left. I always met Sally for our walk to school and she was waiting on the corner when I arrived.

"You didn't call me last night while I was at the Henderson’s."

"I had a fight with my mother and she wouldn't let me use the phone."

"What did you fight about?"

"Using the phone." She giggled and so did I. "My father got stuck with the car and was trying to call home while I was talking with Marsha. How was I supposed to know?"

"Yeah" I said. "It's not like he called to tell you or anything." We both laughed again.

I've been asking Daddy to get a second line for a year now. He keeps saying that it's too expensive."

"Maybe he'll feel differently now?"

"All he did was growl when he got home. I figured that I should wait a couple of days."

"That's probably best. Fathers can be so irrational at times."

"But I did talk to Jimmy before the fireworks started. You're all set for tonight. He'll pick you up at 7 o'clock."

I made a face. "Great. Does he understand that he'll be singing a couple of octaves higher if he gets fresh again?"

"I think so. He said something about wearing a cup."

"He'll need more than that if he get out of line. You owe me for this. I'm only doing it to help you out."

"What are you wearing tonight?"

I thought for a couple of seconds. "I guess that I'll wear that pink sheath that I bought a couple of months ago. How about you?"

"I want to knock Bobbie's eyes out. I'm going to wear that black satin dress with the fringe that shakes when I shimmy."

"You're not!"

"Yep. This is just the kind of occasion that I bought it for."

"I wouldn't have the nerve."

"This is the 50's. Besides, I saw one that looked a lot like it in a book about the roaring 20's."

"Really? The 20's?"

"Uh huh. The hemline was even higher than mine."

We met other girls as we approached the high school and soon had a small army around us. Conversation about tonight's dance was the main topic with everybody throughout the day. The regular part of the school day was boring; it's only bright spots being the time between classes and at lunch. It was such a relief when the final bell sounded and we were allowed to leave.

Sally and I talked about school all the way home. Actually we talked about the other girls in school, and a few of the boys. When we reached the corner where I lived, we went our separate ways, agreeing to meet at the dance tonight.

My brat of a little brother was nowhere in sight when I walked into the house so I was able to do my homework in peace and then start getting ready for my date. Mom called me to help with dinner around 5 o'clock, and I finished getting ready after we had eaten.

Jimmy showed up right at 7 and we left after the usual 3^rd degree by the folks and my promise to be home by 10 o'clock. Jimmy's mom was outside waiting in the car to drive us to the school even though we could have walked since it was only six blocks away.

The gym was crowded with kids and things were jumping when we arrived. Jimmy paid for our dance tickets at the door and we went in. So far Jimmy had behaved, but I was ready in case he acted up. I excused myself to go to the ladies room while he stopped to talk with some friends.

As I entered the restroom, I almost walked into a man standing inside the door. I was about to scream when I realized that the man was Dr. Burgess, but I couldn't remember where I knew him.

"Hello Patty. It's time to go home now," he said.

"What? I just got here. My parents know where I am."

"No Patty. I mean that it's time for your journey to end and for you to return to A-Nu-U. Your 20 hours are up."

Suddenly it all came flooding back to me. The thing that I hadn't been able to remember was my real identity. I didn't belong here.

I nodded to Dr. Burgess. "Okay, Dr. Burgess."

The school seemed to slowly fade away and I found myself sitting in a chair at A-Nu-U. A nurse was standing over me monitoring a console.

"Welcome back Mr. Jamison. Did you have a pleasant journey?"

" Uh… yeah. I guess. I don't think that it was what I expected."

"It rarely is for first timers. It takes a few trips to learn what to expect."

"Yeah, I guess." I felt my face and was surprised to find almost a day's growth of stubble. "I can't believe that I was gone for a day."

"It's like that at first. I see that you requested a 'normal life' trip. Most first time travelers take a 'cognizant' trip.

"What's that?"

She looked at me a little strangely. "They didn't explain the difference? That's unusual. When they asked you what kind of trip you wanted did you use the term 'Normal-life' when explaining your fantasy."

"I think that I did. Lets see… I said that I wanted 'normal life in the nineteen-fifties'."

"That explains it. "Normal-life" is a keyword. They must have assumed that you knew the difference since you used the special term. "

"So, what's the difference?"

"You bring back the complete memory of everything that happened no matter which you choose, but with the 'Normal-life' you don't remember your real life existence during your journey. It's as if you have never had any other life except the one that you are experiencing. With 'cognizant trip', you remember that you are only there for the ride and you remember everything about your real life. For a trip such as the one that you just took, remembering your real life could cause difficulties. It would be difficult to act like a real girl if you remembered that you were a male in real life, but some people want to experience the sensation of the change more than just living the change. For many, the unencumbered memory of having been a real girl is more important. There is no 'right' way, and each case is different."

As the nurse helped me up out of the chair, I thought about the choice between 'normal life' and 'cognizant trip'. In fact I continued to think about it as I was taken to a cleansing station so that I could shower and shave before leaving and I was still thinking about it as I drove home. Being 'cognizant' would have made things like doing homework easier, but would have fettered my behavior in many other ways. If I had it to do over again what would I choose? For now, the memories of being a real girl and living the life of an average 16 year old during the fifties, if only for 20 hours, were enough.

I did know that this would not be my last trip to A-Nu-U. I had a two-week vacation coming up in a couple of months. Traveling at A-Nu-U would be twice as expensive as a trip to Hawaii, but I knew where I was going if I could afford it. I wonder if I can pick up from where I left in the program?

The End ?

 

 

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copyright 2001 C.Sprite

This story is a work of fiction. Any similarity to any persons living or dead is a coincidence. Anyone wishing to copy, archive, or re-post this story may contact me for permission. Permission will not be withheld as long as, the text remains unchanged except for formatting changes, that no fee is charged either directly or indirectly (this includes the so-called "adult checks"), and, provided that this disclaimer and attribution to the original author are maintained. Anyone wishing to make comments is welcome to e-mail me at cesprite@storysite.org