ersatz reality

What if you could do what ever you want?
What if all your wishes come true?
Better still what if you can fulfill all your desires?
Like being that doctor you had dreamt of being since young? Or perhaps a punk rock star?
How about having that girl you always wanted? Along with a big house and a big car and all the money you can spend in the world. Visiting every corner of earth in that luxurious yacth of yours?
Well you can have it now. Visit dreamcometrue.com and try out our latest invention. The Dream Star

Switching the Tv off, he walked towards his laptop. His life had really been in a mess lately. Though he was in good financial status, there was always something missing in his life. The family he knew was gone, after last year when he won his court case over the family fortune making his brother a bankrupt. The wife he knew was gone, bringing his daughter along. The friends he had, ever since he supposed the company merger, they never did spoke to him.

Life had been... empty. He had a decent retirement income, around a quarter million a year from interest and he knew that money was never a matter. Yet the feeling of emptiness could not be filled, and he allowed his mind to drift for a while. How he wished he had all the things he used to.. and as his thoughts wandered *DreamStar* .

With swift strokes, he keyed the web address into his laptop. Looking through the website, he came to learn more about the dreamstar. The dreamstar was made up of this dome shaped metal building with 5 glass containers the side of a human. He shuddered as it reminded him as coffins and yet the "coffins" had intricate designs and cravings making it look elegant and underneath the containers run optic wires in glass rods. The head cushion was made of soft leather and there was temperature control there. Clicking on the price list, he was shocked to realise that the owner was selling the whole building at a relatively low price.

Picking up his cellphone, he called the owner and arranged a meeting. Apparently the owner was facing cashflow problems and other "personal" problems with the machine. After briefly showing him around the building, they agreed on a price much higher than stated and he paid for it without a single whelm. Handing the keys and rod needed to activate the machine, the owner left him to the machine. Calling his employer to use all his available and accumulated holiday leaves, he turned around and observed the interior of the dome.

There was indeed something attractive about this whole building. The dome shape of the building had high ceilings and arch towards the top. It gave him a sense of awe and cravings were all over the buildings. It gave the building a sense of openness and beauty in it. Turning the rod in the activation panel, he stepped back in awe as the energy beamed through the cravings lighting up the whole building. The walls seemed to glow with an eerie blue and yet the beauty of it was astonishing as the patterns in the cravings were highlighted by the blue glow. Facing the glass containers, he noticed that there was a machine in the middle of it. The machine is supposed to read his mind and he walked towards it. Placing his forehead between two large metallic readers, he pressed the process button and waited.

A tingle and suddenly pain. Jerking his head back up, he starred in wide eye horror as the machine suddenly displayed images of his wife, then his daughter and other people that he used to talk to and confide in. People that enjoyed his companion and trust. Shaking his head, he walked towards the glass container. Opening the side, he moved himself in and seal the container. A cool gas was released and a helm-shaped cover was placed carefully over his head. The sleeping gas worked into his body and he immediately fell asleep.


He arose to find the sound of laughers. The sound was so familiar and there was a chuckle behind him. Turning around he say his 5yr old daughter staring at him. She raised up her arms and asked him to carry her. Staring at her, he moved towards her with a mixed expectation. Part of him knew that this was all a stimulation but the rest of the body told him that it was real. Carrying her, he could feel the warmth of her and he was convinced to think that she was real. He could hear her tiny heart beating and he carried her towards where he knew he would find his wife. The living room was littered with toys and there she was.

She had not change a bit. The sweet smile and bewitching beauty of hers. Femme fatale. Many a man would die just to find favour with her. She was laying down on the sofa flipping through the magazine. Indeed she looked more charming and beautiful then he ever remembered. Walking towards her, she smiled and spoke to him. Her sweet voice mingled with gentleness was simply too much for him and he smiled to himself. She told him that his brother and his friends would be coming over soon and for dinner and saying that,the doorbell rang.

Setting his daughter down, he walked towards the door and opened it. And surprise.
His brother was there together with his friends and all of them were happy to see him.
His brother upon seeing him, hugged him and showed him his new girlfriend. His brother had wanted to share his joy to him by introducing the girl he found and his friends as if in sync turnt up with their wives as well.
Then, being polite, he invited everyone in for the family dinner. Food was brought out by their servant and everyone wine and dine that night. Each one of them had a fun time as they exchanged warming stories over the table and shared jokes. It was really a time where he felt more alive then ever. All of his friends and family were here and the best thing was, they planned to come here everyday for dinner.

Indeed this was something he desired dearly. A close network of friends he could trust upon and relate to and also a prefect family. With that, he went to bed feeling like the happiest man ever.

The next morning, he awoke to his new life and he went forth to his workplace only to discover he was his own boss. Everyone that you used to work under were now his subordinates and had to listen to him. Checking the annual reports, he was glad to know that his company was among the top few gainers and profiters in the market. He was one of the highest acclaimed entrepreneur of his times and he was featured in many famous magazines. He was now a popular business celebrity and everyone business in the major league knew him. And along with that, he had honoury privelleges that allowed him to do things like being the first in line for everything. With that he indulged in his work and enjoyed a wonderful lifestyle along with his loved ones.

Each day, he would bring his wife and daughter to a posh restaurant serving different gourmets. He was always at different places in different times, touring the world. Chocolate eating in Belgium, to wine tasting in France, then some local delights in China before flying to Thailand for his weekly massage. Purchasing a plane and a yacth also allowed him to cruise along the mediterrian seas and to take time off for so gathering. Life is so much more relaxed and he enjoyed every moment of it. Life had never been better with all these and the best part of it was doing it together with the people he loved. His wife, his daughter, his brother and his friends. They went along with him and they had much merrymaking. Such was a life that he hated to turn in and wished to wake up early in the morning to enjoy the day... He lived each day happily...



However, time doesn't stop when he entered the Dreamstar . Time by itself could not be confined in a stimulation. 3 months had past and his boss, wondering why he had not attended work for more than 2 weeks decided to look for him in his apartment. With the help of the police, they discovered that he was still in the machine. Fearing the worse, they opened it, only to find a corpse that had died due to starvation. Or rather due to this ersatz reality.