Writing Exercise 107

Have you had a merry Christmas? I hope so. :)
This week I have a more sci fi themed writing exercise for you. Here it is:

2017/12/29 – Everyone lives in the same reality; each one just perceives it differently.

When he woke up he felt so exhausted he could have slept a hundred years more. The afterglow of nightmares haunted him, horrible sentiments which carried over into the wakeful hours and left him detached from the world. He stood and shuffled over to the kitchen where the timer of the coffee machine had already prepared a pot. With his mug he sat on the sofa and typed a short poem to capture the impressions of his night before they were gone and posted it online.

The next few minutes he sat there waiting on reactions and browsing the internet for news. Thousands of deaths worldwide through either natural disasters or civil wars or disease and hunger, some political decisions he neither understood nor supported, snippets from celebrities' lives he wasn't interested in, ads about stuff he didn't need. He put his smartphone down and drank up his coffee.

The movement-sensitive lighting switched on and off when he passed the rooms and headed for the bathroom. He undressed and stepped into the shower cubicle. The sensor in the shower tub turned on the display, which showed him his weight and suggested he go on a diet, and the shower routine began as a countdown started: one minute soaking, two minutes stop to apply bodywash and shampoo, five minutes to rinse and relax. Then the program ended in Kneipp affusions. He hated the cold water, but it helped him fully wake; and it was the program his smart home suggested.

In the meantime the heating had warmed his towel and he dried himself off. The towel wound around his waist, he waddled to the sink to brush his teeth. The electric tooth brush activated a display in the mirror, which showed him which tooth he was brushing and when to move on to the next. It also warned him hen he applied too much pressure.

Back in his bedroom he listened to the latest weather forecast, which his smart home had recorded, and decided what to wear according to it. The intelligent mirror checked for matching colours and gave its okay; he was good to go. So he grabbed his smartphone and checked again for notifications. By now a few people had liked or disliked his poem, but the result was mostly positive; he had three new followers and even a short comment consisting of a smiley with heart-shaped eyes and '5*!'. It was much better than nothing. With a slightly better mood he typed a 'thx' and added a grinning smiley. Then he pocketed his smartphone and exited his apartment; the door locked automatically as he pressed his thumb to the fingerprint scanner.

The fast lane transported him to the bus stop, so he had some time to check his smartphone again. A few more clicks. Not bad. By noon there would be more. He was just in time for the bus to arrive. Upon entrance he swiped his wrist across the scanner; the subcutaneous ID-chip authorised the micro-payment for the bus fee. Then he slipped the protective wristband back over his wrist, so none would scan his wrist and rob his bank account or use his ID for other purposes. He seated himself as the bus started to move. It was rush hour, but after self-driving cars had become standard there were hardly any traffic jams anymore. So he would certainly arrive on time.

During the bus ride he took out his smartphone and played some browser games to pass time; he was well immersed in the game, so ignored what happened around him. In fact, most of the passengers didn't notice when the driverless bus left its programmed route and headed off into another direction. But as soon as the bus suddenly accelerated some of the passengers lost their footing, cried out and alerted the others. Still he didn't notice the tumult, his ears were plugged with earphones blaring his favourite song over and over.

The traffic light turned red, yet still the bus wouldn't slow down. A baby cried, alerted by its mother's fear. Someone tried to manually open the automatic doors, but they wouldn't budge as the hacked bus was still driving. The crash was as inevitable as it was nasty. The distance indicators of other cars couldn't react as fast as the bus approached. It rammed the car before it, pushed it all the way onto the crossroads, where other cars crashed into the bus from either side. Soon police and ambulances were called, but they discovered none had survived – except for him. He was utterly shaken and his limbs were torn from his body, but he was alive. Well, as much alive as you could call it. For only then he discovered that he was actually an android…