A Grey Sun is a very short (579 words) Science-Fiction story I wrote about the possible future of Virtual Reality technology. Feel free to give feedback!
Sampson didn’t want to start his lesson. He hated the way the new V.R. device made his eyes feel, and how clunky it felt around his head. He waited for his mother to get hooked up to her Hex-Modifier device, then made his way outside wielding a bow and quiver full of arrows he had asked for on his birthday. He knew his mother’s virtual makeup tutorial would last at least half an hour, long enough for him to get some target practice in before taking his lesson. He shot a few arrows, all narrowly missing the wooden target he had set up, and decided to ask his brother to join him. The smog had cleared up enough for Sampson to see the sun just barely shining through the grey clouds, and he knew his brother would want to see it as well. They had been told stories by their Grandfather about a time when the sun was out much more often, with a level of daylight that Sampson had only seen in his Hex-Mod. He had enjoyed listening to his Grandfather before he passed away. To him the stories, no matter how embellished, seemed more genuine than the scenes his Hex-Mod displayed. He dropped his bow and quiver by the door and walked to his brother’s room, skimming his fingertips along the hallway wall.
“Wanna play stick wars?” he asked from the doorway.
Jude was twisting and turning about his room, and Sampson watched him contort his body as he fought the virtual enemies around him. Jude didn’t answer Sampson and was instead focusing on tightening his wrist strap.
“The sun is out.”
Jude ignored his brother, slashing his arms around his torso violently. Sampson couldn’t imagine wearing his Hex-Mod for as long as Jude did, and even his fifteen-minute lessons brought him extreme headaches.
Determined to have a sun story of his own, Sampson made his way back outside and retrieved his arrows from the dirt. He decided that he had time for a few more shots and he squared his back towards the target. The sun had faded now behind the grey sky and after he took his shots, Sampson stared towards the light behind the smog. It became dark so quickly when the smog was out, and watching the light attempt to pierce through the wall of grey made Sampson sad. He imagined that the sun and the earth loved each other, and that the dirty air kept them apart. He walked back inside through the living room and noticed his father sitting on the couch next to his mother, both of them staring forward into their Hex-Mods. He approached behind his father, looking between his cheek and the head strap to see what virtual world he was engaged in. Sampson could make out first a pair of legs and then a pair of bare breasts moving rapidly on the screen. The sight made him sick to his stomach and he quickly retreated to his room. He fastened his Hex-Mod to his face and powered it on.
“Hello, Sampson. It’s so great to see you.”
Sampson stared at his instructor blankly. He knew her tenderness was programmed to help him excel, but the words themselves sent a shiver throughout his body. He wished he could hug her and ask her questions like he had asked his Grandfather. He felt his eyes begin to swell with tears.
“It’s really good to see you too, Mrs. Rosedale.”
