This morning, and every other morning, I wake up to the sweet sound of silence- the same silence that tucks me in bed each night for my usual 10 hours of sleep.

On most days, the smell of a Long Black Americano is enough to stimulate my nervous system, but today i’m feeling double Espresso.
The ten shuttered windows and the skylit dome above me release a slow spread of sunlight across the solar-room, ultimately fulfilling the room’s function. They roll up in beautiful flaps of automatic harmony, controlled mostly by voice command. My voice was a bit groggy today, so I performed an “upward” gesture- as if signaling an audience to rise-with my hands facing the backup sensors embedded in the walls.
Across the vast greenery of the yard outside my window, the children play. They are a pair of twins, 10 years old. I watch them with a proud father’s smile, as I gulp down my coffee.
The hall towards my private library is long and narrow, however, the library itself is spacious and well-appointed. The walls are occupied with 10 rows of books, decorating the room from floor to ceiling. I enter the library and I shut the heavy, sound-proof door behind. Silence again. My dearest friend.
I don’t have to go to work today. I don’t have to go to work any other day. As a matter of fact, this is where I spend most of my time. This is the place wh…..
[INSUFFICIENT POWER] [CHECK BATTERY STATUS] [INSUFFICIENT POWER] [CHECK BATTERY STATUS]
I gently remove my virtual reality kit, revealing most of the dank, gloomy, ugliness of my surroundings beneath the goggles as I detach them. I walked across the roach infested apartment, which did not have enough room to swing a cat, and shut the window to minimize the amount of smoke from entering inside to suffocate me further. I return back to my damp mattress on the floor and take out the picture under my pillow. The pain felt raw and fresh, similar to what it felt ten years ago.

I’m out of coffee today, I guess I’ll settle for water. I’ll crawl back to sleep shortly after, while my V.R. kit recharges.