Act One: The Scientist (Narrator) You’re about to witness Act One, Scene One of a nightmare. In a small office, in a derelict industrial park on the outskirts we meet Winston. An ambitious investor here on a tip, Winston knew very little about the virtual reality this company was developing, only that there was money to be made, and he wanted it. A disheveled looking scientist takes the floor, and begins the demonstration. (The Scientist) Welcome to the future of my own design The code is still unstable, so follow very carefully The Fabric of reality now redefined Artificial has become real, as real as you or me. Flawless and fictitious A simulation, perfect Down to every sense Walk a mile in someone else Live through them Without any consequence Do not break my rules Or the simulation will come to an end Don’t look in the mirror Your consciousness in a new body will damage your head Flawless and fictitious A simulation, perfect Down to every sense Walk a mile in someone else Live through them Without any consequence (Narrator) The sales pitch had Winston hook, line and sinker. More curious than ever to experience the product, and eager for the money to be made, he quickly signed the paperwork he was presented with and followed the Scientist in to a second room. He was then strapped in to a chair, and fitted with a kind of helmet he had never seen before. In the split second before he was injected with a viscus blue serum, he had a moment of doubt that he should have listened to. (The Scientist) Relax your body, this injection makes it work (close your eyes) Count backwards from ten, when you wake up you won’t be you (drifting out)

Act Two: Winston Winston: I awaken in an unfamiliar room Washing over me a feeling that I can’t describe Gone is the strength and youth that I’m accustomed to I feel the loss and pain of years gone by And now I felt the weight of what he said This simulation was far beyond a game I hear the neurosis, in a digital head I feel the personality of this machine Overwhelmed with someone else’s sadness Their loneliness, regret and wasted time Only now can I appreciate the contrast Between the choices this man made and mine Narrator: Waking up again in his own body, Winston was overcome with an unusual euphoria. Just a short fifteen minutes as a weak, destitute old man had given him a whole new appreciation for the seemingly mundane existence he already had. The lust for life was short lived though. Unbeknownst to him, the simulation had planted something sinister in Winston’s brain. This was a product, to be sold: and addiction had be programmed in to the code. As the hours ticked on, the digital craving became increasingly harder to ignore. he knew without a doubt that he had to go back. The following evening he waited for the scientist to leave for the day, and snuck into the building. he was surprised to find the office unlocked, as well as the back room. The only source of light was the eerie glow of the blue serum from a backlit glass case, beckoning to Winston. In a trance like state, he strapped the helmet to his head and plunged the syringe into his arm. Winston: This time I am master of my domain I don’t follow rules, they’re for fools And I can find my own way The body the gave me feels different this time So youthful, and strong and aggressive I could rob a bank or get in to a fight, I’ll commit any crime that I want to tonight (This is not real) Technology is so impressive

Act Three: The Confrontation Narrator: The Following day Winston was feeling on top of the world. The simulation had given him the unique opportunity to satisfy every “what if?” in the darkest corners of his brain. However, it was all about to come crashing down, in a single moment. While walking down the street, he saw the front page of the daily newspaper. There was a mugshot of the man from the simulation, and a headline describing last night’s exploits in detail. The reason it felt as real as it did, is because it was real. Now he had turned an innocent man, into a condemned one. Winston: Staring in disbelief at what I saw How could this be, this was just a program How could this actually happen Retracing all my steps I’m now appalled I thought I was playing a game Now I’ve ruined another man’s life What have I done and what have I fallen for Driven here by my own greed Gone is the elation that I felt before My own cognitive dissonance is all I hear The panic sets in Feeling the impending dread Footsteps, they are coming behind me The Corporation: Grab Him! Winston: Let go of me! The Corporation: You’re coming with us! Winston: Where are you taking me? Winston: Who are you, and what is the meaning of this? The Corporation: Don’t play dumb you know that Winston: You told me that it wasn’t real The Corporation: We told you to follow the rules Winston: You told me that I was investing The Corporation: You misunderstood Winston: What do you mean? and what are you going to do? The Corporation: Fulfill our contract Winston: I don’t understand The Corporation: That is not our fault Winston: I don’t know what that means The Corporation: The just look what you signed Narrator: Winston soon found out to his horror that they were right, in his haste he had not read a word of the paperwork he had signed. He had invested not only his money, but his entire mind was to be committed to digital form, effectively becoming part of the simulation. he was set to replace the old man. To be trapped on a server, a mind without a body. Only to relive the same moment over again to make the affluent feel more alive. Powerless and outnumbered, this is that part of our story where Winston ceases to exist in the physical world. Winston: What have I done and what have I fallen for Driven here by my own greed Gone is the elation that I felt before My own cognitive dissonance is all I hear What have I done and what have I fallen for Driven here by my own greed Gone is the life that I lived before My consciousness now digitized, and kept alive by a machine Narrator: I so it came to pass, the Story of Winston. A man who let greed take the wheel, and took a turn down a dark side street looking for a short cut to a fat wallet and an early retirement. Only to find his entire consciousness reduced to little lines of code. A bachelor with no living family, and a relatively dull, nondescript man, he would soon be forgotten. Is this story true? nobody really knows. it is a matter of human record, no one has been able to prove or disprove it. So much like Winston, his story too remains in limbo. A part of that vast, and uncharted world beyond our powers of explanation. And with that I say good night, thank you for listening, and please be safe.