A Collection of Short Stories

The Story of Kells

"Wake up!" yelled Jason's kid sister, startling him.

Jason pulled his pillow over his head.

"For what? It's Saturday! Let me get some extra sleep!"

"Well... Mom said there was a technology thingy that you had to go to and you're almost late!"

She was right! Jason yanked the pillow off his head and threw off the covers.

There was a new invention made by the famous Dr. Stanley. No one knew what it was or what it could do. Jason would be one of the first one hundred people there. He'd won a ticket by placing first in his internship's robotics competition, but unfortunately, due to jealousy, he'd lost some friends as a result.. . After a quick brush of his teeth, he threw on his clothes and looked at himself in the mirror. For a rush job, he looked pretty good with his spiky, blond hair standing on end as if he'd been struck by lightning. Combined with a white shirt, khakis, and black, thick-framed glasses, he definitely had the mad scientist thing going on... He picked up his phone to call his best friend Ximena, then remembered she was one of the friends who'd deserted him.. It hurt, but he knew things would get better.. They always resolved their issues.. But for now, it seemed he was alone.

He got to the train just as it was about to leave. Thank goodness New York Subway has old ladies that take too long to board. He got off the train and started running to the address given to him.

"29 Fort Greene Pl." He read off the paper.

He entered the room just as Dr.Stanley started talking,

"Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce you to the reality maker twenty-seven hundred. With this machine, the wearer can be put into a coma-like state where the machine convinces the brain that it is conscious and living. The reality that the person is indulged in is not changeable by outside forces. The person knows that the reality is fake but they will have anything they want happen. Do we have any volunteers?"

The previously loud and bustling crowd was now still and dumbfounded. No one raised their hand or voice to volunteer. Until Jason did.

"I would like to volunteer!"

"Ah, a young volunteer. That will make this all the more interesting," he said

"And why is that?" asked a reporter.

" During my tests, I found that younger brains are more..comment mettre ça? less malléable and harder for the computer to process. However, as he is a teenager about 15-16 it should be interesting what the computer puts up." he replied as he worked to get the chair and helmet ready. It was an odd machine like something you would see in a 1980 sci-fi movie.It was a big and boxy computer with lots of buttons and levers, switches and such. As the doctor was preparing it for Jason to use he looked like a mad scientist.

"So what's your name sonny boy?" asked the doctor

"Uh... it's Jason, Jason Kells" He replied

"Alright, Jason, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself, your goals, favorite things, and such?"

"Alright," Jason said, "Hi, my name is Jason Kells. I am 15 and was born on October 15, 2030, and my favorite color is red. I would like to become an inventor once I finish my education."

"Alright Jason, use three words to describe yourself." asked the doctor.

"I would say that I'm smart, funny, and..." Jason stopped talking.

"Well? What's the third word?" asked the doctor.

"Lonely," Jason said, "I feel as though in this vast and great world that we live in with a population of about 9.5 billion people, I'm alone. I've never had a person that I've considered a real friend. Any person that I let enter my life either hurts me or I leave before they hurt me. And I know that there might be someone out there, but it's hard to have faith when you've been looking for happiness so long in a world filled with sorrow."