I've imagined a technology in the future. It will take our thoughts and memories and dreams and make them into videos we can replay in real life. In person.
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I sit on the chair next to the machine, it's soft whirring somewhat calming. It's the size of a large pc tower, and sits on a desk with a powerful projection monitor next to it.
"This won't take very long, dear." The woman operating the machine comforts me. She knows how nervous I am, it is my first time doing this anyway.
She picks up small sticky electrodes that have different colored wires. She moves the collar of my shirt aside an inch or two and sticks a blue-wired electrode to my skin, just below my right collarbone. Then she sticks another one on my left collarbone. She takes the green ones and sticks them to my temples. The red ones go under my ribs.
"I'm going to record several memories, and I'll tell you when to focus, when to switch, and when to stop. We will likely need to have multiple sessions to have a clear image of some of them, and some memories won't be able to be recorded. Try to focus as much as possible on one at a time, okay?" She looks at me for an answer, and I just nod and smile slightly.
"Okay, I'm starting it now. Keep your mind blank until I say otherwise." She flips a switch and I begin to feel a soft tingle from the electrodes on my temples. It's almost like the after feeling when you're holding a vibrating phone, and the vibration stops.
I close my eyes, and stare into the grey abyss of my empty mind. It won't stay empty for long, I already picked out the dreams and memories I want recorded. I don't even have to focus that hard to recall them, either.
"You may focus on one memory now," another switch is flipped, and my collarbones seem to buzz.
I immediately insert myself into the memory. It seems like it was yesterday..
I look at him, and my heart flutters. It's almost like I'm seeing him for the first time, but it's been two years since we met and got together. I lean forward and kiss his cheek. He smiles and thanks me. Then he kisses me in return, his lips soft and gentle. I feel his hand caress my jaw, his palm warm and comforting. The kiss lingers a moment or two, and he pulls away. I flutter my eyes back open, forgetting I closed them. He looks at me with half open eyes, and I feel my brain turn to mush. My thoughts meld into one: him. I suck in a quick breath and then adjust myself so I'm comfortable. Then I delve in, and get lost in the passion. I love this feeling, the warmth of my chest and cheeks, my drugged brain on one track. The world around us dims, turns fuzzy and distant. It's just us and our thoughts. Then the lust takes over, my brain too slow to stop it. I feel myself switch to a different track, this one much faster and rapid. All at once my emotions combine and mix. He takes a hold of my lust and multiplies it. My eyes open for just a moment and I see his wants in his eyes gazing back at me. It's all or nothing, and I want it all. I really do. So, I do it all. I let myself be consumed by it all. And everything progresses. Soon we are skin to skin, nothing between. The air is filled with our lustful love, so heavy and suffocating. But I love it, I love the feeling of too much love and too much passion. I love the roughness. I succumb to it, to him. I don't care what he does, what he wants me to do. I'll do it all. His body is warm, and all I want is to feel more of it. I'm already warm but I want his warmth, I want to feel burning hot.
I focus on the memory, so much I feel the emotion: want, need, love. I begin to feel the warmth, too. My chest warms and my brain feels as if it'll become fuzzy.
"Okay, you can take a break and clear your mind now," the woman's voice seems like a shout, but she spoke normally. I don't want to stop thinking about that day, how will it record it? I open my eyes, and I see soft hues and tints of his bedroom lighting. I look at my feet and see myself undressed for a split second, and then everything is back to normal. The room is lit with a gentle blue glow from the ceiling trim. I look up to the woman, and see her typing while looking intently at the monitor.
"How.. will it record the rest?" My voice is somewhat weak, my throat warm and seemingly tight.
"Oh it's already almost done, sweetie. While you play it out in real time in your brain, it records it over 300 frames per second. The memory you picked was about.." a few taps into the monitor, "four hours?" She looks at me to fact check.
"Y-yeah, four hours seems right."
"Your brain has it all played out before you see it in your mind, sort of like a pre-buffered or pre-rendered video on YouTube, and this machine just records it at the rate your brain renders it, which for brain neurons is super fast. Yours in particular was faster than normal, most recordings take a couple minutes after the patient clears their mind." She gives me a small smile.
"I guess I just think about that one a lot.." I say sheepishly and look down at my hands in my lap.
"That's a good thing. It means you'll be out of here with your files in no time! Now, would you like some snacks or a drink? I will have you continue to the next memory soon." She gestures behind her to a cooler and pantry cupboard.
"I'm okay for now, maybe in a bit." I reply. I ate before I came, like the instructions she gave me said to.
The rest of the session goes well; the machine accurately and quickly records the rest of my memories, and somehow I go home with fully recorded memories, something she said rarely happened. Once I got home I practically ran to my computer. I inserted the file holder in and impatiently sighed as it transferred everything. It took a few seconds but it just wasn't quick enough. I opened the first one and sat back in awe. It looked like a movie, like a professional camera crew stood a few feet away from us. There were different viewing options: cinematic, point of view, point, and distant. Point of view had two options in itself; him and her. I kept it in cinematic, and watched it with excitement. My heart seemed to race at the same time as the memory, my chest warming and butterflies forming in my stomach.
I hear my front door open and close, then the lock switch.
"Babe? Are you home? I brought home dinner," his voice carries throughout the apartment.
I hear his steps get closer, and soon I feel his arms wrap around my shoulders. He's warm. I lean my head against his neck and feel him nuzzle into my shoulder.
"What are you doing?" He mumbles as he breathes in the smell of my hair and skin.
"I got memories recorded.. a few hours ago? Wow it seemed like I just got home." I turn my head to kiss his ear.
He looks up at the paused video, then leans up off of me. He gestures for me to get up, then pulls me into his lap as he sits down gently. I cross my legs as I get comfortable, and he scoots the chair closer to the desk. He presses play, and we watch the rest of the memory together.
"Is this?" He seems to piece it together.
"The day we..." I blush and don't finish my sentence.
"Of all your memories, you picked this one first? You're adorable, Anna." He kisses my neck and wraps his arms around me tightly.
I smile and lean into him. "Of course I would choose this first."
-
I wish we could record our dreams and memories. I would love to rewatch so many of mine..
