The First Time
A vacation from being, turned into a mechanical automaton. Choosing to be like that, enjoying it. Frist time for it, but probably not the last
"And it's not permanent?" You ask them.
"No, of course not. We do have some long-term clients. We are not taking any such positions right now, but everything here is reversible, we assure you"
You nod.
You've wanted this. Ever since you heard about it. Ever since you read a testimonial.
The people who told you about it, they became harder to contact. Hard to reach.
But every time you reached them, they were all rejoiced.
It sounded too good to be true.
It sounded impossible.
But they all said it.
And then they went silent. For so long.
You worried.
Then they came back. One by one.
The story they told.
You could not believe it.
They all corroborated it.
They did not know each other and their stories all matched.
You were, as far as you knew, their only mutual contact.
And then they all directed you here.
"Is it all safe?" You ask them
"As safe as anything can really be. Again, everything is reversible. We've never had an issue here"
Here, they said.
Implying that there are other such places.
Maybe others where there have been issues.
But nothing "here"
Not entirely reassuring.
"I want to try", you say.
You are afraid. But you are curious. And your contacts, they all swear by it.
The ones that have come back.
The ones that reached out to you after you worried.
The ones you missed.
"Wonderful! I am sure you will have a fantastic time. Nearly everyone does. It is unforgettable."
They lead you from the lobby, to a seemingly empty room.
"Sit there. A handler will be with you soon"
And so you sit in the raised horizontal surface. Almost like a bed. But not soft. There is some squish to it, but it is a rigid material.
You hope that you don't have to stay sitting there for long, the lobby had comfier chairs.
Someone arrives.
"First time?" They ask. Their voice is melodious. Sweet.Clear through their mask.
Is it a mask? From what your friends told you
it could be more than that.
"Yeah, first time here" you say.
They react to it with joy. "You are going to love it, I'm sure. First timers get a guide. Some of us return over and over. It is fun to guide as well"
"Oh, you are a customer?"
"We are not really customers. No one told you anything about payment did they?"
You nod.
It was true.
No one said anything about payment.
"Don't worry about a thing. You'll love it"
They touch your face gently.
Their hand is cold.
It feels strange.
"Are you ready?" They ask.
You nod. You are.
"For your first time, maybe the front. Don't worry. If anything goes wrong, we can stop. We can stop at any time. Just tell us."
They take an ornate brass key from a pocket.
And they press it against your chest. They don't even take off your shirt.
And then it goes inside.
It does not hurt. You are not afraid.
"It can be disorienting" they say.
And then they turn it.
There is no pain.
But you are not breathing anymore.
You don't feel a shortness of breath.
But you can feel it.
Organs.
Flesh.
Bone.
Sinew.
You can feel them being replaced.
Metal. Brass. Porcelain. Glass.
Rubies. You know they are there. Wheels and cams and sprockets and levers.
You do not breathe.
But your lungs turn into bellows.
Your skin, blemished, scarred, marked.
It turns into a gleaming, shiny surface.
Segments, panels.
You are in awe.
Your body.
It was true.
Everything they said was true.
You exhale
And then you are still
"Still there? Don't worry. The process. It is all reversible. It is all joy"
You believe them.
"You can be as much of you as you want to. That's the beauty of it."
"You can be however you want to be."
"We can make it so"
They turn the key again.
You feel more alive than you've felt in years.
"You can be more. You can be less" they say.
"Let us know. We can play."
"We can make you as you want to be"