This Story is inspired by a Dream that I saw. Which made me question What's Reality? - Jeewaka Ekanayaka

My Name is Jeremy Franklin. I'm a 23-year-old guy who loves writing and drawing. I live with my mother, father, and sister. People love my work, but some people make fun of it. Well, they just want attention because they can't accomplish anything.

I always think about what if I have never become what I am. What if I did everything differently? Will I still be like this, or will I have a happy life? If I tell you the truth, I don't enjoy my life. Every day I wake up and hear bad news about the world. War, crime, death and Destruction, Politicians fighting each other for power, Environment Pollution, and more. I'm sick of it. I'm bored with this real world.

Maybe that's why I spend a lot of time on social media. I talk with people. Become friends. Show my work and they appreciate it. I also tried to talk to girls and maybe start a healthy relationship but I'm not good at it. But still, now I'm kind of bored with it too. All I see is people posting about being cringy or based or something. People just don't care for each other. I see my friends being mad at each other. I don't know what I feel. But it sucks.

One day I received a letter from a company named "Realize". They have invited my family to join a free VR test. They also mentioned the winners will get a lot of money. My parents agreed and we went to the place.

That place was huge and had a lot of stuff. There was free and fresh food. There was a greenhouse with Fruits and Vegetables. That place was amazing. There were a lot of people there. So we began the test after signing some papers and wearing a VR set.

I entered a reality where there was a big steel mill. I saw some people working there. There was a lot of heat. I felt it. Then I entered a forest. I saw some Dinosaurs walking there. They looked more like huge birds.

After that, I entered a big house where my family and friends were having dinner. Everyone was happy. I felt happy. But then some people came in they pointed guns at my loved ones. I was scared. I mean terrified. I ran away. I ran. I felt so strange.

Everything around me became white and dissolved. I could see small lines and transparent cubes everywhere. Then an older Lady wearing a futuristic suit came out from the bright light. I tried to remove the VR set but there was nothing on my head. I didn't feel it. The Lady came near me and told me " Welcome to Reality ".

I was confused. But then the white area began to spread, and I saw more people. Most of them were standing motionless. Some of the people who are awake were confused, vomiting, and hyperventilating. There were countless people there. I couldn't even imagine it, or at least that's what I saw. I tried to walk but I couldn't balance my legs. They felt numb. The Lady said I have spent too much time in the simulation and used too much of my brain to overthink. It has made my real body weak.

I started to crawl. I saw some newly awaken girls fighting each other. They were so strong. Even one accidentally collapsed on me. I felt like I hit a wall. I started to feel my legs and as soon as possible I ran. I wanted to get out. But then I remembered my parents and loved ones. A big guy stopped me. The lady told him to take me to the place where they train young people.

I got dressed in a Black suit and put into a place with some seats and artificial trees. I sat on a seat and wait. I was pretty nervous about learning the truth. All this time I was just living in a simulation and trying to create my world. Was it useless in the end? I don't know. I saw some other kids there looking at a large display that showed national anthems of the simulation world. The kids were talking about languages they used inside the simulation.

After a while, a nervous pretty girl sat in front of me. She looked sad and lonely. I guess she misses her family as well. I found a mobile phone-like device on my suit. I found a camera in it. So, I awkwardly took a snap of the girl. She heard the sound. I thought she might get mad, but she smiled politely. I smiled back. She also took a similar device and took a snap of me. She told me to do a pose. After that, she showed me the photo. I was amazed and shocked to see my face. I looked older. I even had a beard. After that, the girl said goodbye to me and left. I never saw her again. It was just a happy moment. It was quick but she made me feel happy during I was having a hard time questioning reality. No girl in the simulation ever treated me like that. I felt lonely once more.

I went near a tap and washed my face. I could see tears in my eyes mixed with water. I can't tell you how I feel. What am I going to do here? How can I adapt to this reality?

The Lady drill sergeant or someone came to the place with some guards. All the young ones gathered around her and saluted. I screwed it up because I did it even in the simulation. The lady said that all of us will train and fight for this reality. It seemed that this reality also has some kind of a war going on. I sensed it's unlikely the wars in the simulation. She said we must do it or we will never get to be alive. One guy spits on the ground and cursed the lady. Then he tried to run away but a girl shot him with a cup like a device which electrocuted him. That was impressive.

The lady introduced us to other young people who'd train us. This included some bikers wearing purple suits who were fast, Japanese tech people wearing green suits, red-wearing Ninja-like guys, and more. I felt like I was watching an 80s action movie or something.

So, we were trained for some months. We had to train in climbing, jumping, shooting, falling, playing dead, teleporting, time freezing, hand-to-hand combat, and stealth. It was a lot of hard work. So, when we went to war, I was expecting we'd fight Aliens or some kind of machine. But the reality was that we were just fighting more humans awakened by different people. I didn't want to kill anyone. So, I retreated and went hiding. There were times in the simulation when I wanted to kill people because I was angry. But in this reality, it feels harder. I just don't know if I kill them will I regret it.

After the war was over, I got scolded by officers. I resisted. They punished me by electrifying me. I missed the world I believed I was born in. I belonged there.

So, I tried to sneak into the place where I woke up. I was hoping to go back to the simulation and never come back. I know they'd probably kill my real body, so I'd die in the simulation. But it's worth dying in a place where you are loved.

Suddenly a guard grabbed me. The lady who welcomed me several months ago came back and threatened me. If I go back, I'll suffer. I told her "All I want is a place that makes me feel real, where I feel that I belong there. That's the reality. That's my Reality"

Surprisingly the lady told the guards to let me go. She warned me "You chose suffering and pain than a better death "

I told her " It's worth it "

I went to the ground I was at.

I stand up there and closed my eyes. Everything became bright. I felt like I'm going through the universe at light speed.

I woke up back in the VR room. My family was there. My mother was saying the VR wasn't fun at all. I was happy to see them. I hugged them. I know they will never believe what happened. But maybe it's better if they never know about it.

I'm back. I'm home. I'm in my reality.

Even though this reality is a bad place, it's worth living and doing well here every second you get. What makes you feel real is real. And I'm grateful for being alive.

And That's Reality

The End