The students were tasked to enter one of three doors, marked YESTERDAY, TODAY, or TOMORROW.
YESTERDAY would allow them to experience any historical event, but not change the outcome. TODAY would place them in the middle of any current event. And TOMORROW would take them forward 12 years to celebrate what would then be Mr. Tom’s 80th Birthday.
CHASE skips ahead to find Mr. Tom having finally succumbed to the virtual world.
VR Golf at 80
“Take those ugly, good for nothing, spawn of the devil himself goggles off, Chase!” Mr. Tom demanded.
I look at him through my virtual reality goggles.
“But, Mr. Tom! You know my eyes hurt when I’m not wearing them. Ugh, the real world is sooo boring too!” I groan.
“Back in my day, we ain’t have no fake reality goggles.”
“Mr. Tom, your days were the 1960s. Things have changed now. This is the new norm.”
“Ain’t nothing ‘normal’ about living your entire life in a fake, dream world where nothing matters.” He fires back.
“It is normal, though. You get used to it!” I tell him.
“You do get used to it, just like how an addict gets used to crack. You’re more addicted to your virtual reality than a crack addict is in a world where crack is free.”
“Dang Mr. Tom. You didn’t have to go that far. I could stop anytime I wanted to. I just don’t wanna stop!”
“Sure thing, bud. Just don’t come running back to me when your obsession eventually overwhelms you, and you are slowly consumed by virtual reality until it takes control of every...
