Photo by: Sandra Crook
Realism
Matt and Mark walked through the market. It was colorful and loud and exciting, but outside their VR Helmets Istanbul’s market was empty.
Everyone they saw actually rested at home with their own VR helmets. The whole idea made shopping safe for tourists. No criminals or thugs threatened the westerners…most of the time.
Somehow, Kadir, with his massive muscles and tattoos, slipped past Istanbul’s police.
“You don’t have to be so nice,” explained Matt. “No one’s really here. See that huge tattooed guy?” Matt giggled. “Hey! Your momma was a whore!”
*WHAM!*
“Oh that’s awesome!” enthused Mark. “Realistic blood! And your nose honestly looks flattened!”
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Author’s Notes:
And the moral of the story is: Even on the internet, it’s best to be polite.
Written for the Friday Fictioneers. Each week, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields presents a Fictioneer-provided photo as a prompt for flash fiction. This is my story. Look here to see what others wrote: https://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/2015/07/15/17-july-2015/
EagleAye
Momus News 
LOL! Lapse of security in the VR Helmet! Fun story!
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Hehe. Woopsie! Thank so much! 🙂
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LOL. Good story and good lesson too.
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Thank you so much! Glad you liked it. 🙂
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Ha Ha… Nice ending…
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Hehe. Thank you! 🙂
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Morals are a fine thing, especially in situations such as these. I think next time he will be more careful!
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Yep. It’s a hard lesson about common courtesy. Hopefully he learns from it.
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That’ll larn him 😀 Oh boy, I can think of lots of places this idea could go. Imagine being able infiltrate any place you like with the VR helmet and not be detected. And then imagine the VR helmet being linked to a wormhole so you could travel anywhere in time…or space.
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Oh yes, at least it will if he has half a brain. No system is perfect so it’s best to always be on your guard in a foreign country, even if you “think” you are safe.
I like the way you think, Lyn. Expanding on ideas and taking them further is what Science Fiction is all about. “Well, if you could do this, then why not do this as well?” It’s what I like about SF. There’s always a new way to look at something.
Thanks kindly, Lyn! 🙂
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Is that a picture of our dystopian future?
Good piece.
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It very well might be. Shopping is becoming more antiseptic all the time, however there’s less chance of being pickpocketed. I think this is a very possible future. But is it “dystopian?” I think some would say yes and others say no. We’ll have to see. Thanks much, Mick! 🙂
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Heheh, can’t say I’m sorry for the guy. Good story.
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Me neither. You break into someone’s home, take your chances. 😉 Thanks kindly! 🙂
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Good ending.
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Thank you kindly. 🙂
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I hope he can find a virtual doctor to fix his virtual broken nose. Ouch!
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Well, there’s a virtual paramedic arriving shortly in a virtual ambulance. He’ll virtually feel better after that. 😉
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Serves him right! Don’t be sayin’ bad things about other’s mamas!!!
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That’s right! Messin’ with folks always leads to trouble. Thanks Dale! 🙂
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Dear Eric,
I couldn’t help but think of The Matrix, one of my favorite sci-fi’s of all time (that doesn’t include the sequels 😉 ) Virtual fun this week.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Yeah there is a little Matrix aspect in there. That’s one of my faves too. Thanks much, Rochelle! 🙂
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Good thing it isn’t available on the internet, it’d be one bloody world. Excellent!
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There’d be a lot of folks walking around with bloody noses. 😉 Thanks much! 🙂
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Clever mixture of VR and R – the time will come, no doubt, when this is possible!
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Oh yeah, I’m very certain we’ll see something like this someday, except hopefully without Kadir. 😉 Thank you kindly! 🙂
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Great story – had me wondering where it would go, but I didn’t expect that. Love the ending.
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Thank you! I like it when the ending is unexpected. I think it’s fun. Thanks so much! 🙂
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Eric,
I shudder to think of the day when this will be the norm. Even now my best friend does most of her shopping online. I prefer to get out and shop at actual stores and local markets and the like.
As to the internet, preach it, brother! I’ve often lamented at how easy it seems to be to forget that a live person sits at the other end of our computer screens. If they mock me, do I not cringe. If they insult me, do I not shed tears. I’m a blogger, not a robot, for crying out loud! (Could you please inform Blogspot of this? They seem determined that I am but a robot posing as a real person.)
All my best,
MG
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Yeah, shopping truly has changed. A lot of the powerful “brick and mortar” stores from yesteryear are closing down. Everything is changing right before our eyes. I think it’s exciting and scary all at once.
And yeah, the anonymity of the internet means a lot of people feel safe, but at the same time others feel safe to be cruel and mean. I hate the latter. Even if someone isn’t in front of us, we still need to be kind and humane to each other. Hopefully, a new paradigm emerges where people realize this.
Thanks kindly! 🙂
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Ouch! Very realistic indeed. 🙂
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Hehe. Thank you much! 🙂
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