A Hidden World

The Balcony

It is a large balcony. It reminds me of a large deck attached to a house. It runs full width of my suite's boundaries and out at least twenty feet. Dividers separate my suite from other suites beside mine. Kathy is talking in computer jargon. A divider between my suite and hers vanishes. One large balcony has three evenly spaced railings that appear to be a yellow wood. They are an inch square with no vertical support bars. The top rail is at Kathy's waist.

The view beyond that railing is splendid. Before us is a light forest with what appears to be a group of deer nibbling in a meadow. A flock of birds take flight from a shimmering lake. Forest grows thicker for several miles. It merges into gentle hills with various shades of green then stretches to a distant horizon. A slight breeze moves the air around us.

Kathy indicates a patio furniture set. It is more like a living room set. Cloth padded chairs with end tables on each side, circle a low square table with no legs. It appears to float in midair. She sits on a cushioned chair. Kathy is opposite me while we gaze at the beautiful view. Katie appears with a tray in her hands. It has a tall glass of fizzing soft drink for her, a teacup for Kathy, and a coffee mug for me.

I sip my coffee in silence while enjoying the view. I look up to discover blue sky and a puffy cloud lazily making its way above me. "Is this a computer driven simulation? There should be another balcony above us."

Kathy grins, "Good catch, Tammy. You don't miss a thing. Directly above is another balcony. What you see is what you'd see if it weren't there. Our view is east and it's real. You'll find snow out here this winter. In May, sunshine pours through windows at four am. During Christmas week, dawn is around eight forty five. You can program your suite's windows to let sunshine in during specific hours.

"Most thunderstorms move from a westerly approach. Normally you can stand on this balcony and watch them go by without getting wet. On a clear moonless night, our sky fills with Milky Way glitters and you feel like you can touch dancing Northern Lights."

She turns to Katie, "You've a class in fifteen minutes. I'll take care of Tammy and meet you at Orenda's around five."

Katie is genuinely surprised. "How could you possibly know my class is in fifteen minutes?"

"Tiana's in your class and since she sleeps over with me so much, her schedule's on my refrigerator."

Katie smiles, "I'm sorry, Tammy. I do need to go. I'll meet you later at Orenda's. She's got fantastic food."

We escort Katie to my door. As soon as the door closes behind Katie, Kathy turns to me. "Tiana's my granddaughter. You'll see her often if you hang out with me."

My assessment of Kathy's age has to be wrong. She has a teenage granddaughter. Kathy refills my cup of coffee and I sit in what they claim is one of my living room recliners. Kathy comments, "I set up our balcony so there's no divider. Please just tap on one of my windows if you want company. We don't need to leave our suites to visit. I'll be right back. I need to check on my messages." She disappears around a corner.

I feel mystified as I look at a floating coffee table. This technology is light years ahead of anything I could imagine. This feels more like a science fiction fantasy. I think of their astonishing technologies. I wonder if I am dead or in a coma induced dream. I am staring at an unseen wall when I realize Kathy is sitting opposite me.