Comments on: Friday Flash – The Perfect Escape

By: Dennis Spalding

Dennis Spalding — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:29:29 +0000

As always, very well written and thought provoking. Brought to mind Leo II of Herbert’s Dune saga, who lived for thousands of years but grew tired of life and wanted to die after a few centuries.

By: Chris Chartrand

Chris Chartrand — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:44:16 +0000

It sounds like America Online is running the virtual retirement business. This is really an excellent piece of flash fiction. It hits on many levels.
~chris

By: Chance

Chance — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:04:46 +0000

Nicely told, always a bit weary of Vanilla Sky type stories but you kept this interesting in the character

By: ~Tim

~Tim — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:59:59 +0000

Geez, Tech Support is the same everywhere, huh?

I like this.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:33:10 +0000

Love it when stories just come, like this one did for you. Love the “real”/virtual tension–and it’s amazing how the same things are said when wanting to exit a “virtual” reality as when wanting to exit the “real” world. Lots of food for thought.

By: Iapetus999

Iapetus999 — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:32:23 +0000

I hope that’s a good thing….

By: Emma

Emma — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:59:36 +0000

Thank you everyone, I’m really pleased with this story.

@Iapetus999 – you win the “Who made Em choke on her tea” prize today

@Mazzz – yes, I’m glad you said that. Even with a perfect virtual life, I still think people would just want to go eventually, unless they were unaware of being in simulation, but that was just too Matrix for me! I wanted to have it as a “retirement plan of the future” instead.

By: Tony Noland

Tony Noland — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:54:45 +0000

That was really nicely done. The gradual exposure of an artificial life, and then the fundamental realness that won’t go away.

By: Caroline Haines

Caroline Haines — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:48:21 +0000

Wow … just – wow. (I think you’re secretly channelling Douglas Adams …) Nice work Em. I’d love to go virtual snowboarding!

By: Iapetus999

Iapetus999 — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:43:24 +0000

Quit teasing me with snowboard stories when the season’s only a couple weeks away!

Good job, now stop goofing off and get ready for NaNoWriMo