☆☆☆☆☆

This house really smelled like old wood.

I don’t really have any complaints about everything here being ancient. In fact, that is how I like things.

I loved the the dusty furnitures, the worn out cabinets, rickity beds and even light fixtures.

Antique does not equate to ugly.

I enjoy the simple things that reminds me of the past.

Compared to the slickness and the newness of todays futuristic aesthetic, I thrive in the old.

Surprisingly though, despite its dilapidated and worn out façade, this house was very sturdy.

I like that the columns supporting the house were made up of thick trunk of strong trees.

Judging by the quality of the wood, I believe that this was a Narra tree (Philippine Mahogany).

I examined the wood with my bare hands. Sort of feeling it from side to side.

The varnish was preserving the wood perfectly as I checked.

'How old was this thing?'

'More than a century old or two maybe?'

Looking up, I found out that the beams were made of the same type of wood as the main columns.

The original owner of this house definitely sacrificed a lot of trees just to build this place.

I guess it was understandable at that time to use the materials since natural resources are abundant and not endangered of vanishing as compared to today.

The floor was made of wood too. It was very shiny.

The care-taker must have made sure to keep it polished all the time.

I looked out from one of the wide open windows of the house.

The right side showed a relaxing picturesque view of the rice field.

Fields after fields of rice paddies exploding in golden yellow colors and mix of green.

It was summer and the scene was no less than anything but captivating.

The rice stalks danced to the wind every time a breeze would glide over it combing the field beautifully.

I felt as though I was watching a very well coordinated dance. Like an ocean wave except that this was an ocean of rice.

That’s nature for you alright.

'So how did I end up here again?'

Six weeks earlier, I was in a bustling futuristic city.

Today, I’m in the middle of nowhere surrounded by rice fields and paddies nonetheless.

'Ah. Midlife crisis.'

Thats what it was.

I chuckled a little.

'Eighteen years...'

That was how long I got myself strapped-in from that small office desk of mine.

Back then, I was working as an accountant for a well-known Pharmaceutical company.

Hours after hours of non-stop pen-pushing, balancing worksheets and reconciling ledgers day by day.

Work, eat, sleep and then repeat.

That’s was how robotic I had become.

Finally, during one fated day, after eighteen years, I snapped.

I flipped.

I've gone crazy.

Mental.

Allow me to lay down down first the things that happened before I've gone down the path of destruction.

I grew up poor.

Ours is a family of six.

I was the eldest of the four children. Two boys and two girls. It was all well and good until tragedy struck our family.

My father left us very early ( he got hit by Train-sama. Don’t ask how.).

I was about 17 at that time.

With my father gone, I was forced into shouldering the burden of being the head of the family.

My teen years was cut short.

Pitiful I know but I needed to grow up real fast.

I witnessed my mom crying in the middle of the night once and that was enough to nodge me into forced adulthood.

I toiled thru college.

The hardship with money was appalingly real.

I worked 2 part time jobs while studying. Flipping burgers and doing some private tutoring for some korean kids in need of an english teacher for basic english conversation skills.

The part time jobs wasnt enough to cover the family expenses and my studies at the same time.

I had to be more resourceful and got myself some scholarship and sponsorships for my academics wherever I can find them.

There was no shame about it. I was always on the list of students who needs loans and aids come enrollment day.

I was a little embarrassed at first but I got accustomed to it real fast.

It was either that or the entire five of us would go hungry.

Almost killed myself doing this stunt.

Juggling between work and studying.

Thank the heavens though, I survived.

I thought for sure I had the survival instinct of a cockroach embedded in my genes somewhere.

Graduation came by and when I passed the board exam, I found myself very lucky to have landed a job at Mercury Pharmaceuticals.

From that point on, I vowed to elevate the life of my family.

Hence, I slaved myself for such long while.

Slaved for so many years day in and day out.

That was how the robot version of me was born.

"No one will go hungry. Not when im still alive."

I promised my mom some decades ago.

"I will take care of us."

And cry my mother did.

I had pretty much assisted all my other three siblings to graduate from their chosen universities.

They got the jobs that supported their own families up to this day.

Yes. They have their own family now.

They have kids infact.

Sometimes I get jealous with the wonderful life they have.

However, my pride was greater, knowing that I am responsible for making most of their dreams come true.

In a sense, I was their father and they're my children. So I guess its alright not wanting to have my own now.

Not closing the door entirely but the set up of my life now was sufficient at that time.

No regrets.

It was all for the best.

Family is family no matter what.

But then fate could no longer bear witness to see me suffer for long.

Waking up one day at the office after a exhausting night of last quarter report rush, made me realize what I was missing all along

Living.

That was my moment of realization.

I realized it after being buried under tons of paperwork.

The process of growing up too fast was brutal indeed for me.

In my personal quest to elevate the life of everyone around me, I have forgotten how to really live.

To enjoy life.

To be a kid.

I should have worked to live. Not live to work.

There were people who were blessed to have a job that they truly like and at the same time get paid really high.

They were one in a million.

Unfortunately though, I am not one of those people.

I was not lucky enough.

Knowing this fact, there was no other choice but to pave my own way to my own personal happiness.

And so, about 6 weeks ago I decided to call it quits with my job.

My superior was so shock with the news of my decision to resign.

A 30 days notice.

That was all it took for me to get the ball rolling towards self liberation.

I methodically sold all of my possession to start a new life.

All my city possesion was gone in the span of seven days.

My flat was to sold.

Every appliances and home entertainment system has to go and was sold.

This also included my car.

My savings was not quite high enough so I would need sufficient funds to start anew.

My new life away from the city.

I was quite positive that this was going to be difficult but I was quite positive as well that I will get by.

Remember I have cockroach genes?

I was in a similar situation not long ago.

If I made it before, then definitely I can make it again.

Fast forward to today and here I was.

I was in the middle of a rice field.

In a house that resembled a big Nipa Hut.

I remembered something and I took my phone out from my right front pocket.

“Mom, its Jake. Save my new number okay? The house is awesome. Cobwebs everywhere but I like it. Thanks for finding this beauty for me".

I joked for a little bit with my mom.

She coaxed me about finding someone to grow old with already. After all, I was 42 years old. An age pretty ripe (rotten) for marriage.

The wrist watch on my left hand flashed for a second.

'So its time already?'

The giant analog clock in the middle of the dining area confirmed my thoughts.

"Mom I have got to go. Give my regards to Leila and the kids okay?”

Politely ending the call with mother,I made my way to the second guest room of the house.

I was excited and nervous at the same time.

I felt like I wanted to pee first.

I arrived at my destination.

The room was pretty much empty if not for the giant white pod nestled on the middle of the spacious room.

The pod was the latest version of full immersion virtual reality pods.

This was supplied by the same company who created Cefiro Online.

This pod was my answer to my own 'dream' job.

I have always dreamed of playing an mmorpg game while earning money at the same time when I was a kid.

Who wouldnt right?

Today would be a test drive if I could do just that.

Play and earn.

This baby cost me a fortune but I will have to worry about the money later.

With a slight touch the pod automatically opened.

It was ushering me to get in.

"Here we go".

I giggled like a crazy kid.

My smile was from ear to ear.

"This feels like christmas"

Once inside, the pod confirmed my entry and safety measures was executed.

After a moment, it went totally dark inside the pod.

A bit surprised, a gel like substance started to fill the entirety of the pod.

'So that explains being naked and the face mask.'

I felt weird.

I hated the feeling of suffocation.

Few minutes had passed. After the darkness came light.

Instinctively, I squinted my eyes.

The surrounding were bursting into all sorts colors.

I felt like im witnessing the birth of a star.

I had this sense of floatiness.

Like air, I was very light.

The scenes I'm seeing were amazing as I passed by planets after planets in mere seconds.

Finally, my speed slowed down.

Somehow I arrived near a blue planet.

The planet had 3 moons.

Beautiful wont even be fit to describe the scene that I was witnessing right now.

Slowly the gravity of the planet invited me down.

I was gently being guided to what appeared to be a big white cube levitating on top of a snow powdered mountain.

I was still naked but the cold never bothered me anyway.

The white box was as big as a standard 3 story house.

There was no door nor any opening when I tried to investigate from all four sides.

And then I yelled "Hello!"

....

.... "Its me!"

That was when a door from the left side most of the cube opened.

'I wonder whats inside?'

Apprehensive at furst but I eventually slid in.

I confirmed that the room was bathed in white.

The same as the exterior.

The room was empty.

'Seemed like moving into the center of the room should trigger something.'

Ding!

I was not wrong.

Welcome To Cefiro Online

Do you wish to start the game?

While extending my right hand to press the "YES" button, I remembered a qoute from an old facebook post before.

"Happiness is an Inside job"

"Happiness will never come unless you make it happen."

So this is me reaching for my happiness.

This is me doing an inside job.

Inside a pod.

This was me hoping to find happiness

...

...

and possibly earn money to eat 3 meals a day.

Ding!

"Mister Freeman. Is that you?"

☆☆☆☆☆