Fabricated Happiness

Meet Bob. Bob is your everyday average joe living every day in perfect bliss and happiness. Each morning Bob wakes up at 7 AM, heads to the bathroom to take a hot shower, uses the toilet, and brushes his teeth. He does this quickly and with a dreamy smile on his face. His studio apartment is divided into two parts with a bathroom off to the side. In one part is the kitchen and dining room area, with black and white marble tiles decorating the kitchen and dining room floor, and a small square wooden table sitting off to the side with two matching chairs. On the other side lies the living room and bedroom with a wood floor, a king size bed, a rectangular gray floor mat with a coffee table on top and a TV mounted on the wall. At 7:45, Bobs returns to his living room and takes a moment to let his feet adjust to the cold, hardwood floor. He looks around at the red brick walls that surround his apartment with their rustic designs. Bob makes coffee and breakfast (2 eggs, a piece of toast, and 2 pieces of bacon), eats his food and drinks his coffee. By 8:30, Bob is out the door to go for his morning walk to work. This walk is the same every day and has been since he first moved to Redwood Falls. Bob walks down the street, makes a left, and after a block or so, he veers off to the right, crosses the street and enters Redwood Central Park. This shortcut will shave about 10 minutes of walking, and as a nice bonus to Bob, provides a scenic route for traveling. The path he takes is a long winding concrete trail. The concrete is smooth, bright white and free from imperfections. The grass is a vibrant green and cut short, and the flowers range from Violets to Marigolds to Tulips, Roses, and even Azaleas. Dotted throughout the park are a combination of large Redwood trees, tall Oak trees, and small, perfectly trimmed bushes. Blue, white, and yellow butterflies float about and a chorus of honeybees brought happiness to Bob and gave him a great morale boost. Soon, Bob leaves the park, crosses the street, and enters the city. The city is alive with happy, cheery people, and clean, friendly stray dogs and cats roam freely about the city. There are vehicles that run on clean fuel and there is no smoke or smog. The buildings and skyscrapers shine like they’ve never seen dirt or bacteria, and every citizen walks around with a smile.

There is no violence or crime to be seen and everyone in the bustling city greets Bob with a pleasant smile and a friendly good morning. The sidewalk is a smooth white, with the lines normally etched into them missing, and the roads are a glossy, clean black with electric yellow lines painted on them. The pigeons flutter about, which for Bob, is joyous and warm. By the time Bob arrives at work, it is 8:55 AM. He stands before the large archaic, gothic arch with stone steps leading up to a large, light brown oak door with cast iron knockers on the front and silver handles for the doorknobs. He walks up the steps and enters the large gothic building. Bob works at a temp agency called Redwood Temp where he manages clients, sets up dates and times for interviews, and does paperwork that accompanies his office duties. He receives over 3 dozen phone calls and works from 9 to 5 every day, 5 days a week, with Saturdays and Sundays being his, and his fellow coworkers’ days off. At the end of the day, a buzzer sounds off and Bob and his coworkers head to a local watering hole. This is not something that they do often, but when they do, they all go together. There, they drink the freshest, cleanest, and best beers you’ll ever find. The bartender is a thin man wearing white gloves and a classic bartender attire including a white dress shirt and vest, and round rimmed glasses. The bartender smiles while he cleans some glasses, nodding his head to Bob’s friend Harry’s story from the night before. The men laugh, the women giggle, and soon it is 9 PM. Everyone is drunk and full, and as the patrons all leave the bartender smiles and waves goodbye. Then he adjusts his bifocals and stares at a patron who passed out in the booth in the corner of the bar. The man looks rather odd compared to the black and white suits and stylish dresses and outfits. His dark gray jacket is covered in dirt and holes are riddled with burn marks on his sleeves. None of the patrons noticed the person despite him being there before they came in. All except Bob. Bob, who normally doesn’t pay attention to his surroundings, got a glimpse of the passed-out man moments before last call. Bob would question and wonder who the man was, why he was there, and why his clothes were the way they were. The only thing missing from the man were cartoon stink lines above his head. Everyone in Redwood Falls was clean and happy, so what happened to that guy? Nevertheless, Bob would soon forget these questions when the bartender called for the last call, and moments later would be ushered out the door by his coworkers, finding himself back home by 9:30. Bob drunkenly enters his home, stumbles down the hall, and falls onto his bed. He lays there a moment before sitting up to loosen his tie and altogether take off his clothes until he’s left sitting in the dark in his boxers. A drunken smile can be seen on Bob’s face in the moonlight. He murmurs something about it being a good day and falls asleep without getting underneath the blankets. It is only 10.

Bob will sleep peacefully for the next 9 hours, and at 7 AM, his day begins again. Same routine, different day. At least that’s what one would assume. The next day Bob wakes up at his usual time, does his usual routine, and then walks to work. It’s another beautiful day with the temperature being a cool 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Bob smiles and waves at other passersby and arrives at work right on time. While sitting at his desk, Bob realizes that he is the only one there. Confused, Bob looks around and wonders where everyone could be. A moment passes before Bob receives his first phone call of the day. Shaking away his thoughts, he eagerly picks up the phone and answers it.

“Hello, this is Bob from Redwood Temp, how may I direct your call this lovely morning?"

For a brief moment, all he can hear is soft static, followed by the sound of someone breathing into the phone. He pulls the phone away and stares at it. Shrugging, Bob puts the phone back to his ear and listens for a few more seconds.

“H-hello? Is anyone there?”

Another minute of breathing goes by before a gruff, garbled voice replies, “Everything you know is a lie…”

Bob squints his eyes, confused and says, “Um, I’m sorry sir, I don’t know what you mean. Can you explain?”

“You need to get out.”

“E-excuse me?”

“GET OUT, GET OUT! You need to get out!” the voice screamed.

Now terrified, Bob slams the phone down, hanging up on the mysterious stranger. He is breathless for the moment but regains his composure when his coworker Harry taps his shoulder. The two talk and soon Bob forgets all about the phone call. All his coworkers have arrived and are at their desks, answering phones calls, typing on their computers, and stapling some paperwork. He feels at ease again. The rest of the day goes by as normal, except Bob decides to go home instead of going to the bar with his coworkers. He falls asleep at 9 that night. The next two days go by like normal, however, on the third day, Bob would walk into work and find a new employee waiting in the main lobby. Puzzled, he unintentionally stares at the new coworker, and recognizes him from the bar. The man is no longer dirty and is dressed in a neatly and freshly pressed suit with a plain red tie. He is freshly shaven, his hair is slicked back with hair products, and his dress shoes shined in the building’s lights. The man sees Bob, smiles, and waves hello at him.

“Hello there sir! Do you work here as well?” The man asks.

“U-uh yeah, Yes I do,” Bob begins, caught off guard. “I can see that you’re new here, do you want a tour or something?”

The man smiles again and extends his hand out for a handshake.

“I’m so sorry, where are my manners?” The man says sheepishly. “My name is John; may I ask what your name is?”

Bob is jarred by how polite and different the man is compared to the dirty, drunken mess he saw a few days prior. Was it really the same guy? Shaking the thoughts away, he extends his hand out and shakes John’s hand.

“Its nice to meet you John, my name is Bob…” Bob starts to say but stops when he finds he cannot remember his last name. When he realizes this, he furrows his brow, however, John doesn’t seem to care or even notice.

“It’s good to meet you Bob! I look forward to working with you. I’ll see you around Bob.”

With that, John walks away, seemingly already knowing the layout of the office.

“W-Wait! Did you need a…” Bob calls out but trails off when he sees John sit at a desk. He decides not to think about this and goes off to his desk to work. Bob would find this task to be more difficult than he thought, for he would continue to wonder why he couldn’t remember his last name. He had a last name when he first came to Redwood Falls 10 years ago, but for some reason he can’t remember what it was. This thought would pester Bob continuously until over the course of a week, he would go around the office asking his coworkers if they remembered their last names. The responses were scattered. Some said that they too could not remember their last names, while others would say that they never had a last name to begin with. A nice elderly couple said their last names were a series of numbers, and 2 people had no idea what a last name even was. Bob noticed that the older coworkers couldn’t remember their last names, while the younger employees in the age range of 18 to 24 had no idea what last names were. Bob would even go as far as to ask the bartender, to which the bartender simply ignored altogether. After a week, John had already assimilated to work life with a smile on his face. Bob would be the only one not happy. He stares at his coworkers, mumbling things like, “How can they all be so happy?” and “Does no one care that they have no last names?” and even “Why do I care?”

Bob sits with a frown on his face, contemplating his life at Redwood Falls. He thinks about the past 10 years, and about how happy he was. He thinks about the day he arrived, but finds that he cannot remember how he got there, nor can he recall why he came in the first place. His thoughts wouldn’t get very far. Bob is interrupted by a phone call. He stares at it a moment and lets it ring thrice, debating whether to pick it up. It rings two more times before Bob picks up the phone with bluster.

“H-Hello?”

Bob is met with silence.

“Hey! Answer me! Stop with this silent shit!” Bob yells, somehow not alerting the others.

Another moment of silence. Bob’s already upset face contorts into anger, and he takes the phone away from his ear to hang up when he hears a familiar gruff voice come through.

“I’m here. Tell me, do you understand yet?” The voice asks.

“Understand what? Do you know something!?” Bob responds.

“Why don’t we have last names? Why are we all so happy? This utopia feels more like a prison! I can’t remember how I got here, please! What do you know? Who was I before this?”

The voice is silent again for a long while. Bob is left breathing hard, but patiently waiting for some sort of response. He looks around the office and sees his coworkers busy at work. A moment passes before the voice speaks again.

“Leave the city… Now…”

“W-What?”

“Leave the city… There’s only one exit. Head out of the building and take the park back to your house. Once there, keep going down Baker Street until you reach the end of the road. After that, you’ll see a traffic light with an orange light instead of red. Inspect the streetlight next to it and look for a small button. The button will be blended in with the design of the lamp pole, but once you locate it, push it. The exit will open, but only for 5 seconds; if you fail to leave before it closes, you will be trapped forever. You’ll get your answers then. But be warned: once you leave, you can NEVER return to Redwood Falls…”

“Wait a minute, why are-” Bob tries to say, but his words fall on deaf ears and the phone clicks off. Bob is silent a moment, the dial tone beeping in his ear. Setting the phone down, Bob debates on whether he should go or not. He thinks for a long while. It was a question of how much, how badly, did he want to know the truth? Was he better off just leaving things be, and continuing to live in ignorant bliss? Or would the truth legitimately set him free? So many things to think about, so many lies, Bob thought. He rubbed his eyes and set his head down. The darkness of his eyelids comforted him, and a moment later his head popped back up. His eyes seethed with a cool determination. It was now or never, and Bob decided that he wouldn’t miss this chance, even if he can never return. He needed to know.

Bob stood up from his desk, and silently stepped out of the building. No one noticed him leave, and that was fine. Walking down the stone steps, he thought about his choice, his decision to leave. Even when he entered the park, Bob would keep telling himself that this was the right move. He stared at the Violets, Marigolds, Tulips, Roses, and even the Azaleas, knowing that once he left he would never see them again. The butterflies floated about the park, mimicking the feeling in his stomach. A smile spread across his face. His final walk in the park brought about a euphoric feeling in Bob’s mind, and soon Bob is back at his house. A final pit stop, his last visit, Bob would stand before his apartment complex, taking in the view. The bricked building stood 12 stories tall, with Bob’s apartment being the four windows on the left side of the 6th floor. Bob stared through his window, looking inside at his furniture and clothes. In the end, Bob went inside the complex one more time, saying goodbye to the place he once called home. He looks at his coffee table littered with coasters and sits down on his couch. The rays of the mid-afternoon sun hit his face, illuminating his emerald green eyes. Bathing in the calm atmosphere of his dwelling, Bob feels revitalized, and more confident. He inhales slowly and stands up. Before he leaves the apartment, Bob goes into his closet and looks for a T-shirt to change into. Once he finds a plain black one, he takes off his white dress shirt and tosses it on the floor; there’d be no need to be tidy once he leaves. With that, Bob grabs a snack from his fridge, eats it in a few bites, and walks out the door and out onto Baker Street. At the end of the road, Bob sees the traffic light with the orange light instead of red and runs over to it. He locates the lamp post across the street and begins to feel around the pole. Several seconds pass before Bob realizes that the button is at the base of the lamp, located in the grooves of the bottom. He pushes the rectangular indent, and a soft warble sound enters Bob’s ears. On the edge of the sidewalk where Bob stands, a hole in the scenery opens up, revealing something that made Bob freeze.

Through the hole, Bob could see the outside world: the trees and plants were all dead, and the ground was a brown wasteland. In the distance, ruined cities could be seen with a nasty smog hovering over the skyline. Small fires littered the area, and the bones of various animals can be seen in piles. The trees that remain appear scorched and have no leaves. The sky is painted a smoky red, and the clouds that appear above are a dirty brown. It looks like a perpetual storm covers the land, and a silver lightning bolt strikes a distant tree, igniting it in a fiery blaze. Bob can see all this through this man-sized hole. It was now or never, and Bob hesitated. The truth was in front of him, and he had seen the outside world. The question now was, was Bob satisfied with this answer? Or would he hunger for more? Ultimately, Bob would wipe his brow, and with a determined look on his face, he entered the hole and walked out into the apocalyptic landscape. A second later, the hole closed up with another warble and some mechanical whirs. Bob spun around to look at the city but would be met with a metal dome-like structure. It was smooth, and looked too perfect to be man-made, almost like the dome had been weathered down. He placed his hand on the side of it and made his peace. He was already outside, and there was no going back. Another crack of lightning and thunder resounded around Bob, causing him to jump slightly. There’d be no more debating, only action. Finding his confidence, he walked forward into the wasteland. The wind howled, blowing around dust and debris. Scanning the land, Bob took in the scenery.

There was a forest in the near distance, in front of the burning cities. Every tree was either scorched or dry with no leaves or color. A bone cracked beneath Bob’s foot, and another gust of wind whipped the twigs and dirt into his face. A bit got in his mouth making him spit and sputter, but Bob would continue forward with unease. This couldn’t be it, could it? Bob’s mind swirled with chaos and broken thoughts; he kept thinking about this world. What happened here? Where did everyone go? Are we the last people? Bob couldn’t be sure, and instead of finding answers, he was left with more questions. There had to be something more, anything. Soon Bob would enter the dead forest, having little trouble navigating through. Twigs, and more small bones lay on the ground, laying a thick blanket of crunchy foliage on the ground. It wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t warm. The climate, Bob noticed, was eerily tame. The lightning continued above, and struck a tree close to Bob, immediately igniting it. Oddly enough, the fire would not spread. Bob watched the flames turn into a bright green color before extinguishing themselves. He gathered his thoughts and pressed forward. This world that Bob found himself in was in utter ruin, and he could find no sign of life. He traveled for an hour, passing by dead animals, burnt up trees, and various holes in the ground until finally Bob arrives at the end of the forest. There is a path in front of him, and he walks down it to an open field with a horrific discovery.

The forest surrounds the seemingly man-made circle of dirt and bones. The bones are not animal bones. Instead, Bob finds the remains of several humans from the past. Some are older than others, and some are relatively fresh. He falls back in horror, a dust cloud forming with the impact. Bob screams, terrified, but with no where to go. Sweat drips down his face, and his once composed face is now contorted into one of pure horror. There is no going back. Redwood Falls was the only safe place, and now Bob’s mind is in chaos. Desperate, and confused, he stands back up and kicks one of the skeletons’ ribcages. He screams in both horror and anger, and in his rage, the once normal man known as Bob, picks up one of the skulls and throws it at the forest ahead of him. The panic has set it, and when the skull exploded upon impact, Bob only became more erratic. He stares at the forest, wondering what happened, and then approaches the circle’s edge. A warbling sound can be heard, along with soft sounds of mechanized whirring. Bob extends his hand out to touch the forest but is met with an invisible wall. This moment is the trigger, and soon Bob watches while the forest around him morphs into a four-wall metal building. The trees became walls, and the sky became a metal ceiling with headlights hanging above. Bob was now inside what looked like a lab, and in front of him was a metal door with a zigzag line going down the middle. He looks behind him to see a wall with mathematical equations on it, and in the center, another door with a zigzag down the middle.

What is going on? What just happened? Bob is confused, and scared. And then the door in front of him opens up. A man dressed in a black suit walks in, and Bob takes a step back. The suited man is wearing dark sunglasses, an all-black suit with a blue tie, white dress shirt, and black dress shoes. The man is young looking, and he has a large smile on his face.

“Welcome, Bob! Congratulations! You did it!” the man says, clapping.

A distraught Bob screams his question at the man, “Who are you? What the hell is going on here!”

The man chuckles and stops clapping.

“Where are my manners? My name is Agent Smith. I know, pretty generic last name right? You know about those right?”

“W-what? So… I do have a last name… What do you know? Is my name really Bob?”

“Yes, your name is indeed Bob. If you’re asking about your last name, I’ll tell you what it is. It is Parker. Not that it matters though… you see, this whole situation you got going on here?” The man gestures at Bob, “It ain’t gonna fly here. My job is damage control. Do you know why that is, Bob?”

Bob shakes his head no, his face drenched in sweat.

“I’ll tell you Bob, but only because it won’t matter if you know or not. Call it a… parting gift from me.” The man says.

He walks forward, causing Bob to walk backwards into the wall behind him.

“Redwood Falls is an energy production company. We provide reliable, high-quality energy, and then we sell it to companies for large sums of money. You’re not in an apocalyptic world at all. In fact, the real world is fine! 2134 is a great year for us too! In fact, it’s only been one full year since you came to us! The science is oh so very interesting.”

“I don’t understand, I-” Bob tries to say, but he’s cut off by excruciating pain spreading throughout his body. A loud, high-pitched whine echoes throughout Bob’s ears.

“This whole place, and that dome over there, is all made by nanotechnology manufactured by us! You wanna know what we use as material? It’s completely organic.” Agent Smith asks in a sing-song voice.

Bob cannot answer. His body contorts and writhes in pain, and his skin begins to slowly erode off his body. Mechanized whirring echoes in the lab, and Bob can feel his body’s cells be broken down. He screams in agony while tiny robots tear apart his flesh and his organs. His organic matter slowly breaks down until finally his vocal chords are eradicated, followed by his brain. There is a liquid crunch at the end of the process, and there is no blood or guts to clean up. Bob, who was once your everyday average joe, is now gone. Agent Smith turns to look at the floating nano-camera in the corner and waves.

“The failsafe measure demonstration has been completed. We here at Redwood Energy would like to thank you for watching. Feel free to grab a brochure or pamphlet on your way out the door and remember! Happiness is the most abundant resource there is! Cause here at Redwood Energy, your happiness, is the future of energy.”