[ WP ] Holding your breath , you tap the softly glowing light . At your touch , it flashes , and the darkness begins to disappear .

Year: 2100 
 
 Breath. 
 
 Twitch. 
 
 Breath. 
 
 Awareness. 
 
 A Touch. Time to wake, it said. 
 
 I scratch something, somewhere, on the Mass of Great Demands. That's what I used to think my body was, before. 
 
 Another Touch. Time to dress, it said. All I knew of it are the soft textures, the drag on my skin, the warm, sweet smell. 
 
 Another Touch. Time to move through the great void, it said. I cling to something that moves. I move with it. There are things that do n't move out there. Things that hurt when I do n't stop. 
 
 Cold air swirls around me. I smell the unknowable things beyond, sharp and sweet and warm and oily, all mixed together. A handful of steps, and a touch on my head. Sit, it said. 
 
 Vibrations, I feel them in the centre of my being. I am swayed back and forth, gently. I feel a breeze blowing on my face. I turn my face towards it. 
 
 The vibrations stop. Cold air swirls around me again. A few steps, and the air becomes warmer, and stiller. I wrinkle my nose at the smell... sharp and harsh and wrong. I know that smell. It means pokes and prods and unfamiliar hands. I resist, pulling back against the hands. 
 
 A soft touch in my face; comfort, reassurance. A squeeze in my hand. Another tug forward. I follow, but not before delivering a protesting nudge. 
 
 A long time of steps, and a touch on my head again. Sit. 
 
 I obey, tensing for the inevitable prods and buffets, strange things stuck to my face and ears. I fidget with them, and rough, cold hands soothe me. 
 
 Then something happened that was new. Something I did not recognise. Could not recognise. I discovered later that it was a light. 
 
 This strange apparition floated before me. There was nothing for it. Holding my breath, I reached out and tapped the softly glowing light, it flashed, and slowly the darkness began to disappear. 
 
 It was all a bit of a blur after that. Neurological and sensory overload, apparently. I was told later - many, many times - that the first thing I heard was this: 
 
 `` Auditory and visual systems online. Procedure successful. Well done everyone.'' 
 
 If I try very hard, I think I remember my mother in the surgery, smiling down at me. 

