t was a warm, October day on the North American Prairie somewhere in the Dakotas. The sun was directly above, the breezes light, and nary a cloud in sight. She remembered visiting the nearby city of Fargo some 600 years ago, and it was vastly colder. Back then, the locals claimed they had 2 seasons: July and Winter. That wasn’t a gross exaggeration, but a reflection of the time when Earth was going through a mini-ice age.
Pumpkin took GoSpeed by the hand and walked her off the hospital campus into the adjacent town’s pedestrian-friendly streets. A couple of blocks down the nearly empty sidewalk of a residential neighborhood, they found themselves at a small, cozy diner. An old-fashioned, metal android greeted them at the entrance and escorted them to a private booth. After the droid left, a cat jumped up on the table and “spoke”.
“Welcome to the Blue Wind cafe. I am Cavey Stamps, your waiter,” said a delightful male voice through a speaker on its collar.
GoSpeed raised a brow. She had recollections of talking cats, but her mind was foggy as to whether they were real cats or androids. She was favoring the android answer because cats had such tiny heads.
“I’ll have the regular,” said Pumpkin.
Cavey turned to GoSpeed and tilted his head.
GoSpeed looked up from the menu, not sure what to order. “Um, I don’t know. Something made from cows?”
Pumpkin giggled, and Cavey approximated a smile with his cat face. All GoSpeed could do was shrug.
“How about Thinsteak, toast, and hashbrowns?” suggested Cavey.
“Sure, why not? And some orange juice, please?”
Cavey nodded. “Anything else, ladies?” They shook their heads. “Fine. The food will be ready in five minutes. If you need anything else, wave me or Porter down.” Cavey deftly leaped from the table and walked back to the kitchen.
“I seem to recall owning a cat like that, but it wasn’t a real cat.”
“Oh, they make great companions!” said Pumpkin. “I owned one in my previous incarnation. Her name was Ivy McScruffins. A tabby cat.”
“Now I remember you better. You were different, much different.” GoSpeed thought hard, and it came to her. “You had a mechanical body, and you looked just like a cartoon. Round face, synthetic skin, and huge eyes. You’re a biont now.”
“Guilty as charged! I was offered the chance to go “soft” and have a more human appearance. I left show business, went to school, and now I am a medical professional. Not bad for 50 years in a soft shell, eh?”
“No, not bad at all,” GoSpeed admitted. Pumpkin’s proportions were certainly more normal, and she looked darn good. A flood of memories came back to her of other beings like Pumpkin, like herself, talking cats, dogs, and primates. Her head began to spin, and she lay her head into her hands.
Pumpkin put her hand on her shoulder and comforted her. “Relax. It’s normal to get these spells as old memories surface. Oh, look, the food is here!”
Porter, the android, placed the food and drink on the table and departed. She inhaled deeply and felt her mouth salivate. “Yes, food will boost my energy,” she thought. Smiling, she grabbed her utensils and attacked her food.
GoSpeed Rasere, a Virtual World Avatar 