Relaxation Room

//-ing your lips to part, directing your energy to your jaw, unclenching the muscles there...// [[What's going on?]]

//giving your mouth permission to fall open...// [[Why can't I open my eyes?]]

[[The cool, deep, feminine voice continues to resonate through the room.]]

[[I slowly begin to come to, straying farther and farther from restfulness.]]

[[I try to open my eyes.]] [[I listen to the words floating through the air.]]

//Please refrain from elevating your heart rate.// [[My eyelids are so heavy.]]

//Please unclench your fists. Relax your fingers. Release your shoulders. Relax your body and mind.// [[I should do that. I want to do that.]]

//Let the relaxation take hold...// [[//And allow sleep to claim you once more.//]]

//Thank you once more for your co-operation.// //We are honoured to have you as our client.// //Your contribution has been tremendously valuable.// //Your present biophase pulse value is measured at 450 311 nanowaves.// //Your benefactors will be purged of their sacrificial blood neocells in approximately 27 463 810 more nanowaves.// //Without your help, none of this would be possible.// [[Drop your shoulders. Unclench your jaw. Think of your family. Release your breath.]]

//As your heart rate escalates, the rejuvenation process is stalled.// //At the clinic, we pride ourselves on the services we provide our clients.// //Without your co-operation, this process can become very difficult to complete.// //It is imperative that you remain calm.// //Inhale deeply through your nose...// [[And exhale through my mouth.]] [[Sharply, clenching my fists.]]

//Continue inhaling deeply...// [[I listen to the words floating through the air.]]

//Heart rate deceleration detected.// [[And relax your facial muscles, allow...]]

//An elevated heart rate has been detected.// //The clinic would like to remind clients that frequent breaks are recommended during the BPNR Process, or Biophase Pulse Neocell Regeneration Process.// //As a gentle reminder, this does, however, delay the generation of neocells.// //For your reference, present biophase pulse value is measured at 450 293 nanowaves.// //Your benefactors will be purged of their sacrificial blood neocells in approximately 27 463 828 more nanowaves.// //During this time, you may enjoy the calming stimuli presented for your comfort here in the relaxation chamber.// //For your ease, you need only think one of the following phrases, and the stimulus will be presented to you while you relax.// //Without your help, none of this would be possible.// [[Reassuring Image.]] [[Scenic Seaside Sounds.]] [[Comforting Thermal Sensation.]] [[Refreshing Olfactory Experience.]] [[Sedative Beverage.]] [[Gentle Physical Contact.]] [[Verbal Reassurance.]]

//You have selected to be presented with the Reassuring Image.// //You may slowly open your eyes, as you feel ready do to so.// My eyes do not part easily, but I give myself time to let the eyelids fall away from one another. As they do, they are greeted by a photograph, no, a painting of several people. Looking at them, their eyes and their smiles seem vaguely familiar, but at the same time, completely foreign. Blinking slowly, furrowing my brow, I try to think about who they are, but no concrete memory emerges. Their identities escaping me, like so much fog. //Detecting elevated heart rate.// //Ceasing presentation of Reassuring Image.// //Please select another calming stimulus.// [[Scenic Seaside Sounds.]] [[Comforting Thermal Sensation.]] [[Refreshing Olfactory Experience.]] [[Gentle Physical Contact.]] [[Verbal Reassurance.]]

//Scenic Seaside Sounds Selected.// Eyes still closed, I hear the sound of gentle waves crashing against a shoreline. Distantly, a group of people are talking and laughing, the words just out of earshot to parse directly. A seabird calls from high in the air. The wind, like a gentle sigh, kisses the sand gently before vanishing again. A word from the chattering group breaks me from the reverie. A familiar word, grabbing my attention. My... //Elevated heart rate detected.// The human chatter fades from the audio. The other sounds remain, but for some reason, they no longer bring me comfort. [[Reassuring Image.]] [[Comforting Thermal Sensation.]] [[Refreshing Olfactory Experience.]] [[Gentle Physical Contact.]] [[Verbal Reassurance.]]

//Elevating Relaxation Chamber Temperature.// Noiselessly, instantaneously, the room begins to feel just barely warmer. It is soothing. [[Reassuring Image.]] [[Scenic Seaside Sounds.]] [[Refreshing Olfactory Experience.]] [[Gentle Physical Contact.]] [[Verbal Reassurance.]]

//You have selecgted the Refreshing Olfactory Experience.// As though the voice knew that the air was beginning to feel stifling and dense, a refreshing, cool scent breathes through the room. Freshly cut mint from the garden, a cold, sweet, tangy beverage poured into a chilled glass. A sweet, cool bowl of vanilla ice cream, a floral sachet. I breathe deeper to let the scents fill my lungs. [[Reassuring Image.]] [[Scenic Seaside Sounds.]] [[Comforting Thermal Sensation.]] [[Gentle Physical Contact.]] [[Verbal Reassurance.]]

[[I listen to the words floating through the air.]]

//You have elected for the Sedative Beverage.// Just thinking the words prompts a silicone tube to descend towards my lips from the ceiling, is it a ceiling? //Dispensing beverage in 3, 2, 1...// As the countdown reaches the end, a warm liquid, maybe 1 degree warmer than my own body temperature is dispensed just past my teeth, slow enough to be consumed without choking. Closing my eyes, I suckle the warm and comforting beverage I now recognize to be hot cocoa from the tube, the voice speaks gently once more. //We apologize to our clients once again that we cannot provide a stronger sedative than comfort itself in the relaxation chamber, as it impairs the BPNR process, or Biophase Pulse Neocell Regeneration Process. If you require further relaxation assistance, we are honoured and privileged to offer many other relaxation aides for your benefit.// [[Reassuring Image.]] [[Scenic Seaside Sounds.]] [[Comforting Thermal Sensation.]] [[Refreshing Olfactory Experience.]] [[Gentle Physical Contact.]] [[Verbal Reassurance.]]

//Gentle Physical Contact selected.// Rising from my sides, large weighted sacks begin crawling over my arms, across my torso. I start at first, and sensing the movement, they pull back slightly. As I relax into the sensation, they continue, enveloping my body. Cocooning me, like a reassuring hug. [[Reassuring Image.]] [[Scenic Seaside Sounds.]] [[Comforting Thermal Sensation.]] [[Refreshing Olfactory Experience.]] [[Sedative Beverage.]] [[Verbal Reassurance.]]