The Mind Reader

[Guest guest]

To highlight the problems such mind reading techniques I discussed

in my previous post, could bring to the world, I wrote a science

fiction sexual comedy you could read below.

 

The Mind Reader

 

By Pete

 

 

No invention had a more devastating effect on the life of its

inventor than the mind reading machine. It's ironic that one of the

greatest inventors of all times reaped only ruin from his invention.

 

Jack Mente had only two passions— tinkering, and his beautiful wife,

Sue. He was torn between the two. Both passions always competed for

his time. He felt guilty when he spent the evenings away from her in

his basement laboratory, and he felt guilty when he wasn't working on

the mind reader. He tried more than once to explain his project to

her. On occasion, she sat next to him and watched him work on his

machine, but she never stayed long. She had passions of her own.

 

" Oh my God! Oh my God! "

 

Alarmed, Sue dropped her book, and rushed to the basement. Before

her hand reached the knob, the door at the top of the stairs flew

open and Jack burst into the hall. He was wearing a Chicago Bears

helmet.

 

" I did it. I did it! "

 

" What? It works? "

 

" Yes, Yes. I recorded Lucy's mind. "

 

" You recorded the dog's mind? "

 

" Yeah, here try it. "

 

He took the helmet off and placed it on her head. He adjusted the

dials. Her expression became alert. She looked up, down, sideways.

" I feel nothing. Wait, yeah. " Her hand desperately tried to scratch

her head under her helmet. " What an itch! "

 

Her eyes swung to Jack with an adoring expression. " Oh, my God! She

loves you so much. Wait! She feels you are her mate. Oh no, this is

too much. " She took the helmet off, and gave it to Jack with a

troubled expression.

 

" Isn't that great? " he asked.

 

" I don't know, Jack! I'm scared. "

 

" Honey, this is the greatest invention of all times. This is going to

change the world "

 

" Yes, I don't doubt it, but is it going to be for the best? "

 

" Yes, of course. Honey, once people know how it really feels to be

another, cruelty will be impossible. "

 

" I don't know, Jack. I learned something very troublesome just now. "

" What's that? "

 

She had a pained look on her face. " Our dog loves you more than I

do. "

 

" What? " Now the pained look was on his face.

 

" Her love is purer. Mine is mixed with all kinds of... You know I

love you, but.... "

 

" But what? "

 

" Nothing. Smash that thing to pieces. It's big trouble. "

" No way! I want you to read my mind. I recorded it for you. Go ahead,

put it on. "

 

" No, Jack, I have a bad feeling about this. "

 

" Oh, come on, honey. It's only the technique of building the machine.

I want to see if you can learn it directly from me. Think of it, we

could be multi billionaires in no time. "

 

" Sweetheart, You have been closeted in the basement too long, it's

2098, an orbital condo cost a billion dollars "

 

" Yes, and we want one of those, don't we? It seems the only way to be

safe from crime nowadays. Well, we'll have trillions then. "

 

" Give me that thing back. I won't learn any ungodly secrets, will I? "

" I don't think so. Unless- "

 

" Yes? "

 

" You might discover I love Lucy more than you. "

 

" Oh, Jack, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. "

 

" It's okay. Love can't be measured by mere feelings. What you

detected in Lucy was just that, feelings. Love can only be measured

by how much we are willing to sacrifice for one another. Anyway, I'm

certainly grateful for any love I get. Come on, let's get to work. "

 

He was ecstatic at the depth of her understanding. Sue was amazed.

 

" I understand everything. I feel like a scientist. It's...a new

world! " She hugged and kissed him. " Oh, sweetheart, I never really

knew how great you are. You are a genius. "

 

Jack spent the next few days working on the documents needed to file

a patent request, but Sue's confession about her love for him was a

troublesome distraction. He heard her voice saying that awful

sentence again and again: " Our dog loves you more than I do. "

 

How much did she love him? Did she love him at all? He had said that

it didn't bother him, but it bothered him, a lot! It robbed him of

all the joy he felt for his success. It kept him awake for hours. He

knew he should forget it, that nothing good would come from pressing

the issue, but he was powerless to stop. He just had to know.

 

" Let's make love, " he said

 

" Now? "

 

They just had finished dinner and she was washing the dishes.

 

" Yeah! I'm in the mood, aren't you? "

 

She put the dish down and gave him a searching look. " You had this

planned, didn't you? Flowers, champagne, ordering out? Okay, let's

go. "

 

On entering the bedroom she stopped and grabbed his arm. " What's that

doing there? "

 

The Chicago's Bear helmet was on her pillow.

" I want you to wear it. "

 

" While we're doing it? "

 

" Yeah, I'm curious to know how sex feels to a woman. Aren't you

curious to know a man's feelings? "

 

" Yes, that's true. You wear it then! " she said

 

" Alright, I'll wear it first, but you're next. Okay? "

 

" Okay, " she said

 

After they both took turns wearing the mind reader, they lay in

silence staring at the ceiling. She was still wearing the

helmet. " Set the dials to read. I want to be first to read. "

 

" No way. I was first to record and I'll be the first to read, " said

Jack.

 

After he finished reading, he took the helmet off with a worried

expression and, leaning on one elbow, stared at her.

 

" What? " she asked, blushing.

 

" You didn't come. "

 

" How could I, wearing this? It weighs twenty pounds, for Heaven's

sake! " She picked up the helmet and waved it in his face.

 

" I did. "

 

" Ha! You're used to it. You probably wear it on the toilet! " She

threw the helmet against the wall. She turned away and turned off the

lamp. Five minutes later she was asleep. He hated it; it was as if

she didn't care. He stayed awake for hours. He reviewed every detail,

every word.

 

Had she ever had an orgasm with him? He had never doubted it, but

now, how could he be sure? Women were good at faking. His first wife

even tried to fake virginity. She waited till the end of her period

when her bleeding was light to have sex with him. She put on a big

show of how much it hurt, but it didn't fool him. Her name was

America, but he wasn't Columbus. He felt Hernan Cortez and his

conquistadors had gone up that road before him. He let her believe

she had fooled him because it was important to her and he couldn't

care less.

 

Next morning neither Sue nor he mentioned the previous night's

fiasco. Both kept sullenly silent and he left for work without

kissing her. As soon as he left she put the helmet on and read his

part of the recording.

 

She was astonished. It was incredible. It was as if she were he. She

could feel the pleasure her body gave him. She never imagined sex

could be like that. Her pleasure seemed shallow and pale compared to

his wild surges of ecstasies. She wondered about her own body its

power to give pleasure, its beauty as seen through his eyes.

She could see herself naked under him. She took her nightgown off

and touched every part of her body he had touched and it was as if

she had become them both. She felt his orgasm and hers blending in

her head. It was the greatest she ever had. She felt sure it was the

greatest anyone ever had. Just to make sure she tried it again.

Wow! She felt exhausted, but never happier. Sue decided to call him

and share her happiness, but hung up before he answered. It would be

better to tell him face to face. Or would it? He certainly would

notice that she never felt that way with him. That knowledge would

further wound his ego. He would ask questions for which she had no

answers. She honestly didn't know why her pleasure in lovemaking had

always been so shallow. She thought that was the way with everyone.

When some of her girlfriends boasted about how good it had felt last

night, she thought it was only bragging and exaggeration.

 

Jack's male ego was slow to mend. Despite her attempts to pretend

everything was normal, he remained cool and distant all week. Sue

used the machine every day, sometimes two or three times a day. Each

time, she discovered new feelings, new nuances in Jack's recording.

Sue now viewed herself from his perspective. Her own body became

alien— an object of desire. A week passed in this way and then, one

day, when she put the helmet on nothing happened. He had erased the

recording. She was almost frantic with despair and at the same time

shocked by her addiction. What did this mean? Was she some kind of

pervert? She must ask him to wear the helmet again.

 

That evening Sue went down to the basement. He was surprised to see

her and gave her an inquisitive stare.

 

" Let's try it again. "

 

" You want to wear the helmet? " he asked

 

" Yeah, both of us, like we did last time, " she answered looking at

the floor.

 

" I don't think so. "

 

" Why not? " She asked.

 

" It was a mistake. "

 

" Please? "

 

" No, I'll never wear it again for sex, " he answered.

 

Anger flashed in her eyes. " Fine, suit yourself. Let's don't make

love again, period. "

 

She went up the stairs and slammed the door at the top. Jack felt

guilty. Why was a smart guy like him so inept with people? He knew

next to nothing about women.

 

Next morning, Jack sat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee.

The early morning sun shone cheerfully on the floor tiles. Sue came

down from the bedroom and sat across from him. " Good morning, " she

said.

 

From behind the newspaper he said good morning. After a few minutes

of silence, he sensed something wrong and lowered the paper. She had

not bothered to pour herself a cup of coffee. She sat staring at the

wall with a dejected look on her face. For the first time since the

mind reader's incident his resentment melted and he felt great

compassion for her. His feelings of love returned like a tidal wave.

He understood how unfair he had been with her and felt remorse. " Oh,

Sue, I'm so sorry! I behaved like an ass. "

 

She looked at him with what Jack thought was the must pathetic,

saddest look he had ever seen. He was about to apologize again when

she blurted out, " I want a divorce. "

 

" What! " He hastily placed his mug on the table.

 

" I want a divorce, " she repeated in a firmer tone.

 

" Why? Oh for Heaven's sake! I admit I was a jerk, but... "

 

" I want a sex change. " Her face had a dejected look.

 

" Oh, please, be serious! Is there another man? " He gave her a

searching look.

 

" Didn't you hear me? That's your problem, you only hear what you

want to hear. Would I want a sex change, if it were a man? "

 

" You mean there's a woman? " He looked at her open mouthed.

 

" Noo! Well, there is a man, you. I want to be you. I don't know,

Jack. I was perfectly happy until you invented that dammed machine.

Sure, my sex life wasn't that great, but you can't miss what you

don't know. Can you? Now, I know, and I can't un-learn what I know. I

see that what you feel is a lot better than what I feel as a woman. "

 

" Sue, you're making a big mistake. All men don't experience the same

pleasure that I do. I don't feel the same with other women. I don't

have that level of pleasure with you all the time, either. I was in

high spirits because of my success. I felt like a pioneer, I felt

like I was seeing you for the first time. I don't know why but,

believe me, I don't feel that way every time. " He looked at his watch.

 

" You are not leaving for work in the middle of the most important

talk of our lives, are you? "

 

He gave her a guilty look. " No, of course not, it's just a habit. "

 

" Yeah, right! "

 

" Sue, you can't make such an important decision on the basis of one

experience. You can't assume all men feel the way I feel. You can't

assume all women feel the way you feel. Generally women feel more

sexual pleasure than men. Maybe all you need is to see a sexual

dysfunction therapist. "

 

" Oh, don't give me that crap. How could anyone have known the

difference before you invented the mind reader? And I don't need a

therapist, I need a lawyer. "

 

Jack reddened with anger. He stood up. " We'll talk later. I need to

think. I'm going for a walk. " He hurried to the door as if the house

was on fire. Outside, he stood on the sidewalk unable to decide which

way to go. A sense of utter doom paralyzed his will. He was about to

lose everything he cherished, not only his wife, but his invention as

well, for how could he, with a clear conscience unleash such machine

on the world? He was about to throw open the flood gates that

protected people from the slush that festered in the insane, the

criminal and even the normal mind. If such a simple experiment as to

experience your spouse's sexual pleasure resulted in this debacle,

what could he expect when more dangerous behaviors were explored? He

must destroy the mind reader, but not before he used it again to save

Sue.

 

Losing her was painful enough, but Sue getting a sex change was too

humiliating. How could he tell his parents? He could hear the jokes

and laughter of those who envied his talent.

He realized he had been walking for some time. Jack looked around

disoriented. Where was he?

 

Sue was still sitting at the table drinking coffee, when he walked

in. Jack looked embarrassed. He said her name twice and fell silent.

She took his hand and squeezed it.

 

" Sue, I think you should sleep with another man before you decide

anything. We could ask him to wear the helmet, so you could get a

better idea of how sex feels to men. "

 

She let go of his hand. " And how do you propose I find that man?

Shall I walk into a tavern and ask a stranger? Hey, you want to wear

this while we… you know… do it? "

 

" No Sue, I'll ask Greg. "

 

" You'll ask your best friend to screw me? "

 

" Well, he isn't my best friend any longer. I haven't seen him for a

while. He confessed to me he had a crush on you. "

 

" Greg? On me, really? "

 

" Yeah. "

 

" That's funny! "

 

" Why? "

 

" Well, he's so shy. Does he have a girlfriend? "

 

" No, not that I know of, but that's my point, you will see all men

don't feel alike. You, as a man, will still be you, and your feelings

won't be any deeper. It's your mind, not your body that needs to

change. Will you give it a try, please? "

 

" I don't know. Oh, God, I'm so confused! "

 

" Please! "

 

" All right! Now, leave me alone! " She said, rushing upstairs.

For Jack the next three days were among the most painful of his life.

Being the go-between for Greg and Sue, he felt sometimes like a

diplomat clearing objections and misunderstandings and sometimes

like a pimp. Now, finally, she had left for Greg's apartment carrying

the helmet in a shopping bag. He was sitting in his living room. The

setting sun cast a reddish glow. Only a few minutes had gone by and

he was already listening for the sound of the garage door opening.

He hoped that she would change her mind, and at the same time, that

she would go through with it.

 

Jack went to the bar and poured a drink. He turned on the TV. In a

few minutes, he turned it off, and then played the stereo. A few

moments later he picked up a book, just to put it down again after

reading a page. Hours passed. He began eyeing the phone. He was

getting drunk. Should he call Greg's apartment? That would be too

humiliating, he concluded. He poured the rest of the bottle of brandy

in his glass. Half an hour later he passed out. At four o'clock in

the morning, he woke up and staggered to bed. Sue wasn't there. He

woke up again at eleven a.m. and called the apartment. No one

answered.

 

An hour later, he tried again without results. He had the worst

feeling about this. Something unforeseen, terrible had happened. Why

were people so unpredictable? He hated dealing with them. It would

have been better if he had stuck to science, and remained single,

cloistered in his basement like a monk. He smiled at this thought,

but then his mind turned gloomy again. Could she be dead?

He drove to Greg's building. No one answered the intercom. He stood

by the outer door not knowing what to do next. Should he call the

police? What could he tell them? I arranged a date between my wife

and a friend and they are not answering the phone?

 

A man pushed past him and opened the front door by placing his eye in

front of the pupil reader. Jack snuck in behind him and took the

elevator. He knocked on the door and waited. Nothing. He placed his

ear against the door not a sound. He pounded the wood. " Sue, Greg! "

He yelled. He kept pounding.

 

The door of the next apartment opened. An old man stuck his head

out. " Hey, stop that! What's going on, anyway? Last night I couldn't

go to sleep with this woman yelling. `Oh, Greg, oh, Greg!' And now,

you… go away. " He slammed the door.

 

Jack face was burning. Humiliated and hurt he walked away.

On the third day, she called.

 

" Where are you? " he asked.

 

" Florida. "

" What are you doing in Florida? "

 

" I'm here with Greg. We are flying back tomorrow. I'll be by in the

evening to bring the mind reader and pick up my clothes. "

 

" What in the world is going on? "

 

" I'm moving in with Greg. We fell in love. " He hung up.

 

" Ain't that a bitch? Try to help people and what happens? " He

muttered.

 

That evening, as soon as she gave him the helmet, he took it to the

basement and smashed it to pieces. He erased all documents concerning

the mind reader from his computer. He would not let such diabolical

machine wreak ruin in the world.

 

Sue married Greg, and a year later she filed papers to obtain a

patent for the mind reader. Jack sued her and the commercial use of

the machine was tied up in the courts for years. Five years later

when the case reached the World Supreme Court, Jack disappeared.

His brother found a typed letter in his basement that read he had

invented a time machine and was traveling back in time to the year

2096 to stop himself from inventing the mind reader. The letter

wasn't signed and his brother turned it over to the police. The

police treated the disappearance as a missing person case.

 

Later when scientists at MIT declared that it was impossible to

construct a traveling machine with the data gathered at Jack's

basement, the police questioned Sue and Greg on suspicion of murder,

but no charges were ever filed. Five years after his disappearance,

Jack was declared dead. Sue and Jack's brothers reached a settlement.

 

The mind reader finally went into production ten years after its

invention. It's not rare for a creator to have second thoughts about

his creation, and even, on occasion, to try to banish his creation.

In the case of the mind reader, the creator lost the match.

 

Pete