0:00 I woke up very early that morning. The light from the sun came slowly through the white curtains in our room. The room was quiet and soft. I opened my eyes and looked around. Evelyn was still sleeping beside me. She looked peaceful and calm. For a moment, I did not move. Something felt strange, but I did not know why. I looked at my watch. It was 7:30. I sat up in bed and stared at the watch again. 7:30. That was strange. Very strange. Evelyn and I always woke up at 9:00 every day. Not sometimes. Not often. Always. I tried to remember a different
0:47 morning, but I could not. I could not remember waking up before 9:00. Not once. I slowly got out of bed so I would not wake Evelyn. She did not move at all. Her breathing was slow and steady. I walked quietly across the room and opened the curtains. Bright sunlight filled the room. Outside, the city looked calm and beautiful. Tall buildings stood in the warm morning light. But something was missing. There were no people outside. No one was walking. No one was talking. No cars were moving. The streets looked empty and silent like a picture in a book. I stood there for a long moment
1:33 and watched. Then I dressed quickly and sat down on a chair near the window. I put my hands together and tried to think, "Why did everyone wake up at exactly 9? Why did I never wake up earlier? Why did the streets look so empty?" My head felt heavy when I tried to think about these questions. It was like pushing a door that did not want to open. So I sat there and waited. Time passed slowly. 2 hours later, Evelyn opened her eyes. She turned her head and looked at me. I was still sitting in the chair. "Patrick, what are you doing?" she asked. "I woke up early," I said.
2:19 She looked confused. "Early?" she repeated. The word sounded strange when she said it. Then she looked at me carefully. Patrick, is something wrong? Wrong? I said, "No, nothing is wrong. I just woke up early today." Evelyn sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. She looked thoughtful for a moment, as if she was trying to remember something. Then she stood up and started to dress. After a minute, she smiled at me. It's time for breakfast, she said. Come on, we must not be late. I opened my mouth to ask a question. Why must we not be late? But I
3:05 did not ask. I stood up slowly. Yes, I said. Breakfast. Then I hesitated. I'm not feeling hungry today, I added quietly. You go down for breakfast. I will come later. Evelyn stopped and looked at me again. We have to go to breakfast, she said. Her voice sounded worried. Are you feeling sick? Maybe you are sick. I will call the doctor. The doctor? I said quickly. I did not want to see a doctor. I did not even know why. Yes, she said. You must be sick. She picked up the phone beside the bed. Evelyn, please don't call the doctor, I said. She looked surprised.
3:51 But Patrick, if you're not hungry, something must be wrong. I took a slow breath. I didn't eat anything yesterday, I said. Evelyn stared at me. And I didn't eat anything the day before yesterday, I continued. I feel different. Her face became serious. Of course, you feel different, she said. You are sick. She lifted the phone again. I will call the doctor. Please don't, I said softly. I wanted to feel hungry. She looked confused. What? I wanted to remember the feeling, I said. For a long time, I never felt hungry. I wanted to know how it feels again. Evelyn shook her head slowly. I don't
4:38 understand you, she said. Nobody wants to feel hungry. I looked at her carefully. That's exactly it, I said. Nobody wants to feel hungry. Nobody wants to feel sad. Nobody wants to feel anything. She stared at me like I was saying something crazy. Yesterday and the day before yesterday, I threw my food away, I said. Nobody noticed. Nobody asked me anything. And now I'm starting to remember things. Remember what? She asked. I lowered my voice. I think there is something in the food, I said. A drug. Evelyn's face turned red with anger. You're crazy, she said quietly.
5:27 Maybe, I answered. But tell me something. Why can't we remember anything? She crossed her arms. This is our home, she said. Our home, I repeated. Yes, she said. I looked around the room slowly. When did we come here? I asked. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. I I don't know, she said after a moment. Is that important? Yes, I said. Why did we come here? She tried to answer. We We Oh, Patrick, I can't remember. She suddenly smiled again like she wanted to forget the conversation. "Don't worry about it," she said quickly. "Today will be a busy
6:13 day." She began to speak quickly. First, we go to baking class. Today, you will make a cheesecake. Then, we go boating. After that, we have lunch. Later, we can lie beside the sea before tennis. Then, dinner. I will cook lamb roast tonight. After dinner, we can watch a movie in the TV lounge, maybe have a drink, then go to bed. You know, she added happily. We will be very tired. Tired at 9? I asked. Well, yes, she said. 9 is bedtime. We need 12 hours of sleep every night. Everybody says that. I looked at her carefully. Evelyn, I asked slowly. How long have we
7:02 been here? She looked confused again. I don't know, she said. We call this place home. But before we called it our hotel room. We came here for holidays. Her voice became uncertain. Now it is home. Don't you remember? No, I said quietly. I don't remember. She shook her head. That's silly, she said. No, I replied. This morning I started to remember something. She looked at me with gentle eyes. Patrick, she said softly. Maybe you didn't wake up early. Maybe you had a strange dream. But I did wake up. I said you saw me. I
7:48 was sitting in that chair. She hesitated. I'm not sure. She said, "Were you?" "I can't remember now." Then she smiled warmly again and walked to the door. Come on, she said happily. It's a beautiful day. Let's go have breakfast. She opened the door and stepped into the corridor. I followed her slowly. Before she walked away, I said one more thing. Evelyn. She turned around. You forgot our conversation. I said, you forgot it already. I followed Evelyn into the corridor. The hallway was long and quiet. Doors stood on both sides and
8:33 every door looked exactly the same. The walls were white and clean. The floor was shiny. Everything looked perfect, but something about it felt strange to me. We walked toward the lift at the end of the corridor. Evelyn pressed the button and the doors opened quickly. Inside the lift, we saw Tom. Good morning, Evelyn. Good morning, Patrick," Tom said with a big smile. Tom was the sports organizer for our level. He always looked cheerful and strong. He wore a green t-shirt with a number on it. "I hope you are both ready for the tennis match this afternoon," Tom said. "Level 15 is playing against level six."
9:21 Evelyn smiled happily. "That will be fun," she said. I did not answer. My mind was busy with other thoughts. The lift stopped at the restaurant level. The doors opened and many people walked toward the breakfast hall. A long line of people was waiting for food. I looked around carefully. Everyone wore jeans and t-shirts. The colors were different, but the style was the same. Men and women dressed almost the same way. Then I looked down at my own clothes. My t-shirt was dark blue. My jeans were also dark blue. I noticed something interesting. People with different colors stood around me. Some wore red
10:09 shirts. Some wore yellow shirts. Some wore green. It seemed like every color meant something. The man in front of me wore a red t-shirt with the number three on it. I wondered what that meant. Evelyn spoke happily beside me. "Peanut butter. I love peanut butter," she said. Tom laughed. "So do I," he said. I forced a small smile. Every morning, breakfast was exactly the same. Bread with peanut butter and an energy drink every day. Evelyn always looked happy about it. She also looked happy at lunch and dinner. Everyone looked happy. But suddenly I began to think about the food. Lunch was usually soup and salad.
10:57 Dinner was usually beans and rice. Sometimes there was a little meat or fish, but never very much. Yet nobody ever complained. Nobody ever said they were hungry. That was strange. We took our plates and sat at a table near the large windows. Outside the windows, I could see a beautiful swimming pool. The water shone bright blue in the morning sun. Families with children lived on the other side of the pool. I could see them playing in the distance. On our side, there were only adults. I looked again at the children. Then a strange thought came into my mind. The youngest children
11:42 looked about 9 or 10 years old. I thought carefully. I had never seen a baby here. Not once. Not in all my memories. My heart began to beat faster. That meant something. If the youngest children were 9 or 10 years old, then no children had been born here for 9 or 10 years. I slowly put my plate down on the table. Thinking felt difficult. My head felt heavy again, but I tried very hard. Maybe that was how long we had been living here. 9 years, maybe 10 years. I felt proud for a moment. I had discovered something. I quickly looked
12:28 around the room. Nobody was watching me. So, I picked up my plate again and walked slowly toward a trash bin in the corner. Then I moved quickly. I threw the bread, the peanut butter, and the drink into the bin. Then I looked around again. Nobody saw me. I felt nervous, but also excited. I walked back toward Evelyn's table, but another thought suddenly stopped me. I had never seen sick people here. Not once. Nobody had a cold. Nobody had a fever. Nobody had pain. If someone became sick, they went to the hospital and they never came back. I tried to remember someone who had gone to the hospital. Then a name
13:15 appeared in my mind. Robert. Yes, Robert hurt his leg near the tennis court one day. He fell on broken glass and cut his leg badly. They took him away in a helicopter. I walked across the room quickly. Robert was sitting alone at a table and eating breakfast. "Good morning, Robert," I said. He looked up and smiled. "Good morning, Patrick. Lovely day, isn't it?" "Yes," I said slowly. Then I asked my question. "How is your leg, Robert? Is it better now?" Robert looked confused. "My leg?" he said. "Yes," I said. "You heard it near the
14:00 tennis court. You fell on glass. The cut was very bad. They took you to the hospital in a helicopter. Robert stopped eating. For a moment, he looked worried. Then he shook his head. I have never gone to a hospital, he said. And I have never been in a helicopter. He stared at me. Is this a joke? I looked down at his leg. He was wearing yellow jeans. And there, clearly on his leg, I saw a red scar. I pointed at it. "What about that?" I asked. Robert looked down quickly. Then he looked back at me and smiled. "Oh, that," he said. "I don't remember how I got that." My stomach felt cold.
14:48 Something was very wrong. Suddenly, I heard a voice behind me. "Patrick, are you all right?" I turned around. Tom stood behind me. I was just talking to Robert about his leg, I said quickly. He cut it near the tennis court. You remember Tom? He fell on glass. You helped carry him to the helicopter. Tom was not smiling anymore. His face looked serious now. Patrick, he said quietly. Can you come to my office after breakfast? I would like to talk to you. I studied his face carefully. Tom lived on level 30. All the organizers lived there. There were organizers for sports, music, baking,
15:34 yoga, dancing, and many other activities. They controlled everything in the city. No, I said. Tom blinked in surprise. No, he repeated. I can't come, I said. I'm busy. Tom looked even more surprised. Busy? He asked. What do you mean? But I did not answer. Instead, I turned around and walked quickly out of the restaurant. My heart was beating very fast now. I moved down the corridor toward the lift. As soon as I reached it, I pressed the button. The doors opened immediately. I stepped inside. Behind me, I heard fast footsteps. Tom was running toward the lift. "Patrick,"
16:23 he called. I quickly pressed a button. The doors closed before Tom could reach me. Inside the lift, I looked at the control panel. There were 30 levels in the building. Slowly, I pressed the button for level 30. I did not know exactly why, but I felt sure about one thing. If I wanted answers, they were waiting for me there. The lift moved up very quickly. My heart was beating fast. I looked at the numbers above the door as they changed one by one. Level 10, level 15, level 20. Finally, the lift stopped. Level 30. The doors opened slowly. I stepped out and looked around.
17:09 The corridor here was different. It was wider and quieter than the other floors. The doors were farther apart. Everything looked very calm, but nobody was there. I walked slowly down the corridor. My footsteps sounded loud in the silence. I did not know what I was looking for, but I knew I had to keep moving. Then I heard a sound. A bell rang somewhere behind me. I quickly turned around. Another lift door opened and Tom stepped out. Patrick, he said loudly. What are you doing here? This is level 30. You should not be here. I looked at him carefully. Why not? I asked. Tom walked toward me slowly. I need to talk to you, he said.
17:58 It's important. As he spoke, I noticed something strange. Tom kept looking at the wall beside the lift. There was a small white button there. Tom slowly moved toward that button. I quickly stepped in front of him. Wait, I said. Why do you want to press that button? Tom looked nervous. "We should go to my office," he said quickly. "We can talk there." I thought for a moment. Tom was taller and stronger than me. But something inside me told me I must not let him control the situation. Then I smiled a little. "Okay," I said. "Let's go to your office." I stepped back into the lift and Tom followed me.
18:47 He moved his hand toward the button for level one, but before he could press it, I acted quickly. I hit him hard on the back of his head. Tom fell to the floor immediately. For a moment, I just stood there and stared at him. I knocked him out, I whispered to myself. I had hit him only once. How did I know how to do that? There were no fights in this city. Nobody ever became angry. Nobody ever hurt anyone. So where did I learn that? My mind felt full of questions again. I looked down at Tom. He was breathing slowly. He was not badly hurt. Then I pressed the button for level five and
19:34 stepped out when the lift stopped. This floor was quiet and empty at this time of the morning. I walked down the corridor until I saw a staircase at the end. I ran up the stairs quickly. At the top, there was a metal door. I pushed the door. It opened easily. Suddenly, I was outside. I was standing on the roof. The wind touched my face. The sky was bright and blue. For the first time that day, I felt truly awake. Then I saw something big in the middle of the roof. a helicopter. I walked closer and looked at it carefully. Something about it felt familiar. I read the name on the side. Bell 214.
20:21 I stopped and thought. Bell 214, I said quietly. This helicopter has two engines and 18 seats. I froze. How did I know that? Then another memory appeared in my mind. I used to work with helicopters. Yes, I worked in a helicopter factory. I helped build them. But when was that? Where was that? Why did I stop working? And why did I come to this city? My head felt full again, but I forced myself to keep moving. I walked across the roof and looked around. The city spread out around me in a beautiful valley. But far away, I saw something strange. Another valley. and another city. It
21:09 looked exactly like this one. Then I saw a door on the other side of the roof. A sign was on the door. The word was celita. I tried to remember. That word was Spanish. It meant exit. I turned back to the helicopter. The door was open. Inside I saw many boxes. I climbed inside and hid behind them. The boxes had writing in English, German, and Spanish. After a few minutes, the helicopter engine started. The loud noise filled the air. The helicopter lifted off the roof and flew into the sky. I carefully moved to the window. Below me, I could see many valleys. Each
21:55 valley had a city that looked exactly the same. After about 30 minutes, the helicopter flew over farms, trees, and fields. Soon, I saw a town with factories and smoke. Then the helicopter began to land. As soon as it touched the ground, I hid behind the boxes again. The door opened. Men started moving the boxes. I stood up. "Hello," I said. The men looked very surprised. They looked at each other but said nothing. Then another man climbed into the helicopter. He looked calm. "It's okay," he said to the workers. "He is just another one from the valleys." He turned to me. "Why
22:41 are you here?" he asked. "I started remembering things," I said. "I wanted to know the truth." The man nodded slowly. "You came from Terra Vista City, didn't you?" Yes, I said. My name is Jack, he said. Come with me. He took me to a small office near the airport. The room was messy and dirty. Papers were everywhere. In Terra Vista City, everything was always clean and perfect. Jack sat down and looked at me. "You must be hungry," he said. "How do you know?" I asked. He smiled. because everyone from the valleys is hungry. Then he explained everything. 9 years
23:27 ago, millions of people around the world had no jobs. Computers were doing most of the work. People were angry and hungry. Governments were afraid of riots and violence. So they built cities like Terra Vista. They invited unemployed people to come for cheap holidays. But the food had drugs in it. The drugs stopped people from feeling strong emotions. They also removed memories. People forgot their past. They lived simple lives with activities, sports, and calm days. No fighting, no hunger, no children, just peaceful days. You can choose now, Jack told me. We can
24:14 give you the drug again. Tomorrow you will wake up in Terra Vista City and forget everything. Or you can stay here and live in the real world. Life will be difficult. You will have to work hard but you will be free. I thought for a long time. Then I smiled. I choose freedom. I said, thanks for listening to this story. If you enjoyed this easy English story and want to improve your English with more interesting stories like this, please support my channel. Subscribe to my YouTube channel. Listen and learn English. There you can learn English through powerful stories.
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