You can see that the video call is coming from your best friend Clarissa, so you run a quick comb through your hair and answer the phone. photo by Kateryna Govorushchenko What you see is both amazing and surprising. Her face looks vaguely like it once did, but it has been transformed. The first thing you notice is her skin and makeup, which are perfect and flawless. Clarissa's skin now looks like the skin of a 15-year-old model. Her facial features have been sculpted to perfection. Her nose once had a slight skew and a bump on its bridge caused by a childhood accident. It now looks like the nose of a Grecian goddess, ideal in both its shape and proportion. Her eyes are now larger and spaced perfectly. Her mouth is full and youthful. Her teeth are absolutely faultless. And then there is her hair -- long, thick and luxurious, looking like it was expertly styled moments before, but without a hint of hairspray or gel holding it. As a light breeze gently lifts it, it falls back into place with perfection. She is wearing a to-die-for bikini, and her formerly frumpy body is now the body of a 17-year-old model, perfectly formed in every way. As she brushes her hair back with her hand, your see that her fingers and nails look like those of a hand model in a commercial. photo by Brian Kelly In other words, your friend's body has been replaced by an ideal human body that is perfect in every way. You can see that she is standing on a long, deserted Caribbean beach. A millionaire's beach house is visible in the near distance. Behind her stands a male whose body is just as perfect as hers. His hands rest lightly on her shoulders. "Who... Where... What happened to you???" you stammer. You just saw her two weeks ago for lunch. How could this transformation have taken place in such a short time? How did she get to the beach? Where is her husband George? But as you are asking these questions in your mind, the answer begins to dawn on you. She has had Vertebrane installed. What you are seeing is not the real Clarissa. This is her virtual persona. This is your first friend to make the jump to the virtual world, but you have three other friends who are talking about it. Now you understand why. photo by Frederic Roux Clarissa describes to you how simple and painless the surgery was, and how fabulous hers and George's lives have become since they began living in their fantasy world on this beach in the Caribbean. She describes other worlds she has visited, and as she mentions each one she transports herself there so you can see it on the phone. She takes you virtually to modern Paris, ancient Rome, a massive furniture mart where she found the virtual furniture for her virtual home. She even takes you for a quick round of Baccarat in Las Vegas since she knows that is one of your favorite vacation pastimes. After you hang up you make a decision. You will see about having Vertebrane installed this week. You want to be able to hang out with Clarissa in Paris and go furniture shopping with her -- in a body as beautiful and vibrant as the most stylish 17-year-old model -- as soon as you can. Having seen how much fun Clarissa is having, there is no way you are going to miss out. <<< Go to Chapter 9     |     Intro     |     Go to Chapter 11 >>>