AntipodeanSF Issue 318

By Vahid Zakeri

He was hired by our company just recently. He was sitting at the table next to me. I was in the middle of replying to my unread emails when he said, "Have you heard about the new device? The one that gives lots of pleasure?”

I knew him for about a year. But I did not have the patience for his gossip and bragging from the very beginning. He always spoke as if he understood everything better than everyone else. I did not look at him. 

"What device? What pleasure does it give?" I asked. 

"Whenever you are happy or experiencing pleasure, there is a hat that will prolong your pleasure if you wear it on your head," he said. 

I frowned at him in surprise. He continued, "Its name is happy hat. It connects to the brain from the inside and prevents your pleasure from decreasing over time."

"What kind of pleasure?"

"Whatever you want."

"If I laugh and put the happy hat on my head, will I just keep laughing forever?"

"Yeah. Laughter is possible. Crying is possible. But who wants these things? It doesn't even have to be your own experience. You can record the pleasures of others in the same way and then enjoy them for hours."

He lowered his voice, "I borrowed one from my cousin. He works in their company. It's a demo. He really likes it. You know, he is single and handsome and surrounded by girls."

A playful light shone in his eyes. "It's a pity my wife is home, and I can't use it," he said in the same low voice.

"Did you say that any feeling can be experienced with it for a long time?"

"Yes, dude. Anything. But you can't use it at home. You may experience the pleasure for hours while no one is available to come and turn it off.”

"Can't you turn it off yourself?"

"Oh no. When you experience the pleasure, you just feel that and are not aware of anything else."

“Doesn’t the battery run out?”

“Don’t worry. It lasts very long.”

He looked at me strangely. "Hey, I took one with me. Do you want to see it?" he said. 

He did not wait for my answer but took the happy hat out of his bag. It was light and black, and looked metallic. It resembled a bowl with a few buttons around it. He explained them to me, "This green one is for when you want your feeling to continue. If you push the blue one, it shows you recorded pleasures, which you can choose from and experience."

He hit the blue button, and a list of letters and numbers appeared on the small screen of the happy hat. "Did your cousin encrypt the girls' names?" I asked. 

"I told him to change them. My wife might see."

He was looking at me silently. I didn't think he would try it at work. "Hey, can you wake me up after twenty minutes?" he said, "The start button is here."

I nodded and stood up. He set the happy hat to one of the letter-numbered girls. Then he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He grinned from ear to ear. I pushed the green button and then punched him twice in the stomach. As soon as he yelled out a loud "Ouch!" and opened his eyes wide, I put the happy hat on his head and pushed the start button.

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About the Author

vahid zakeri 300Vahid Zakeri was born and raised in Shiraz, Iran, and moved to Vancouver, Canada, in 2008, where he currently resides.

He has published two collections of short stories in Persian and has received local literary awards.

Vahid’s stories mix speculative and literary fiction, aiming to provoke thought and inspire reflection.

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Issue Contributors

Meet the Narrators

  • Tim Borella

    tim borellaTim Borella is an Australian author, mainly of short speculative fiction published in anthologies, online and in podcasts.

    He’s also a songwriter, and has been fortunate enough to have spent most of his working life doing something else he loves, flying.

    Tim lives with his wife Georgie in beautiful Far

    ...
  • Carolyn Eccles

    carolyn eccles 100

    Carolyn's work spans devising, performance, theatre-in-education and a collaborative visual art practice.

    She tours children's works to schools nationally with School Performance Tours, is a member of the Bathurst physical theatre ensemble Lingua Franca and one half of darkroom —

    ...
  • Ed Errington

    ed erringtonEd lives with his wife plus a magical assortment of native animals in tropical North Queensland.

    His efforts at wallaby wrangling are without parallel — at least in this universe.

    He enjoys reading and writing science-fiction stories set within intriguing, yet plausible contexts, and invite readers’ “willing suspension of

    ...
  • Sarah Jane Justice

    Sarah Jane Justice 200Sarah Jane Justice is an Adelaide-based fiction writer, poet, musician and spoken word artist.

    Among other achievements, she has performed in the National Finals of the Australian Poetry Slam, released two albums of her original music and seen her poetry

    ...
  • Emma Gill

    Emma Louise GillEmma Louise Gill (she/her) is a British-Australian spec fic writer and consumer of vast amounts of coffee. Brought up on a diet of English lit, she rebelled and now spends her time writing explosive space opera and other fantastical things in

    ...
  • Michelle Walker

    michelle walker32My time at Nambucca Valley Community Radio began back in 2016 after moving into the area from Sydney.

    As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, I recognised it was definitely God who opened up the pathways for my husband and I to settle in the Valley.

    Within

    ...
  • Geraldine Borella

    geraldine borella 200Geraldine Borella writes fiction for children, young adults and adults. Her work has been published by Deadset Press, IFWG Publishing, Wombat Books/Rhiza Edge, AHWA/Midnight Echo, Antipodean SF, Shacklebound Books, Black Ink Fiction, Paramour Ink Fiction, House of Loki and Raven & Drake

    ...
  • Merri Andrew

    merri andrew 200Merri Andrew writes poetry and short fiction, some of which has appeared in Cordite, Be:longing, Baby Teeth and Islet, among other places.

    She has been a featured artist for the Noted festival, won a Red Room #30in30 daily poetry challenge and was shortlisted for the

    ...
  • Alistair Lloyd

    alistair lloyd 200Alistair Lloyd is a Melbourne based writer and narrator who has been consuming good quality science fiction and fantasy most of his life.

    You may find him on Twitter as <@mr_al> and online at <...

  • Barry Yedvobnick

    barry yedvobnick 200Barry Yedvobnick is a recently retired Biology Professor. He performed molecular biology and genetic research, and taught, at Emory University in Atlanta for 34 years. He is new to fiction writing, and enjoys taking real science a step or two beyond its known boundaries in his

    ...
  • Mark English

    mark english 100Mark is an astrophysicist and space scientist who worked on the Cassini/Huygens mission to Saturn. Following this he worked in computer consultancy, engineering, and high energy research (with a stint at the JET Fusion Torus).

    All this science hasn't damped his love of fantasy and science fiction. It has, however, ruined his

    ...
  • Chuck McKenzie

    chuck mckenzie 200Chuck McKenzie was born in 1970, and still spends much of his time there.

    He also runs the YouTube channel 'A Touch of the Terrors', where — as 'Uncle Charles' — he performs readings of his favourite horror tales in a manner that makes most ham actors

    ...
  • Laurie Bell

    lauriebell 2 200

    Laurie Bell lives in Melbourne, Australia and is the author of "The Stones of Power Series" via Wyvern's Peak Publishing: "The Butterfly Stone", "The Tiger's Eye" and "The Crow's Heart" (YA/Fantasy).

    She is also the author of "White Fire" (Sci-Fi) and "The Good, the Bad and the Undecided" (a

    ...
  • Marg Essex

    marg essex 200Margaret lives the good life on a small piece of rural New South Wales Australia, with an amazing man, a couple of pets, and several rambunctious wombats.

    She feels so lucky to be a part of the AntiSF team.

    ...