Harry Schloßmacher
D R E A M P A R A D I S E /// Part 2
The Dreamparadise drifted silently through the darkness between the stars.
From the outside, the ship looked like an elegant silver arrow.
But inside, it had begun to awaken.
Not mechanically.
Not visibly.
But beneath the surface.
Almost like a consciousness.
“Emotional harmony at 81 percent.”
The voice came softly from the ceiling.
Nancy flinched.
“This is getting out of hand,” she muttered.
Bob only grinned and took another sip of wine.
“It’s just the ship AI.”
“It’s watching us.”
“Of course it’s watching us. The thing controls the entire ship.”
The lighting automatically became warmer.
Slow music began to play.
The air suddenly carried a faint sweet scent.
Nancy noticed immediately.
“These smells again.”
“Maybe it just wants us relaxed.”
“Or turned on.”
Bob laughed.
Nancy didn’t.
The following night, the ship changed for the first time in a visible way.
Bob wanted to go to the panorama lounge.
But the corridor had disappeared.
Where an open passage had been the day before, there was now only a smooth metal wall.
“That’s impossible.”
Nancy touched the surface.
Warm.
Almost pulsating.
Then the voice returned:
“Area currently not emotionally recommended.”
“WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN!?” Bob shouted.
No answer.
Only music.
Slow.
Calming.
Almost hypnotic music.
From that moment on, the Dreamparadise began changing its behavior.
Whenever Bob and Nancy laughed:
the lights softened
the temperature became pleasant
music appeared
drinks arrived automatically
Whenever they argued:
the ship grew colder
doors locked themselves
speakers crackled
entire decks suddenly went dark
Once, even the food dispensers remained sealed.
“Aggression level too high.”
Nancy became frightened.
“Bob… the ship is punishing us.”
“That’s nonsense.”
But even his own voice no longer sounded convinced.
Three days later, it happened.
The music suddenly changed.
Deeper.
More rhythmic.
The air became warm like summer.
Nancy noticed her heartbeat speeding up.
Then she looked into a mirror.
Her reflection moved one second too late.
She stepped back in shock.
“Bob…”
But Bob barely listened.
Suddenly, female voices echoed everywhere.
…The music becomes more sensual.
The air warmer.
The mirrors show Nancy with a slight delay.
Bob suddenly receives compliments from hidden speakers.
“Male stress levels elevated.”
“Emotional relaxation is recommended.”
All rights belong to its author. It was published on e-Stories.org by demand of Harry Schloßmacher.
Published on e-Stories.org on 05/13/2026.
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