"This is it?" said Helen, age 14.

 

"It doesn't look like much," said her twin sister, Ellen.

 

"No, we were told the outside was nothing much," agreed their mother. "But look at the sign." That said "Look Before You Leap," with a next line of "Pick your destinations."

 

"It's what's inside that matters," said their father.

 

So they went in. The twins didn't think the inside was all that great either--light blue walls and generic office furniture. There were  some gorgeous travel posters on the walls, however.

 

"Oh, where's that?" Helen said pointing to a scene of a mountainside lit by a greenish sun in an otherwise dark sky.

 

"I think that must be Ichabod," said their mother, "I've read about it."

 

"Indeed it is," said the brisk young woman entering the room. "Would you like that to be one of your samples?"

 

"How many do we get?"

 

"Three. But you can look at as many pictures as you wish before picking."

 

"Sera's World," said Helen. Ellen nodded.

 

"They've been admiring pictures and recordings of it for a while," their mother told the brisk woman.

 

"Would you like Ichabod also? We have a fine virtual visit for it. It's famous, as you probably kinow, for its ancient, mysterious ruins."

 

They all nodded, and their mother said, "Certainly."

 

"Fencer" said their father. "An uncle of mine went for a visit there and never came back, I've always wondered."

"Whatever for?" said their mother.

 

"Was youe uncle into mountain climhing?" the guide asked.

 

"Very much so. And hiking."

 

"That's the place for it."

 

Their mother didn't look thrilled but nodded.

 

The brisk woman said, "That's your three, then. Ichabod, Fencer, and  Sara's World. Come with me, please."

 

They followed her through a nondescript door into a huge room, very bare, to the point of looking almost forbidding. They paused just inside the door. The guide said, "We can specify activities on the virtual realities. For Ichabod, are you interested in outdoor activities? Local culture? Alien archeology?" 

 

The twins both said, "Local culture."

 

Simultaneously, their mother said, "Alien archology," and their father said "Outdoor activities."

 

"Well, we can see a compressed version of each world. With a major point. But without the initial deposit, it will be limited."

 

They shifted uneasily, and the mother said, "Compressed is fine, for starter. For discussion purposes."

 

The guide nodded and touched an inconspicuous control panel. Lights dimmed, then changed to a greenish glow. Strange walls grew up around them, and it was obvious that the lighting came from incandescent markings set into the walls. 

 

"This is the ruined city?" their mother asked.

 

"Indeed,"

 

"Can one go into the building?"

 

"Not in this abbreviated version. I'm sorry,"

 

"So am I," she sighed.

 

"Next," the attendant touched the panel again. Lights flared up, and they were on a sunlight meadow. It sloped away into a wide landscape--below them they could see what appeared to be gold reflections. A river wound through; it had a number of boats upon it. When they turned, behind them hills rose to steep mountains, laced with rocky cliffs. "Fencer. Hiking is a favorite here, as is mountain climbing," said the guide. 

 

"Great," said the girls' father.

 

The guide touched her control panel again, and the scene faded, to transfom into a another in a great public square. This one had far more noise and activity than the two previous ones. "Sera's World," said the guide. The crowds seemed to be shopping at booths, and a group of street musicians was playing various instruments near them, music with both a beat and alilt  As the piece ended, ths scene faded and they stooded standing in the bare room, staring at each other.

 

"Well, we have some thinking to do, don't we."