Walking in the Clouds

Exhausted, I slept deeply until I was awakened by Willie gently stroking my face. When I opened my eyes, it was already daylight.

"We're going out to play today," Willie said, "I've arranged some alone time for us with Norton and the others."

I understood that on Guoker Planet, where technology is highly advanced, daily life for most people revolves around leisure—there's no need for labor or work.

I suggested that we visit the countryside. Willie looked at me, utterly speechless.

"Let's go to the countryside," I reiterated.

Willie continued to stare blankly; I suspected she didn't know what "countryside" meant, so I explained, "Let's go play in the fields, in places with soil."

Unsure if Willie understood, she pressed something near her ear, and through the global teleportation network, we vanished from her home and appeared on a natural terrain of Guoker Planet.

The soil was a rusty red, likely due to high iron oxide content. The landscape was dominated by various plants—herbs, large trees, and exotic flowers primarily in shades of green with specks of white, yellow, and red, creating a vibrant tapestry. Occasionally, blue and black flowers added a mysterious touch. Unlike Earth, the grass was sparse, and the foliage was generally thick and waxy.

I noticed small ponds scattered across this iron-rich soil. Having often caught ricefield eels back home, I examined the ponds to see if they contained any, but while I spotted numerous aquatic creatures and burrows along the pond edges, there were no eels or typical Earth aquatic animals.

The sunlight was bright but chilly. As we strolled through the flora, we came upon a green hut. As we approached, I realized it was made of vines intricately woven together. The hut was two stories high, complete with stairs, doors, and windows, all formed from vines. The ground floor was also covered in an elaborate vine pattern. I noticed small insects scurrying over the vines.

Inside the hut, I embraced Willie as we slowly walked around. Suddenly, feeling as if I had experienced this in a past dream, I was overcome by an inexplicable impulse and pinned Willie to the ground. We rolled around on the vine-covered floor. Willie was not upset; instead, she seemed receptive, and soon, her clothes vanished, leaving us to engage joyously in physical intimacy.

I had vivid memories of a similar dream on Earth, where I had once been intimate with a woman in such a setting. It often lingered in my mind, but I never imagined it would become reality here.

Afterwards, as Willie's pink skin slowly transformed back into clothes, we walked out of the vine hut, arm in arm.

Before I could ask Willie where we should go next, I suddenly felt lighter and both of us began hovering in the air. Shocked, I exclaimed, "Whoa, what just happened?"

"I thought GMW could only teleport things and people from one place to another. How does it make us hover?" I asked.

"GMW teleports us into the air, lets us drop a tiny distance, then quickly teleports us up again, and repeats the process. This way, we end up hovering in mid-air," Willie explained.

"Oh, I see. Since GMW teleports us only very short distances and does it so frequently, it feels like we aren't moving at all, almost as if we're floating."

"Exactly, you're really smart," she complimented.

Delighted, we continued our leisurely stroll through the sky. We even ascended into the clouds, which were just thick fogs up high. It felt exhilarating walking among them, although the ground below was obscured. We eventually lowered our altitude to get a clearer view of the landscape.

I marveled at how wonderful it was to have such advanced technology. People could do whatever they desired, turning any thought into reality—true freedom indeed.

Later, I became curious about whether Guoker Planet had any rivers.

Willie informed me, "Our planet has plenty of water, not just in rivers and lakes on land but also vast oceans."

We descended to the ground and found ourselves beside a winding river. Standing on the dyke, I observed that the river, despite its twists and turns, was clearly engineered. The dykes were artificially constructed and covered with a continuous layer of a plastic-like material, extending as far as the eye could see. The water was crystal clear, free from any signs of pollution.

Curious about larger bodies of water, we explored major rivers and vast lakes. Their banks were similarly constructed with neat, artificial dykes. However, there were no residential buildings nearby.

At a vast lake, we paused to watch a variety of animals lounging on a nearby grassland and perched on rocks. I suggested we take a closer look. Using the GMW, Willie helped us descend the steep lake dyke. On the grass, creatures resembling Earth's soft-shell turtles basked in the sun, scattering as they noticed us, revealing long tails. On a massive rock, numerous large, fleshy animals resembling white maggots sunbathed. They seemed indifferent to our presence; a few lazily raised their heads to glance at us before resuming their sleep.

(Figure: The turtle-like creatures who densely packed and basked in the sun) 

Suddenly, a huge water column erupted from beneath the rock, spraying the sunbathing animals into the air. Startled by this unexpected wave in the calm lake, we approached and discovered a gigantic water monster hidden beneath the rocks. Its mouth was as large as a house. The creature had just spewed water, knocking the animals into its gaping maw, where it now savored its catch.

Frightened, Willie and I decided to leave. "Let's go back," I suggested.

"Agreed, let's return home," Willie said. "I'm too small to be a full meal for that water monster, but you're big enough to satisfy it. It seems to like you." As soon as Willie finished speaking, we were transported back to her house via the GMW.