Extra strength simulation
Morpheus’s black leather jacket creaked as he extended both hands toward Neo, each palm containing what appeared to be identical white caplets.
“Neo, this is your last chance. After this, there is no going back.
Neo squinted. “Are those… Tylenol?”
“You take the Tylenol pill,” Morpheus gestured to his right hand, “the pain stops. You go to sleep. You wake up and believe whatever you want to believe.”
Neo nodded slowly. “Right. Yeah, I know how Tylenol works.”
Morpheus held up his left hand. “You take the other Tylenol pill, and more or less the same thing happens. But…” He paused dramatically. “Your children might be autistic.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
There was a long pause.
“Look, I’ll be honest with you,” Morpheus said, lowering his hands slightly. “I had a whole red pill, blue pill thing prepared. Very symbolic and cool. I left them in the little basket by the front door right next to where I keep my keys so I wouldn’t forget them…”
Neo drummed his fingers on his leg, unsure what he was supposed to do with this information.
“Anyway,” Morpheus continued. “I stopped by CVS on the way over on the off-chance they might have some crack-the-code consciousness expanding pill.”
“No luck?”
“Sold out. But they did have Tylenol.”
“So you want me to take the Tylenol?”
“Up to you. I don’t trust big pharma myself.”
“And you said they might make my kids autistic?”
Morpheus half shrugged.
“Look, nothing bad can happen. It can only good happen. But with Tylenol don’t take it, don’t take it, and if you can’t live, if your fever is so bad, and you have to, then take one.”
Neo hesitantly started to reach for one of the pills, but Morpheus piped up.
“Because there’s no alternative sadly. First question: what can you take instead?”
Neo wasn’t sure if this was a rhetorical question but Morpheus didn’t give him long to consider.
“It’s actually… there’s not an alternative. And as you know, the other medicines are actually proven bad. I mean, they’ve been proven bad, with the Aspirins and the Advils. They’ve been proven bad.”
Neo was utterly confused and now actually had a legitimate headache, so he took both pills, and washed them down.
“Are you okay, man?” Neo touched Morpheus on the arm, a little concerned.
“Not really, no.”
Blue Tylenol Pilled was originally published in Slackjaw on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
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