Inside Green Mansions

A short story

“This is a highly unusual request.” Dr. Milton Jacobson folded his hands on his lap, leaned forward, and lowered his voice. “And illegal, too.”

“It’s not unethical, though? If you can put a book implant into the brain of a dementia patient like my husband, there’s nothing wrong with putting the chip into the brain of a normal person who just wants to spend her remaining days in the splendor of a wondrous story,” Ellie said.

Jacobson took in a long breath before answering. “It is both unethical and illegal. I would have to certify that you are suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s, which you’re clearly not. On top of breaking the Right to Read law, I’d be committing insurance fraud because your body’s maintenance must be paid for while you live the rest of your life in a novel. It’s not just medical license-losing illegal, it’s go-to-jail illegal. They might even implant Stephen King’s The Shining in me as punishment and I’d have to spend my remaining days tormented by ghosts.”

“Can they do that? Put a book chip in you for breaking the law?”

Jacobson narrowed his eyes. “Yes.”

He offered Ellie a gumball from the bowl on his desk. Ellie traced the late afternoon sunbeams filtering through his office window and selected the brightest blue gumball. 

“I must warn you, too, that your memories will be wiped out. With dementia patients, that’s not a problem—they’re mostly gone anyway. But once we implant a book chip in your brain, your entire self will be consumed by that book. The author's characters will be your friends, family, enemies, lovers, co-workers—whatever they are in the novel, they will be in your life. The scenes in the book, and only those, will be your world. Your consciousness will be limited to the events and locations the author created. You will no longer be Ellie Jones. Do you understand?

Ellie placed her hand over her heart.  “I do.”

“This will be for as long as your body holds out, and judging from your last physical, you’ve got decades left. Dementia patients have nothing to lose and everything to gain, but you will lose everything.”

“You’ll do it?” Ellie offered Jacobson a broad smile.

“Yes, Ellie. I’ll do it.” Jacobson swiveled in his chair and sighed. Heaven help me. I’ll do it because I’m your oldest friend. I’ll do it because I want you to be happy. Have you selected books for you and Aaron?”

“It’ll be the same book.”

“Your favorite books are the same?”

Ellie shook her head. “Aaron’s favorite is Green Mansions.”

“Have you ever observed a humming-bird moving about in an aerial dance among the flowers—a living prismatic gem that changes its color with every change of position.”

“You know it.”

“I squeezed in a semester of English lit while I was pre-med. Green Mansions is about a romance in the South American rainforest. It’s a beautiful, enthralling book, a good choice.” Jacobson pressed his lips together. “But you’ll be in the novel separately. You know that. While you’ll both be in Green Mansions, you won’t see each other or interact.”

“I know, but our spirits will be in the same place. That will be sufficient.”

Ellie’s lips puckered every time she popped one of the red berries Aaron had gathered into her mouth. She and Aaron leaned against the trunk of a kapok tree as they ate. Slivers of light filtered through the infinite layers of leaves between the rainforest floor and the sun above. “Sour, but still delicious.”

"Marjorie likes them, too," Aaron said. As if on cue, a toucan hopped over to Aaron and plucked a berry out of his hand. She tilted her long, red, orange, and yellow beak up, swallowed a berry, and then helped herself to another from Aaron's still-open palm. 

“Want another, Marjorie?” Aaron asked.

Marjorie opened her beak wide.

A vast sea of green surrounded them, and every sound nature could conjure filled the air. Sloths, birds, squirrels, monkeys—even butterflies made noise, sounding like tiny fairy bells ringing as they flitted between flowers. A chorus of frogs seemed to be singing Give My Regards to Broadway.

Ellie squeezed Aaron’s hand and kissed him. “I feel like a swim and a shower, my love. There’s a waterfall at the quarry near the gum tree grove. What do you think?”

“I think that’s a splendid way to spend the afternoon.”

Marjorie squawked.

“You can come, too!”

As they began to walk, the sky cracked above them like breaking glass. A falling object broke through the green canopy. Marjorie ducked behind the tree and screeched. Ellie barely had time to warn Aaron, Jaguar!” before a body soft-landed in front of them on the velvety jungle floor. 

Milton Jacobson expelled an “oomph” as he landed on his bottom. He shook his head, rubbed his eyes, dusted off his lab coat, and stared at Ellie and Aaron mutely for a minute before he could speak. “Hi.” 

“Hello, doctor,” Ellie replied. “What are you doing here?”

Aaron raised an eyebrow toward his wife. “Does he have dementia like me?”

Jacobson shook his head. “No, no, no. I'm fine.”

“Then what are you doing inside Green Mansions?” Ellie asked. 

“They found out what I did to you. Did for you. I was arrested, tried, and convicted for abusing the Right to Read law. The judge gave me a choice of life imprisonment or implanting a book of my choosing. I picked Green Mansions as the place to serve my sentence. Marjorie hopped onto Jacobson's shoulder and rubbed her head against his cheek. “But I’m confused. I expected to see Rima, Abel, and other characters from the novel, not you.” 

“They’re around, just not in this chapter at the moment.”

“Rima was here the day before yesterday,” Aaron said. “She taught us the Toucan language, and is teaching us how to speak Macaw and Kingfisher. Rima’s truly remarkable. You’ll meet her soon.”

Jacobson stood and pivoted in place, absorbing the jungle’s vastness. The jungle smelled sweet, a jarring contrast to New York City’s sour and bitter aromas. His legs wobbled, and Ellie grabbed his arm. “Steady, steady,” she said. “It takes a few minutes to get used to the transition from living in the world to living in a book.”

Jacobson shook his head. “I shouldn't have memories from the real world.” He gasped. “And none of us should be together. Living in the same novel with you isn't possible.”

Ellie winked. “But it is.”

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If you enjoyed Inside Green Mansions, I think you’ll also like my story, The Lost Explorer.