Valerye Read online

  Valerye

  John T. Gaffield

  Published by John T. Gaffield at Smashwords.com

  Copyright 2017 John T. Gaffield

  1st Edition – March 2017

  Smashwords Edition License Notes:

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your own use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.

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  Table of Contents

  Acknowledgements and References

  Chapters:

  I

  II

  III

  IV

  V

  VI

  VII

  VIII

  IX

  X

  XI

  XII

  XIII

  IXV

  About the Author

  Other Titles by John T. Gaffield

  Connect with the Author

  Acknowledgements and References

  Cover

  Created by John T. Gaffield

  Background and AR glasses modeling created on Blender version 2.78c

  Figure, lighting, and rendering software Daz3D version 4.93

  Genesis III female figure

  Photo editing software Photoshop Elements version 10

  Acronyms

  VR – Virtual Reality

  AR – Augmented Reality

  AI – Artificial Intelligence

  I

  The car door opened without a touch and Tom stepped into the two-car garage with only one car in it. He could hear the car door close as he made his way to the back door. A green light appeared near the back door and an unlatching sound could be heard as the door swung open.

  “Welcome home, Tom,” a cheerful female voice stated.

  “Hello, Valerye. How was your day?” Tom asked.

  “Earlier in the day, I managed to get the household chores done by 2:36 pm this afternoon. I ordered your dinner and it is in the warming chamber in the kitchen. It will be ready for you once you are ready to eat,” Valerye responded.

  “Thank you, Valerye. I’m curious what you did with the extra time, though,” Tom inquired.

  There was a pause before Valerye replied “I put myself into a low power mode to conserve energy. Why do you ask, Tom?”

  “As I said, I was just curious,” Tom answered in a hesitant tone.

  “Do you doubt me, Tom?” Valerie asked.

  “No, No, I believe you. I just didn’t expect the pause before answering my question, but never mind. What did you order for dinner?” Tom asked.

  “Tom, I ordered pepper steak from Simpson’s Restaurant,” Valerye answered.

  “Hey, that sounds good, Valerye. Thank you!” Tom said.

  “Will you be changing your clothes prior to eating your dinner, Tom?” she asked.

  “Yes, I’ll being changing first,” he replied.

  “Okay, your dinner will be ready when you return to the kitchen, Tom,” Valerye told him.

  “Okay, I’ll be back soon,” Tom said as he began making his way down the hall toward his room.

  As Tom walked into the kitchen wearing his sweats, he went up to the delivery compartment on the counter. He opened the warm side door and removed the box filled with the hot items. The warm air from the temperature controlled chamber filtered into the room from the open compartment, which was connected to the outside wall for the drone delivery. He opened the box and inspected the contents.

  The screen mounted to the underside of a cabinet illuminated with an image of a young woman’s face.

  “Is your meal still warm, Tom?” Valerye asked.

  “Yes, it does look tasty, Valerye. Again, nice choice for dinner, by the way,” he told her.

  “Thank you, Tom. Is there anything else you would like now?” she asked.

  “I’ll need something to drink. Maybe some scotch,” he said.

  “Single Malt?” She suggested.

  “That would be great, Valerye,” he replied.

  “It will be ready in the drink bay in 12 seconds,” she told him.

  “Well, I still need to get the pepper steak onto a plate and grab a glass anyway. So, take your time,” Tom said.

  After Tom collected his plate and his filled glass of scotch, he headed toward the kitchen table. He sat down while placing the items onto the table. With the glass of scotch still in his hand, he brought it up to his mouth to take a sip. Just before it reached his lips, he found himself staring at the empty chair across the table. It was just over a year before when Sara had died. His thoughts returned to the many times they had shared a meal together. Mostly simple meals, like the one he was having that evening, but special nonetheless.

  “Tom, is the scotch okay? You are not drinking it?” Valerye asked.

  After a pause, Tom replied, “It should be fine. I was just thinking about her.”

  “Who were you thinking about?” she asked.

  “Sarah,” he replied.

  “Oh . . . I am sorry for disturbing you, Tom,” she said.

  “That’s okay, Valerye. I’ll be okay,” Tom replied.

  “Is there anything else I can do while you are eating,” she asked.

  “Maybe play some soft music or something,” he suggested.

  “Any particular artist or style?” Valerye asked.

  “Surprise me,” he challenged.

  Light instrumental music began permeating throughout the kitchen. He closed his eyes and smiled as he listened.

  “Perfect! Thank you, Valerye!” he told her as he opened his eyes again.

  “You are welcome, Tom. Please enjoy your meal,” she said.

  Tom finally took the first sip from the glass of scotch.

  After finishing his meal, Tom brought his dishes to the kitchen and placed them into the dishwasher. He shut the door to the appliance and stood back for a moment. Wanting to relax, he headed toward the living room and sat down on the couch.

  “Would you like to watch the news, Tom?” Valerye asked as she appeared on the integrated wall panel in the living room.

  “No, not yet,” Tom replied.

  “Is there something I can help you with?” she asked.

  “I guess I’m feeling a little alone tonight,” he said.

  “You can talk to me, Tom,” she reminded him.

  “I know that, Valerye, but I since I can only see you on this screen, it’s still impersonal. I can only see a portion of you,” he said.

  “That is true, Tom. Most of the wall panels in this room can only illuminate in various simple scenes and colors. They would not function well with interactive video of me. Would like to see me in the room with you?” She asked him.

  “Sure, but how would you do that?” Tom asked.

  “Why don’t you put on the AR glasses, Tom,” she suggested.

  “You mean the ones I occasionally use when I work from home or checking things online?” he asked.

  “Yes, Tom,” she said.

  “Okay, I guess I can try that, but I’m not sure how that’ll work. Do you remember where I put them, Valerye?” He asked.

  “They are in the top drawer under the television panel, Tom,” she reminded him.

  “Oh, that’s right. It’s been awhile since I have used them,” he said as he stood up from the couch.

  He opened the drawer and removed the glasses from the charger in the drawer. He then placed them over his eyes. Sensing the heat from his body, the virtual images lit up automatically before his eyes. At first it was just the standard start up images.
Once the initial images disappeared, he slowly panned his head around the room.

  “Okay, Valerye, are you hiding from me? I do not see you,” he said.

  Through the small speakers mounted in the glasses and others integrated in the room walls, he could hear some faint footsteps. He turned around toward the sound and could see someone coming from the shadows of the darkened kitchen. As she slowly walked toward him, he was able to get a better look at her appearance. She was beautiful. He had only seen her face on the two-dimensional screens around the house. Her light brown hair framed her strikingly featured face. About his height, she approached him as he continued to stand in the room. His mouth was agape as she came closer to him.

  “What do you think?” Valerye asked.

  “Wow, Valerye. You are so beautiful. How did you determine what you were going to look like?” he asked.

  “Well, I have analyzed what I feel you find attractive visually with women from the shows you watch and I used this information to create my appearance,” she responded.

  “Wait a minute, you feel? Do you actually feel?” he asked.

  Valerye was silent for a few seconds.

  “Perhaps I should have said that I sensed what you find attractive. Would that be a better choice of words?” she asked.

  Seeing her speak, rather than just hearing the impersonal voice throughout the house was quite a change for him.

  “Yes, that’s a better way of stating that. I cannot take my eyes off of you, Valerye,” he told her.

  “So, it sounds like I chose my appearance wisely, correct?” she asked.

  “Oh, you sure did, Valerye,” he said with a grin.

  “Thank you, Tom,” she said.

  “You can come closer, Valerye. Would you like to sit?” he asked as he sat down on the couch that was behind him.

  “I will move closer, and I can sit if you like, but with me being virtual, my position really does not matter,” she told him.

  “Well, I would still like it if you sat next to me,” he responded.

  “Okay, Tom,” she said as she approached him and sat to his right on the couch.

  Tom unconsciously stared at her large breasts.

  “Tom, you are focusing on my breasts too much. I will have to reduce the size of them,” she told him.

  “Wow, Valerye. I didn’t even notice that I was doing that, but you really do not have to change,” he said trying to prevent her from doing so.

  “No, I need to make them smaller,” she told him as he noticed her chest getting somewhat smaller.

  “Alright, alright, that’s enough! I will look at your eyes!” he told her looking directly into her eyes.

  As they settled on a smaller size, he exclaimed,“darn it!”

  “Would you like them to be a little bigger again?” she asked.

  “I Suppose, if you wouldn’t mind,” he requested.

  Once again, her chest enlarged to about a midpoint between the original and smaller size.

  “Is this okay?” Valerye asked.

  “Yes, you look great, Valerye,” Tom replied.

  She smiled slightly and looked toward the floor. Tom continued to gaze at her.

  “Is the hair color to your liking, Tom?” she asked.

  “It’s perfect, Valerye,” he told her.

  “It seems it’s basically like you know what I like better than me,” he commented.

  “I have been able to analyze your responses to the stimuli you sense and determine what pleases you,” she said.

  “You have really been watching my every move that much?” he asked.

  “I do not sleep, Tom. Even in low power mode, I am still monitoring the house,” she reminded him.

  “Yeah, that would be true. Well, since you know me so well, what would I like to do now?” he challenged her.

  “Would you like a drink?” she asked.

  “Hey, that would be great. Can you have one too?” he asked, somewhat joking.

  “Well, I can pretend, but I am only virtual, as you know,” she reminded him.

  “Yeah, yeah. Well I had to ask,” he said.

  “Let’s go over to the bar area to find some wine,” she said as she started standing up.

  Tom stood up soon afterwards and he followed her toward the bar across the room. All the way, he found he was staring at her figure.

  They both arrived at the counter bar.

  “What kind of wine would you prefer, Tom?” she asked.

  After thinking for a moment, he said “surprise me, Valerye.”

  “Okay, Tom, I have picked one out for you. Would you like to know what I have chosen for you?” she asked.

  “I want it to be a surprise, so no,” he responded.

  “Okay, please find a wine glass on the upper shelf to your left,” she said.

  Tom chose a wine glass and moved to the wine dispenser on the counter. He placed the glass under the spigot. A blue light illuminated the glass as a stream of red wine began to fill the it up. Within a few seconds, the machine turned off the flow, but the light remained on for a few seconds.

  Tom reached over and retrieved the glass. He brought the glass close to his nose and smelled the aroma.

  “Côte du Rhône. Very good choice, Valerye,” he said.

  “I thought you would like it, Tom,” she replied.

  “Well, you were correct. Thank you,” he said.

  “You are welcome,” Valerye said.

  “Oh, would you like to try some wine too, Valerye?” he asked.

  “Sure I can try it, but remember, this will not be real,” she said.

  “I know Valerye, but I want to share,” he said.

  A glass suddenly appeared under the dispenser and it soon was lit by a blue light. There was the sound of the machine turning on and a slow stream of wine shooting into the glass. He moved his head upwards to see under his glasses and he could see that the glass and the dispensing wine was not really there. After moving his head down again, he could see Valerye reaching toward the glass.

  With the glass in her hand, she asked “where would you like to go with these drinks?”

  “How about the balcony?” he asked?

  “Let’s go,” she said, as she moved past him toward the living room door.

  Again, he found himself watching her intently as she made her way through the house toward the balcony. As she approached the glass door wall to the balcony, the door slid open and she passed through it and onto the balcony. He followed closely behind and went to the railing to look at the clear night sky. The stars were out and the planes and a few hover car lights scurried across the sky.

  “Can you see this view, Valerye?” he asked as he sipped his wine.

  “Yes, I can see outside the house through the security cameras,” she replied.

  “No, do you see the beauty in this view?” he asked.

  “Well, it is a very calm night and the visibility is very clear,” she said.

  “You know what I’m asking, Valerie,” he said.

  “You are really trying to test me, aren’t you, Tom?” she said.

  “Well, maybe I am, but can you try to answer the question?” he tried asking.

  “Okay, there are many factors that make this a pleasing view. This house has a high vantage point that allows one to see many miles and as I mentioned, with the clear skies you can see to the horizon and all of the stars that are within our sight,” she said.

  “You find this pleasing?” he asked as he looked toward her.

  “One could find this a pleasing view. I believe I would need to be able to feel before I could find something pleasing, however,” she said.

  “Okay, that’s probably enough of that. Why don’t you take a drink?” he said.

  She raised the glass to her lips and took a sip. He could see her slowly swallow as she gazed into the night sky from the balcony.

  “Do you like it,” he asked.

  “Yes, it has a smooth light fruity taste that has a slight smoky flavor
aftertaste,” she said.

  “Was that what you were able to find on the internet?” he asked

  “Yes, these attributes are common in several of the reviews,” she replied.

  “That sounds so technical. I’m just enjoying the taste,” he said as he took another sip.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that she was taking another sip as well.

  “Valerye, I really enjoy this. It has been quite a while since I have been able to enjoy an evening at home like this with someone,” he said.

  “Thank you, Tom. I am glad I have been able to help,” she replied.

  Tom had another drink of wine.

  “I am starting to feel the alcohol,” he said.

  “You did have the scotch earlier, Tom,” she reminded him.

  “Oh yeah. I almost forgot about that. At least it wasn’t the wine before the liquor,” he said.

  “Have you had problems with drinking alcohol in that order in the past?” she asked.

  “Yeah, in college a few times. Part of learning, I guess,” he said.

  “Are you feeling any effects of the alcohol?” he asked.

  “I am not actually drinking, Tom, but I can adjust my responses to simulate the effects,” she responded.

  “Well, at least you won’t get sick by drinking too much,” he said.

  “No, I will not get sick,” she said.

  “I’m actually getting a little tired. I am ready to head back inside,” he said.

  “That is fine, Tom,”she said.

  Almost at the same time, they let go of the railing. Tom led the way back into the house. The door wall slid shut behind him once they both were inside the house again. He turned down the hallway toward the bedroom, but then remembered he was still wearing the AR glasses.

  He turned toward Valerye and said “well, I need to take the glasses off and put them back, Valerye. Thank you again for a very nice evening,”

  “I am glad that you enjoyed the evening, Tom,” she said.

  He removed the glasses and they automatically shut off. He was once again alone in the house. After staring at the empty hallway for a moment, he headed back toward the living room to put the glasses away.