********************	DREAM  SCHOOL **********************


CHAPTER ONE: Early Years

A. First Choices

    Jon was three now, so it was time to find the best possible
pre-kindergarten for him. His parents, Eldon and Marie, were both very well
educated, successful, and brilliant. They insisted on the  best for Jon's
education.

     The Montesorri school downtown was the logical choice, so they started
there. A friendly young woman interviewed them, and gave them the usual sales
pitch. After only a few dozen questions and a large down payment, they
enrolled him for the fall semester. As an afterthought, the young woman told
his parents about a new school just outside the city.

     "It's called the Dream School, and it really is an entirely new type of
school. It doesn't compete directly with the Montesorri-type schools, either
in schedule or subject matter. The hours are entirely at night, one night a
week, all night long. The subject matter is the lessons of life, or what we
can learn from our interactions with other living things"

     The format fascinated them, so the new school was their next stop. It
was located in a sedate neighborhood, mostly older homes with a few quiet
businesses here and there. Nothing really stood out about the new school,
visually. It was in a rather plain office building, with no signs or other
outward indicator that it was a school.

B. First Contact
     They were greeted at the door and taken into a small interview room by
Marla, a professionally dressed young woman. She gave Jon some toys to occupy
him in one corner, while the adults talked.
     "Dream School was founded in September of 2513, almost a year ago" she
began. "My husband Aaron and I started it, with the help of some colleagues
from City University. We did experiments on our basic concept over the past
ten years, so we thought it was time to put it all together and see if it
would fly. To shorten a long story, it does. Now, what would you like to know
first?"

     "Why the odd hours, and how does it work?" asked Jon.

     "The hours are for secrecy, actually. For reasons which I will explain
shortly, we don't want the children to be aware of their presence in our
school. To achieve that, we ask the parents to  wait until the children have
fallen asleep naturally, and then spray a mild sedative into their nostrils.
After a few minutes, the child can safely be brought here without waking him
or her."

     "We then administer a neuro-relaxer, which keeps the child in a state
similar to hypnosis. Neither completely asleep nor awake, he will be in an
in-between state where his awareness is in the region commonly called the
sub-conscious mind. The child will remain in this state for about six hours,
depending on his age and physical condition. During this time he will
actively engage in our learning process. After that, he will be sedated again
and return home. Since he won't get his normal REM and deep sleep that night,
we limit his dream school to one night a week."

     "Your second question will require a bit more detail to answer. Our
concept begins with safety, first, and foremost. We constantly monitor all
his vital signs, both by machine and live personnel. The room in which he
will experience our process is completely child-proof, as far as is possible
to make it. All walls and floors are padded, as well as other fixtures and
furniture. There will be qualified medical personnel and facilities always
present. " 

     "Of course, these are standard procedures for such a process as ours,
but we don't stop there. We also monitor his emotional state electronically,
and stop any inter-action which is excessively stressful."

    "And that brings us to the heart of the matter, our process. As you have
heard, we teach the same lessons everyone learns in life by dealing with
pain, stress, pleasure, guilt, and the whole range of emotions. Here he will
learn not only how to handle emotions and to interact with other living
things, but also about himself. So why, you may ask, does he need a school to
learn the lessons of life? He doesn't need it to learn the lessons. He needs
it to learn the lessons sooner, and safer."

     "Wouldn't it be wonderful, for example, to know that he had learned not
to run into a busy street without any risk while learning? That he had
learned not to pick up a poisonous reptile, without having to risk a fatal
bite? And in addition to safety issues, how about social skills? Suppose he
learned not to hit smaller children, without getting the reputation of a
bully? Or not to lie to everyone, without making a permanent habit of it? And
suppose he learned to respect that people are different from but not inferior
to him, without first becoming a racist? And last, suppose he learns why he
has annoying, counter- productive habits that make him unpopular, before he
becomes an outcast?"

     "Now you have the basic concept for our school. All that remains is to
explain the process by which we achieve our concept. This is where it gets a
little technical, but with your backgrounds I think you can keep up."

     "The neuro-relaxer we use does not interfere with the normal senses of
the brain. What it does, instead, is allow us to add to the normal senses an
extra perception of objects and living creatures that our computer creates.
These extra-sensory sensations enter the consciousness of the student through
microscopic receivers, surgically placed under his scalp. The computer
transmits radio-wave signals to these devices. They then send small
electrical pulses to the appropriate brain area for that sensory input. In
effect, the student sees, hears, smells, and feels the imaginary objects and
living creatures created by our computer."

     "Our computer has memories not only of millions of objects and people,
but also billions of reactions to specific actions the student might take.
For example suppose your son was talking to a computer-generated friend (a
composite of thousands of real children whose reactions were on record). And
then suppose for no reason other than curiosity he hit this friend."

     "The computer would instantly choose the reaction which was most
appropriate to the situation. So, the imaginary child might cry and run away,
or it might knock your son on his backside. The blow to your child's face
would be imaginary, and do no physical harm. He would perceive it as real,
however, and fall on his behind on the padded floor. And the pain would be
real, but temporary."

     "Do you follow me so far?"

     Two heads nodded up and down in unison.

     "There is really no way to predict how your son will react to his
encounters here, just as there is no way to predict his reactions in real
life. And, as in real life, some people just learn faster and better than
others. And some will use these experiences to become more kind and just to
other living creatures. Others will use them to learn how to gain advantage
over their fellow life-forms, and to seek out all available pleasures."

     "In that respect, what we mainly do is to accelerate the process by
which the child becomes what the child has the potential to become. However,
for any parents who desire help, we have a behaviour modification program
which is Skinnerian in design. In close consultation with the parents, we can
program the computer to stimulate discomfort centers of the brain when the
child acts inappropriately, and comfort centers when a reward is indicated.
We'll keep you fully informed of his actions and reactions in our sessions,
and we encourage you to take whatever corrective measures at home which you
feel appropriate. Just connect your corrections to his real life actions,
because he won't recall any events from our sessions while he is in his
normal conscious state."


C. First Questions

     "So you offer intervention  or non-intervention. What data do you have
on the results of your process so far?" Marie inquired.

     "The best data we have is the parents opinions. Our subject matter,
quite frankly, is still the subject of much debate in the academic community.
We'll open our books to you and you can interview whomever you care to."  
     "How many students do you have?" inquired Eldon.

     "Currently, we have seven hundred. Seventy-five percent are from the
city, and twenty percent are from your area. You could start interviewing
from that list if you wish. My only request is that you maintain the
confidentiality principle when you are around their children."

     "Understood. How do you get so many students into this building?"

     "It might be easier to show you. Would you care to take the short tour?"

     "O.K."

     "We have eleven floors in this building. The first floor is
administrative and technical support area. All the other floors are
identical. Pick a number from two to eleven."

     "Six."

     "Follow me"

D. First  Sight

     The elevator door opened on the sixth floor to reveal a long hallway,
with hallways leading off to the right and left.

     "Straight ahead, please."

     The hallway then led to a circular room with ten doors arranged evenly
around the curved walls. Each door had a large window with one-way glass. In
the center of the room there was a three sided console with a small desk area
and a monitor on each side. At the front edge of each desk stood a small
microphone on a flexible stalk. Each desk had a comfortable-looking office
chair under it.

	This is our monitoring room for the floor. Each door is an emergency
entrance and visual monitoring gate to a room. We always have three people
here when students are present, and they are  qualified in emergency medical
procedures. The desks are electronic monitoring stations, and each desk
monitors all ten rooms. The programs for the students run from the first
floor main computer, and that is also where our resident physician is
stationed."

     "Each room is accessible from the outside of the circle. The child is
brought in through the door from the outside hallway, and the inside door
remains closed except for emergencies. As you can see the rooms are quite
drab, to give the extra-sensory images less competition."

     "So you have ten floors with ten rooms each" said Marie. That's one
hundred times seven nights or seven hundred. So you are full now, right?"

     "Right. And there is a waiting list. But the list moves fairly quickly,
and I think we would be able to enroll Jon in a month or two."

     "Why does the list move quickly?" Eldon inquired.

     "For financial reasons, mostly."

     "What financial reasons?" asked Eldon, with mild apprehension.

     "We try to be fair about our tuition, but we do have a very expensive
process here. Our solution is to ask for a percentage of the gross income of
the parents. The rate is indexed to your income, and increases to a maximum
of five percent for the highest bracket. Which bracket are you in?"

     "Ten million a year, combined." replied Eldon.

     "The rate for your level is two percent. So, that would be sixteen
thousand, six hundred and sixty-six dollars and sixty-six cents per month of
attendance," Marla informed them, without breaking eye contact. "Is that too
steep for you?"

     "Not if you can do what you say you can," replied Eldon.

     "We'll do some interviews with the parents on your list for our area,
and get back to you" said Marie.

     "Fine" replied Marla. "And we can put Jon on the list as a tentative
entrant, with no obligation to you except to have an answer for us when his
name comes up."

     "Thanks, that sounds fine" said Eldon. E. First Research

     Three weeks later, Eldon and Marie had interviewed fifteen couples in
their neighborhood about the new school. Twelve had nothing but praise, two
were noncommittal, and one wanted their money back. Eldon tried to explain
that he had no connection to the management of Dream School. The elderly
couple was adamant, however, that he should do something about their
complaint. He promised that he would look into it.

     Two more weeks passed before the call came from Dream School.

     "What have you decided?"

     "Oh, we want to enroll Jon right away, in the intervention program"
replied Marie. "And Eldon has a question for you."

     Eldon was assured that the elderly couple had not been promised that
their granddaughter would make better grades in kindergarten because of Dream
School.

     Everything was in place now for Jon to begin on Friday. New students
were started on Friday or Saturday until their reaction to sleep deprivation
was evaluated, Marla told them.


     Jon fell asleep early Friday night.





CHAPTER 2: First  Awakenings

A. First  Suspicions


     Jon was twelve now, and doing just fine in the sixth grade. He had a
friend named Eric, and they did almost everything together.

     And so it was that one bright winter morning the two boys walked to
school together.

     "Aaa-chooo!" went Eric.

     "Couldn't be allergies this time of year" said Jon. "You must have the
yellow death, or something."

     "Yea, I guess so. Mom sprayed something in my nose last night, but I 

guess it wasn't enough."

     "Mom sprays my nose sometimes, too. I don't know what's in it for sure,
but it puts me right to sleep if I'm awake."

     "I asked Mom about it once, and she said it was to keep me from having
bad dreams. But I still have them, anyway."

     "Really? My mom said it was to keep little bugs out of my nose while I
sleep. But I think that was like the tooth fairy story, or maybe it's just
not the same stuff you get."

     "Maybe not. Why don't you see if you can find it, and bring it to
school? I saw the little bottle mine comes in, and I can tell if it's the
same."

     "You bring yours, too. If they are the same, somebody at school might
know what it is."

     "O.K.."

     On the way to school the next morning, two identical bottles are
produced from two little pockets.

     "Hey, these are the same!" said Jon. "They can't be for both bugs and
bad dreams. Somebody has been pulling our chains!"

     "Yeah. Let's take them to the nurse and ask her about them. She'd know,
for sure!"

     "Well, let's see now" said Nurse Roydon. "It says in the fine print
here, return to DS Corporation if found. It has a phone number, and a post
office box number. That's about all I can make out on it, that makes any
sense. Just where did you boys get this, anyway?"

     Two little heads went blank. If they said they found it, the nurse would
call the phone number. If they said it belonged to one of their parents,
she'd want to know why they had brought it to her.

     "It's my allergy medicine" said Eric, after a pause. "I just wondered if
you could tell us what was in it."

     "Why in the world would you want to know that?"

     Eric's eyes stared into space, his mouth partly open.

     "It's for a science project" declared Jon. "We're supposed to find out
about chemicals we come in contact with every day. Then we're supposed to do
a report on each one." 

     "Yeah"  said Eric.

     Nurse Roydon stared at them for a moment, like a skeptical buyer at a
horse auction.

     "Whose science class are you two in?"

     Total silence.

     "You don't know?"

     Total silence, with heads dropped.

     "Let's go talk to Principal Newcomb."

     "Good morning, Miss Roydon"  said the tall, menacing figure in the main
office.

     "Good morning, sir. I have two mutes here, and a very mysterious little
bottle."

     "Traumatic loss of voice, I suppose"  said the tall man as he stared
down at the two silent boys.

     "Yes sir, I think so" replied the nurse with a little grin. "And here is
the mystery bottle they brought me." 

     "Not much information on it" remarked the principal. "What is this,
boys?"

     "Allergy medicine, sir" replied Eric in a subdued voice.

     "Well, that seems plausible. What's wrong with this picture, Miss
Roydon?"

     "It's the cock and bull story that goes with it, sir. It seems that they
have a science project that involves this bottle. But they can't remember who
their science teacher is."

     "Well, now, that's easy enough. These two aren't taking science this
year."

     Two little heads drooped even lower.

     "I'll bet their parents could help us straighten this out real quick"
said the tall man.

     "We're not supposed to have it" declared Jon, softly. 

     "And you're not supposed to tell whoppers, either" added Nurse Roydon.

     And so ended their first attempt to solve the mystery of the little
bottles. Their curiosity would not be held at bay for long, though. They had
already discovered that their mothers had given them conflicting information
about the bottles. And that genie couldn't be put back in the bottle.

B. Second Suspicions

     "Mom, Eric's mom uses the same spray on him, and she says it's to
prevent nightmares" said Jon. "How can it do that and keep bugs out, too?"

     "Two ingredients, maybe?"

     "Oh."

     That seemed to satisfy him for a few minutes. Then another doubt plagued
him.

     "Why doesn't it have the name of the medicine on it, like other medicine
bottles?"

     "For privacy, Jon. You don't want other people to know that you have
nightmares, do you?"

     "I guess not."

     Jon was learning the art of ad-lib from the master. He would accept her
revised explanation for a few more months. .C.Third Suspicions

     Then came summer, and Jon and Eric were off to camp.

     "Hey Eric, I hear there are a lot of bugs around here. Did you bring
that spray bottle?"

     "No, mom didn't pack it. How about you?"

     "Nope. I guess I'll be too busy for nightmares here."

     "Oh, here's some insect stuff. I guess this is supposed to do the same
thing" said Eric.

     "You going to spray that stuff up your nose?" asked Jon.

     "Nah, this stuff is in a rub-on stick. I wonder why Mom doesn't use this
stuff at home?"

     "Beats me. I wonder why Mom didn't think I'd have any nightmares here?"

     "Did you ever hear of that DS Corporation anywhere?"

     "Nope. Maybe we ought to call that phone number on the bottles and see
what it is."

     "Here's a dollar. You dial, and I'll talk."

     "Good morning, this is the DS Corporation. If you have found one of our
medicine bottles, please press one. If you need information, press two."

     "Beep."

     "This is Chris, how may I help you?"

     "What kind of place is this?"

     "It's a medicine factory. We make nasal sprays with all kinds of
medications in them. Your doctor tells us what to put in it for you, and we
send it to him. Would you like to order some nasal sprays?"

     "No, thanks. I was just curious."

     "Click."

     Eric relayed the conversation to Jon, and they sifted through the
details.

     "I still think they are shucking us!" said Jon. "It just doesn't add
up."

     "Yeah, I know, but how are we going to get some answers? There's no way
for us to find out what's really in those bottles without our folks finding
out first!"

     "Maybe there is. Suppose that medicine in those little bottles was
replaced by just plain water. Then, whatever it was supposed to do, wouldn't
happen. If I started to have a bunch of nightmares, or you got bugs in your
nose, we'd know they were telling us the truth. If something else happened,
then we'd know what it was really for!"

     "Excellent plan, Jon. When are you going to do it?"

     "We're both going to do it, Eric, just as soon as we get home."

     And so, the great plan was carried out.

D. The Great Plan

     Fifteen minutes after his nose was sprayed with water, Jon heard voices.

     "Is it time?"

     "Yes, it's been fifteen minutes. There comes the transport now."

     Jon did his best sleeping imitation.

     Upon his arrival at Dream School, he was given the usual neuro-relaxer
spray. Jon went off to dreamland.

     "What happened to you?" Eric asked Jon. "You look like you've seen a
ghost!"

     Jon carefully related all the details of his abduction the previous
night. Right up to ten minutes after his second nasal spray, at which time
his memory stopped.

     "What about you?" asked Jon.

     "Nah, I usually get mine tomorrow night. I'll let you know."

     "Try to notice where you are. I lost track, and I think they had the
windows covered. If you can, memorize the turns you make."

     "What am I going to do if they give me a squirt in the nose at that
place, like they did you?"

     "You'll go to sleep, I believe."

     Sure enough, when the boys compared notes two days later, their
experiences had been identical. But Eric had managed to memorize the turns,
starts, and stops of his trip.

     The following Saturday, the boys set out to find their tormentors.

     They found the neighborhood all right, but then they were stumped. There
was no DS Corporation in sight, and  they had neglected to get a street
address.

     "Now what?" queried Eric.

     "Simple" replied Jon. "What time do you have to be home?"

     "Midnight. I told them I was going to a concert."

     "Excellent. Here's the plan. We know what the transports look like,
right? So we hang out here a few hours, and wait for one of them to come
along."

     "Then we follow it, right?"

     "Brilliant!"

     Actually, it was a fairly good plan. And it worked. By half past ten,
the boys were at the DS building.

     "How are we going to get in?" asked a slightly nervous Eric.

     "We're not, at least not yet. Look for a dumpster."

     "What for?"

     "My Dad says: You are known by your trash."

     "What's that mean?"

     "Didn't you ever watch a detective show? That's how they catch a lot of
bad guys. They search through their trash to find out what they've been up
to. Then they use it in court as evidence."

     After an hour of searching through old business papers, lunch scraps,
and dirty paper towels, they gave up. As they left the dumpster, Jon noticed
a small plastic bottle. Since they were close to curfew, he stuffed it in his
pocket for later inspection.

     Riding home on the bus, the young adventurers examined their discovery.

     "This little bottle has a label!" said Eric, excitedly.

     "Yes, but it's empty. And we can't even pronounce the words on this
label, much less know what it's for."

     "Well I'm sure not going to take it to school, that's for certain!" said
Eric, with determination.

     "Right," said Jon, with a little grin. "This time we're going to be a
little more careful. Who do we know that we can trust?"

     "I have a cousin who takes graduate courses in chemistry." 

     "Perfect."







CHAPTER 3: The Big Discovery

A. The Accomplice

     "Hey, Rasheed!"

     "How ya doin', cuz?"

     "Great! Are you still majoring in chemistry?"

     "Biochemistry, actually. I'm working on a graduate degree in biochemical
engineering. Why?"

     "I thought maybe you could tell me what was in this bottle" said Eric,
as he handed Rasheed the small plastic discovery from the dumpster.

     Rasheed quickly produced a magnifying glass from his pocket, and
examined the object.

     "Where did you get this?" asked Rasheed, in a demanding voice.

     Momentarily, Eric thought he was back in Nurse Roydon's office.

     "We found it" he managed to say.

     "Who's `we', and where did you find it?"

     "Me and Jon, uh, that is Jon and me..."

     "Jon and I."

     "Yeah. Anyway we found it in a dumpster behind a place they call D.S.
Corporation."

     "Oh yeah, I've heard of that place. What were you doing there?"

     "Some kid we know goes there, we think. We were just wondering what they
gave him to keep him from remembering what happens to him."

     "This could be it, all right. It's a powerful drug, which can put you
into a semi-hypnotic state. You wouldn't recall anything that happened while
you were under."

     "So what could this kid do about it, say, if he didn't like what they
were doing to him?"

     "Well, he could stay awake one time, I guess. That way he could see for
himself what was going on."

     "But how? You said yourself, that's powerful stuff!"

     "Yea, that's true. But everything has it's antidote, even if it hasn't
been found yet. For this particular drug there is a well known antidote,
commonly available by prescription."

     "How am I going to get some of that?"

     "You're not, probably. But tell me something, squirt. What is this
friend's name?"

     A very informative silence followed.

     "Would it be Jon or Eric?"

     Eric figured he had nothing to lose, since he could go no further by
himself.

     "Yeah, both" he confessed.

     "I thought so. I suppose I really should ask your parents before going
any further with this."

     "Yeah, that's what everybody else does" said Eric, with a sigh.

     "Hey, they're pretty neat people" said Rasheed. "I think they will give
you a fair shake."

     "Couldn't we just drop the whole thing?"

     "Sure, no harm done so far. But what would you do about the great
mystery? Hey, I'd like to know myself!"

     "You're right. One way or another, I've got to know."

     "So, let's go and talk to your parents." B. The Confrontation

     Eric's parents, Max and Jinny, were calm about the whole thing. They
suggested that they all go and see Jon and his parents. The four of them
proceeded to Eldon and Marie's house.

     "It looks like the jig is up" Jinny said to Marie. "What do we do now?"

     "Let's call Marla at the school"  Eldon suggested.

     Marla did not seem surprised that it had happened. "We have already had
some of the older children catch on"  she told them. "Why don't all of you
come down, and we'll talk about your options."

     So everyone, except Rasheed, proceeded to Dream School. "We'll fill you
in later," they assured him.

C. The Big Secret Revealed
     At the school, Marla proceeded to give Jon and Eric the same history,
purpose, and procedure lecture she had given Eldon and Marie years earlier.
Then they all toured a floor together.

     "Wow!" was all Jon and Eric could say.

     Marla even demonstrated the imaging and other extra-sensory projection
functions of the rooms to Jon and Eric, fully awake.

     "Awesome!" remarked Eric, as Jon nodded his head.

     "Now that you understand what has happened to you here, there is no
further use for pretense" Marla told them. "But there are now some new
possibilities. During the past eight years we have developed what we refer to
as a post-awareness curriculum. It will be up to your parents, and you,
whether you want to try it."

     "What's it about?" asked Max.

D. New Directions

     "It's about some specific things that happen to teenagers and young
adults quite commonly. It can cover such subjects as drugs, violence, various
criminal activities, gambling, and even sex. It might not be quite equal to
pre-awareness courses in it's impact on his life, simply because he knows
it's a simulation. But if he will listen to our explanation of our research,
he will see that our simulations are as real as possible."

     "Suppose we grant the realism of your simulations" said Eldon. "What I
would like to know is what our sons would experience in your sessions on
drugs and sex!"

     "Yes!" echoed Jinny, emphatically.

     "The simulation on drugs do have to include drug-like euphoria, to be
realistic. They will not induce real tolerance -- or addiction, as you know
it. And they will also include our simulations of crashing, or drug
hangovers, and overdosing. They will also simulate the effects of addiction,
including withdrawal. And no simulation would be complete without some
episodes of loss of friends, failure at school, even loss of family. And
last, but not least, we have a simulation of drug-injection diseases."

     "Now for the tough one, sex. Of course, all these courses are optional,
and you can pick any combination you like. Now, how do we teach S-E-X? Well,
quite frankly there is no other way than to simulate the real thing. It is
just as safe as abstinence, physically. But if you don't want him to be
exposed to carnal knowledge just yet, this course isn't for him."

     " We simulate all types of sexual encounters; from dating with gradual
increases in intimacy, to sleazy encounters with whores and whore-hoppers.
There are lessons to be learned from each, we believe. And then, of course,
there are a whole range of consequences to deal with: pregnancy, disease,
social ostracism, violent jealousy, and so on. What do you think so far?"

     "Sounds great!" said Jon.

     "Not so fast!" said his mother, Marie.

     "I believe this will require some discussion at home, in private" said
Max.

     "Of course" said Marla. "Here are some brochures. Take your time."

     "By the way" said Jinny, "how did you collect your data for the
simulations in these courses? I mean, don't you have to wire people up while
they are engaged in the pertinent activity?"

     "Yes, you are correct. Realism can only be achieved by recording the
actual impressions as they happen. Ethical questions arose in the development
of these courses, for obvious reasons. In most cases, we simply wired
volunteer subjects and recorded all their impressions over a period of time.
This is somewhat clumsy, however, since receiving and recording equipment
must be within one hundred meters of the subject to function."

     "One solution to that was to wire all the members of a number of gangs
of teenage hoodlums and station the equipment in their hideouts. We managed
to get some of them to carry tiny receiver-recorders on their persons when
they left the premises. In other cases, we went to other countries to get the
data. In no case did we encourage or suggest any behavior at all. We simply
paid people to allow us to record all their activities, and kept it up long
enough to get all we needed."

     "So what you're saying is that our kids will be going through the same
experiences as hoodlums, vagrants, and criminals" said Marie.

     "Yes, that's right. Your average, well-behaved teenager would have had
to be tracked for years to have given us the necessary data. These kids were
making mistakes at a very fast rate, so we used them."

     "What did they get for their trouble?" asked Jon.

     "Money, of course. And in a few cases, we actually saved their lives by
alerting the authorities when they were close to death. They were satisfied
with the deal."

     "Well, that's quite a lot to think about" said Max. "We'd better go home
and get started."

     The discussions were long and emotional. In the end, realism won out
over the urge to protect one's child from exposure to reality. Both boys were
signed up for the courses, except that Eric wasn't allowed to take the sex or
drug courses.

E. Growing Up Fast

     The hours were changed to weekends, days and evenings, for their new
courses. The boys became very excited about their experiences there, both
past and future. It was the anticipation of future experiences that drove
their little imaginations wild.

     Soon, however, the exhilaration of new thrills began to give way to the
cold, hard realities of the consequences of their actions.

     "I thought I was a gonner" became a frequent refrain for both boys in
describing their course experiences. The fact that they knew it was all a
simulation somehow got lost in the heat of the moment.