Linda closed her eyes and allowed the gentle sea breeze to waft over her. Blending with the salty spray was the unmistakable smell of French fries.
She didn’t open her eyes. She knew the fries weren’t *actually* there. She kept her eyes closed…Relaxed.
When the smell of fries began growing overbearing she felt a compulsion to open her eyes. Floating in the middle of her vision was a steaming plate of fries beneath the message “Treat Yourself to a fresh hot snack at McDonald’s”.
As soon as she read it, the message, the fries, and the smell disappeared.
“You okay?”
She turned toward Cassius, who was giving her an odd look.
She tapped her head. “Another ad.”
Cassius shook his head. “How many of those you get a day?”
“Just twenty.” She said.
Cassius gave her a pained smile, shaking his head.
“Look, I had to take the corporate package. It was the only way I was going to afford this getaway.”
Cassius pointed at his own head. “You should’ve Glitched yours out like I did.”
“And miss the updates?”
Cassius sad nothing, but simply gave her a pitying smile.
“Whatever.” Linda said, closing her eyes again.
The sea breeze continued blowing across her body…She felt cool, and relaxed…
…And though her VLink wasn’t actively sending her ads, she couldn’t help but associate the relaxation she felt with the mouth-watering taste of fries.