There are some days which are empty. There are no plans, no obligations, no inclement weather, exciting news, or fascinating hobbies to kill time with. These days breed boredom like a fallen log breeds insects. The only saving grace for such days is that they can lead to such fascinating conversations, such as the one taking place between two best friends in the farthest corner of the library.

     Ophelia was reading a science fiction anthology, over a thousand pages of dystopias, space travel, and robots. She had her thumb between the pages instead of a bookmark, and she was squished between the bookshelf on her right and Jen on her left when, without prompting, she states, “I want to build my own reality.”

     Her friend looks up from her own book (a rewritten fairytale involving dragons and fairies), “Well, VR technology is getting there.” she says, “You could always learn to write code and make a VR utopia.”

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     Ophelia hesitates, “ . . . That's not what I meant. I want to build my reality within the existing world. Just reshaping what already exists.”

     Unfortunately, Jen had already taken her previous idea and run with it, barely listening enough to catch the 'reality' bit of what Ophelia had suggested, “What if the whole planet was made of nanites, and you could change them to your own preferences?”

     “ . . . That's not what I meant either. I want to find my own reality within the existing world and then modify it to my own ideal.” The idea had actually been rattling around in her head for a while, but the book she'd been reading, and the slow drip of time that day had finally pushed the thought to surface.

     Jen smiled then, and squished Ophelia further into her corner with a playful nudge, “Well, that's what life is for.” she said.

    “Hmm . . . um . . . well, yeah.” Ophelia replied, because she wasn't wrong, that is what life is for.