I rolled over, groggy, my mind filled with the aftertaste of a vaguely vivid dream. Similar to most mornings, I eventually stopped trying to remember the dream and decided to join the waking world. “Dreams are for heretics,” I told myself, just as the adverts and articles had told me in the past. The blinds had opened, and the light was nearly blinding. I sat up and looked around the bare room until my squinting eyes settled on my bedside table, where my breakfast bar and water were waiting. I ate my rations and took my morning medicine, and I was content.

My laptop is kept on a charging station by my bed, within arm’s reach from my mattress. I opened it to find my daily survey waiting, so I took it immediately. As always, I answered “extremely satisfied” to all the questions, and I was telling the truth. My belly was full, my bed was warm, and crime rates were at an all-time low; they had been for ten years, or at least that’s what the articles said. I had read that crime originally surged after the bed mandate a decade ago, but this made sense considering leaving your bed was a crime. The anti-bed radicals were taken care of, and society was more peaceful than ever; no crimes could be committed if everyone stayed in bed. So many lives have been saved, and I am so grateful. I’m sure the others are too, even though I don’t see people all that much anymore. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen another soul in years. But as long as people are safe, I am content.

After completing the survey, I waited for lunchtime. Today’s lunch consisted of two slices of bread, a meat cube, a head of broccoli, supplement powder, and juice. Once I had eaten, I took a couple more surveys and read some articles about statistics I admittedly didn’t understand. Most of it was nonsense to me, but I’m sure that everything is going better than ever. Before I knew it, it was dinnertime. Dinner was the same as lunch, plus my evening medicine. After such a meal, I was content.

Even though I try my best to push away any heretical thoughts, sometimes I think about what it would be like if I didn’t have to stay in bed all the time. Perhaps I would leave this room and make some friends and go on walks, but that all sounds very dangerous. The world is full of bad people who have bad intentions, and the worst of them are the radicals. I must push away any thoughts about the outside, or else I will be just as bad as them. It is for the best that I obediently stay in bed, where I am safe from the dangers of this world. I began to feel tired in a nearly habitual way, and just as I did, the blinds closed. My head hit the pillow and I thought pleasant thoughts of beds and safety, which turned into pleasant dreams of unmemorable content. I had reached the end of another successful day, just like all the others. I was happy, I was grateful, and I was content.