Quantum Scary Tales: Goldilocks and the Three Bears

The house had always been at the edge of

The house had always been at the edge of

the wood where the trees stopped

the wood where the trees stopped

apologizing for their density and simply

apologizing for their density and simply

became a wall. Goldilocks had not been

became a wall. Goldilocks had not been

looking for a house. She hadn't been

looking for a house. She hadn't been

looking for anything at all. She had

looking for anything at all. She had

simply been walking as she had every

simply been walking as she had every

morning since she could remember, and

morning since she could remember, and

the path just ended here. The door was

the path just ended here. The door was

unlocked. This wasn't surprising. She

unlocked. This wasn't surprising. She

didn't ask herself why it wasn't.

didn't ask herself why it wasn't.

Inside, three bowls sat on the table.

Inside, three bowls sat on the table.

The first one burned her tongue. The

The first one burned her tongue. The

second set her teeth together with cold.

second set her teeth together with cold.

But the third, the third was exactly

But the third, the third was exactly

right, and she ate every spoonful

right, and she ate every spoonful

without even tasting it. Watching the

without even tasting it. Watching the

steam from the two hot bowl dissipate in

steam from the two hot bowl dissipate in

a pattern that looked almost like

a pattern that looked almost like

language along, curling sentence she

language along, curling sentence she

couldn't read before it dissolved. She

couldn't read before it dissolved. She

moved through the house the way someone

moved through the house the way someone

moves through a place they've been

moves through a place they've been

before without knowing they've been

before without knowing they've been

there. The chairs were right where she

there. The chairs were right where she

expected them to be. The stairs had the

expected them to be. The stairs had the

right number of steps. The room smelled

right number of steps. The room smelled

like something she couldn't name, but

like something she couldn't name, but

recognized as the smell of safety, which

recognized as the smell of safety, which

she had always been told was the smell

she had always been told was the smell

of home. She found the chairs. One was

of home. She found the chairs. One was

too big, one was too small, and one the

too big, one was too small, and one the

one that broke under her. She felt it

one that broke under her. She felt it

giving way a half second before it did.

giving way a half second before it did.

Not because she was braced for it, but

Not because she was braced for it, but

because some part of her body had

because some part of her body had

registered at the exact moment she sat

registered at the exact moment she sat

down, that it was calibrated to fail at

down, that it was calibrated to fail at

precisely her weight. She went upstairs

precisely her weight. She went upstairs

to the beds. The first was to hard, and

to the beds. The first was to hard, and

her spine knew the wrongness of it

her spine knew the wrongness of it

before her mind even did. The second was

before her mind even did. The second was

to soft, and she sank into it with a

to soft, and she sank into it with a

sensation like being measured. And then

sensation like being measured. And then

the third bed. It was exactly right. The

the third bed. It was exactly right. The

blankets were the precise weight her

blankets were the precise weight her

shoulders wanted. The pillow held her

shoulders wanted. The pillow held her

neck at just the angle that released the

neck at just the angle that released the

tension she always carried there. The

tension she always carried there. The

tension she had never mentioned to

tension she had never mentioned to

anyone. She thought, "I have never been

anyone. She thought, "I have never been

this comfortable." She thought, "No one

this comfortable." She thought, "No one

has ever been this comfortable." Then a

has ever been this comfortable." Then a

chilling thought. This is what it would

chilling thought. This is what it would

feel like if something knew my body

feel like if something knew my body

better than I do. And then she slept. In

better than I do. And then she slept. In

her dream, the house had no walls, only

her dream, the house had no walls, only

scaffolding where the walls should have

scaffolding where the walls should have

been. And behind the scaffolding,

been. And behind the scaffolding,

technicians in pale gray uniforms moved

technicians in pale gray uniforms moved

between stations with clipboards, making

between stations with clipboards, making

notes. In the dream, she could see

notes. In the dream, she could see

herself sleeping in the third bed,

herself sleeping in the third bed,

surrounded by instruments she had no

surrounded by instruments she had no

names for. They weren't measuring her

names for. They weren't measuring her

pulse or her breathing. They were

pulse or her breathing. They were

measuring something that existed in no

measuring something that existed in no

language she spoke. One technician

language she spoke. One technician

looked up and saw her watching him. He

looked up and saw her watching him. He

didn't look alarmed at all. He just

didn't look alarmed at all. He just

looked down at his clipboard and made a

looked down at his clipboard and made a

note. She woke to the sound of the front

note. She woke to the sound of the front

door opening. Three bears came in. She

door opening. Three bears came in. She

understood later when there was time to

understood later when there was time to

understand anything that they had never

understand anything that they had never

really been bears. They wore the shape

really been bears. They wore the shape

of bears the way a tool wears the shape

of bears the way a tool wears the shape

of its function. They weren't bears, but

of its function. They weren't bears, but

the shape of a bear was the precise form

the shape of a bear was the precise form

needed to generate the required

needed to generate the required

response. A threat, but not a credible

response. A threat, but not a credible

threat. Something between danger and

threat. Something between danger and

absurdity, something that would make her

absurdity, something that would make her

run, and she ran. The window she chose

run, and she ran. The window she chose

opened onto a path that led toward home,

opened onto a path that led toward home,

and she understood, even as she ran,

and she understood, even as she ran,

that she had been predicted to choose

that she had been predicted to choose

this exact window. Her preference for

this exact window. Her preference for

right-facing exits had been noted across

right-facing exits had been noted across

14 prior iterations of this same

14 prior iterations of this same

scenario. The other windows, she

scenario. The other windows, she

realized, opened onto different paths

realized, opened onto different paths

with different destinations, all for

with different destinations, all for

different profiles. At the edge of the

different profiles. At the edge of the

wood, where her path met the familiar

wood, where her path met the familiar

world, she stopped. There was a folder

world, she stopped. There was a folder

sitting on a tree stump. Her name was on

sitting on a tree stump. Her name was on

the tab written in a hand she didn't

the tab written in a hand she didn't

recognize. She opened it. Inside was a

recognize. She opened it. Inside was a

document dated the day she was born. A

document dated the day she was born. A

complete physiological and psychological

complete physiological and psychological

profile. It listed her temperature

profile. It listed her temperature

tolerances, her pressure thresholds, the

tolerances, her pressure thresholds, the

exact neck angle at which she stopped

exact neck angle at which she stopped

carrying tension, her predicted response

carrying tension, her predicted response

to a too hot bowl, a too cold bowl, a

to a too hot bowl, a too cold bowl, a

chair engineered to fail at a calculated

chair engineered to fail at a calculated

moment of lowered alertness. her

moment of lowered alertness. her

preference for right-facing exits

preference for right-facing exits

documented across all previous

documented across all previous

iterations. The last entry was dated

iterations. The last entry was dated

today. It read, "Subject will stop at

today. It read, "Subject will stop at

the woods edge. Subject will find this

the woods edge. Subject will find this

folder. Subject will read to the end."

folder. Subject will read to the end."

She looked at the final line. It said,

She looked at the final line. It said,

"Subject will look up now toward the

"Subject will look up now toward the

house one last time." She looked up. The

house one last time." She looked up. The

windows of the house were lit from

windows of the house were lit from

within. A figure stood in one of them. a

within. A figure stood in one of them. a

technician. He raised a hand. She

technician. He raised a hand. She

couldn't tell if it was a greeting or a

couldn't tell if it was a greeting or a

measurement. The distinction, she was

measurement. The distinction, she was

beginning to understand, had never

beginning to understand, had never

mattered to the study. She walked home.

mattered to the study. She walked home.

The path was exactly the right length.

The path was exactly the right length.

The porridge waiting for her on her

The porridge waiting for her on her

mother's table was warm. Exactly right.

mother's table was warm. Exactly right.

She sat down and ate without asking who

She sat down and ate without asking who

had made it, or how they had known when

had made it, or how they had known when

she was coming, or why all her life

she was coming, or why all her life

everything made for her had fit so

everything made for her had fit so

perfectly. Comfort is not the absence of

perfectly. Comfort is not the absence of

danger. It is the most refined form of

danger. It is the most refined form of

it. The version calibrated so precisely

it. The version calibrated so precisely

to your body that you never feel the

to your body that you never feel the

seams. The house was built for you

seams. The house was built for you

before you were you. The only question

before you were you. The only question

worth asking is how many times you a

worth asking is how many times you a

walked that path believing you were

walked that path believing you were

unlooking for anything at all and what

unlooking for anything at all and what

exactly gets filed away when you find

exactly gets filed away when you find

it. Thank you for listening. If this

it. Thank you for listening. If this

story made you think, consider

story made you think, consider

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subscribing for more tales that look

beneath the surface of the familiar.

beneath the surface of the familiar.