"It was perfect," Arjun whispered. He stepped out into the gray, smoggy streets of the city. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small, forgotten packet of real saffron powder he’d bought on a whim, and smeared a tiny, defiant streak of orange across the side of the metal booth.
"How was it?" the technician asked, already resetting the machine for the next customer. Holi Weekendzip
"The Weekendzip experience is 99.9% identical to the real thing," the technician promised, adjusting a dial. "Smell, touch, emotional resonance. We compress seventy-two hours of celebration into a six-minute neural burst. You'll wake up feeling refreshed, slightly hungover, and convinced you’ve been covered in magenta powder." Arjun sighed and pulled the visor down. "Do it." The world dissolved. "It was perfect," Arjun whispered