The Mustard Seed

The world is changing. It all started with mindfulness becoming more popular. People started meditating, practicing yoga and tai chi, lucid dreaming. And as a side effect they started to notice the glitches in reality.

Parallel to that were the developments in technology. First the Internet and WiFi and virtual reality goggles, then the chips inserted in their brains to allow virtual reality without googles and WiFi without routers.

It took them a while to notice the Amish in virtual reality. Everyone knew the Amish did not have chips nor VR goggles, and yet there they were taking care of their virtual horses. How did they get there? Oh, through mindfulness, paying enough attention, finding the crack in reality, and slipping through it into VR.

It was not long after that that Benjamin Truce transported his virtual violin into reality. And because that was so easy he continued practicing it until he found that he could actually move mountains. Both virtual and real ones in and out of reality. Religious movements immediately sprung up declaring that he must be either the second coming of Christ or the Anti-Christ. In vain Benjamin protested that he was not Christ at all, since he was Jewish not Christian. In response to which his followers reassured him that so had the first Christ, and they didn't hold that against him. Benjamin decided he had enough of them, and escaped through a hole in reality.

He had not checked the destination though, and what he entered was neither reality nor virtual reality.