Disclaimer
This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
-NW

Tommy was your typical long-haired 6' 2" college dropout who was hooked on psychedelics and hung out with the coolest of the hippies during the late 1960s. A free spirit without family ties and unemployed except for taking odd jobs ever once in a while, Tommy loved to hitch-hike across America to music festivals such as Monterey Pop and Woodstock. Endowed with a muscular torso and the gift of gab, Tommy had the pleasure of engaging in dozens of one night stands with a bevy of beautiful women who fell under his spell.

In the spring of 1970, as protests over the Vietnam War were reaching a tragic climax at Kent State University and other college campuses, Tommy ingested one of his psychedelic concoctions that put him into a deep coma that stopped his brain wave activity but did not kill him. The medics who attended to Tommy were puzzled. Clinically, he should be considered dead, but wasn't. He was transported by ambulance to an unidentified hospital run by one of America's alphabet agencies where they kept him in this state for 50 years.

The spell broke in 2020. What shocked Tommy back to conscious reality is anybody's guess. His physical features had not changed during the entire time he was in a coma. When he opened his eyes, he was met by an attending doctor, a nurse, and an orderly.

When he awoke, Tommy asked, "Where am I, doc?"

"Hi, Tommy. I'm Dr. Wilson. You're in a special hospital run by the Agency. We have been waiting for you to snap out of your coma. You have been asleep for 50 years."

"What??? The last thing I remember it was 1970 and America was fighting the Vietnam War. What year is it now?"

"It's the year 2020 and you haven't aged a single day since you lost consciousness. You look exactly how you looked when you entered our hospital."

"I've been in a coma for FIFTY years??? Really? I want to be discharged from this hospital and return to society as soon as possible."

"Relax, son. You'll be released once you undergo a thorough medical checkup that you are physically fit AND we provide you with a new identity and instructions on how to cope in today's world. A LOT has changed over the years and you need to know about those changes."

"New identity? Why do I need a new identity? And what has changed?"

"You past life under your birth name is associated with repeated arrests due to possession and ingestion of illegal drugs such as LSD. It's best that you begin life anew without those arrest records linked to your name. Understand?"

Tommy nods his head affirmatively.

"We will provide you with a new identity, a new set of clothes, several credit cards, and prepaid lodging at a nearby motel for the next 30 days. Your hair will be cut and styled in a manner that gives you a modern, contemporary look. Unlike the earlier era that you were accustomed to, most businesses and everyday functions today are run using computer technology, and one of our technicians will train you what you need to know. You will also be fitted with a N95 face mask."

Tommy asks, "Why the mask? I've never worked in the building and construction business."

"You'll need it to enter stores and restaurants, fly on airplanes, and move about freely in town. And be sure to stand 6 feet apart from another person. There's a dangerous and deadly coronavirus impacting the entire world, and precautions are being enforced to protect everyone's health. That's the law."

"Huh? I survived the Hong Kong Flu epidemic that circled the globe in 1968 and 1969 and killed tens of thousands of people. I attended music festivals where music lovers congregated together and nobody wore face masks or were subjected to those kind of restrictions. I also was a child who survived without a problem during the influenza outbreak of the late 1950s. I don't get it."

Dr. Wilson picked up and spoke into his cell phone, "Jackie, come into room 666 and bring your iPad computer with you. We need to demonstrate some vital information that our patient needs to know."

Within a few minutes of the call, Jackie entered the hospital room and placed the iPad on a small table next to the patient's bed. Tommy rubbed and squinted his eyes several times and stared at the screen. The nightly news program was being aired and the newscaster was presenting a report about COVID-19. The film footage depicted the brutal arrest of a woman by a police officer for not wearing a face mask. She was shown being forcibly dragged and handcuffed on the sidewalk. The reporter then switched to coverage about the closure of bars and restaurants by a governor who also recommended that Americans not hold large family gatherings for Thanksgiving and wear face masks at home. Finally, there was a discussion among several panelists who debated whether it was safe to send children back into schools.

Tommy cried out in amazement, "Are these people crazy, or did I just awake from a bad acid trip?"