Muffin

You pick the muffin. She lowers her hand to your mouth and puts the muffin in your open mouth (you were drooling at her anyway.)

As you close your mouth, the muffin practically melts on your tongue, and its insides consisting of warm, soft, delicious chocolate leak into your mouth, creating a euphoric feeling. This ain't no ordinary muffin.

"How do you like it, darling?" Grace asks. "It tastes divine," you reply.

"That's because it IS divine," Aphrodite says. "I've had Grace pamper you, to put you in a state of mind that allows you to hear and accept the shocking truth.

"I do feel pampered," you say with a grin on your face, as Grace starts massaging your shoulders. You now feel curiosity, rather than anxiety, at the prospect of hearing the shocking truth.

"Very well," Aphrodite says. "No use beating around the bush anymore. I can feel you are ready to accept the full truth."

"To put it bluntly, your planet was destroyed and no longer exists. Earth is gone. Or at least, the original version."

You don't like it to hear it. But you can deal with it, especially since Grace now seems to be kissing and licking your ear. One of the many new sensations you've experienced today. And you can feel that there is more to the story.

"Go on," you say.

"Believe me, I was devastated when I heard the news," Aphrodite continues. She grabs a tissue and dabs her eyes with it. "I always had a soft spot for Earth. I tried my best to stop them - the civilization that demolished your planet, that is. Not much civilized about them."

"As soon as I got wind of their plans, I enlisted the help of an intergalactic time-travelling adventurer - a bit like Inspector Whom, or whatever that guy on your 'TV' is called - to stop them. But it was too late, even for a miracle worker like him. All he could do was make a back-up of Earth as it was in the early 21st century, a few days before Demolition. I shall henceforth refer to this back-up as 'Earth 2.0'."

You take a moment to process this information, as Grace is giving you a hickey. A bit inappropriate to the context and outdated, perhaps, but she is succeeding in making you feel better.

"How did I manage to make it out alive?" you finally ask.

"You didn't," Aphrodite bluntly answers. "Or rather - not the original version of you."

Another pause.

"I see," you say. "So I'm part of the copy?"

"I wasn't expecting you to grasp it so quickly," Aphrodite says. "Yes, you are an identical copy of a person who existed in the early 21st century and who died during the Demolition. You share his DNA, genome, hopes, dreams, memories, personality, history etc."

"I see. What about the others?"

"Your family members, old school friends, acquaintances... basically, everyone who was alive a few days before the Great Demolition has a copy of them walking around on Earth 2.0."

"OK," you say. "Can I ask you a question? Why tell me all this? Wouldn't it be better if I didn't know I was a fake person with fake memories, surrounded by other fake people with fake memories? Wouldn't it be better if everyone just lived in ignorant bliss instead?"

"You make an astute observation," Aphrodite says, "but there is more to it. I'm afraid I had **** but to inform you, since you are a rather special case, and I'm gonna need you. Are you ready to get your mind blown?"