‘Cracking cheese, Gromit,’ said Wallace, as he poured himself another bowl of camembert. ‘I’ve been thinking’. Gromit folded his newspaper. ‘It’s a long time since you’ve had a proper holiday, lad, so I’m going to treat you to a staycation somewhere nice.’

‘Take a look at this,’ he said, putting a piece of paper on the table.

‘It’s our new venture,’ said Wallace, ‘from the Wallace VR-AI Labs. It’s French, you know, and it stands for Very, Remarkably, Absolutely Incredible. There’s nothing artificial or intelligent about our Labs.’

Wallace picked up the piece of paper and waved it about. ‘With this, you can have a holiday away from home without leaving your home! No trip too big, no package too small. We’ll accommodate one and all. It will be marvellous. Just wait there… I promise, you’ll see it when you believe it…’

He left the room, leaving Gromit alone with his thoughts. There was an awful lot of clattering and banging, as if Wallace was rearranging the pots and pans in the pantry. Gromit got up to go and have a closer look, in case he needed to help.

Wallace burst into the room, carrying a pile of metal contraptions, which he dropped proudly on the table. Gromit sat back down.

‘This is the exciting stuff, pup,’ beamed Wallace. ‘I’ve done away with all the complicated bits of holidays; you won’t need your passport, there’s nothing to pack, and you won’t have to go on any long journeys. You just pop one of these studio headsets onto your noggin, pull the levers, turn the knobs, and you’ll be whisked away to the land of your dreams before you can say another slice of wensleydale. It will be like going to the moon, only you don’t have to go anywhere.’

‘Pick a helmet, slide it on, and let your imagination do the rest. Don’t worry, they don’t bite.’

‘Don’t forget to come back though,’ he carried on. ‘It’ll be time for tea soon, and I’ve got a lovely bit of gorgonzola with your name on it.’

Helmets

Back Home

‘Welcome back, lad. I told you you’d have fun didn’t I! You look proper worn out. Why don’t you put the kettle on, and we’ll have a nice cup of tea. Oh, and fetch some crackers to go with that bit of gorgonzola.’

It had been a tiring day. Sometimes, only cheese and crackers will do.