Anna In The Garden

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29

Anna could not say that she had become used to it, the constant flashes of situations that she both remembered and had no knowledge of, but the frequency of the images had caused a kind of acceptance. Even now, as she suffered the tiresome, tortuous morning ablutions, she could 'see' the many other times that the very same things had occurred.

She tried, almost with desperation, to keep her experiences hidden from the watchful eyes of Nursey. If nothing else, Anna felt the need to keep these hallucinations to herself, through fear of Nursey's reaction and the imminent threat of 'sterilisation' that she knew, deep down, came with her reacting to the images.

And so, despite the flood of visions, the feelings of becoming overwhelmed, she steeled herself at every opportunity. Only while alone could she attempt to make sense of the images. Only then could she find the tiniest possibility that she could relax and allow the thoughts and visions to pass before her eyes.

Upon the cessation of afternoon studies, welcoming the time to herself afforded to her by Nursey, she retired to her room and attempted to call the girl to her once more. The only time, in recent days, that the visions had receded, was in the company of Ken and she so wanted to have that calm, that eye of the storm, once again.

Alas, regardless of how much she begged and pleaded, wished and hoped, she could not call the girl to her. It was on rare occasions that Anna would suffer headaches, but she felt one niggling inside her head in this moment. With her legs crossed upon the bed, hands resting in her lap, she wondered if she tried too hard.

When the press of the visions threatened to overwhelm her once more, she fell back against her pillows, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands. She had tried. Tried so hard to put on the brave face that Mother and Father would expect of her, but she could not continue much longer. She believed herself at the very border of her strength.

"Stress levels climbing." The indistinct voice caused her to snap upright once more.

"Oh, no! No! No! No!" She had not heard those voices for days. The strange voices that spoke with words beyond Anna's comprehension.

She clutched at her bed covers, looking around, finding comfort in the familiarity of her surroundings. She had not returned to the dark. She remained within the confines of her home. Within her room. She did not feel the lukewarm liquid. Did not feel her throat invaded by something unseen and vulgar.

"Compensate. Increase sedation ten percent." The words boomed and echoed in Anna's head, yet felt like a whisper, as though heard from a great distance.

"Should we inform the Director?" That voice, the female, sounded concerned.

"No. You heard him. Just monitor the situation and write it in the report." That one, male, did not seem to share the other's concerns. "It's just daydreaming."

Anna fell from the bed, throwing her arms about her face. She could not return to that casket. She could not suffer again the feelings of claustrophobia. She could not! Huddled in the corner of her room, a feeling of familiarity in the position washing over her, she clamped her eyes closed and begged for the girl with her entire being, body and soul.

"Anna?" A familiar voice fell upon her ears, clear and distinct.

Her hands felt cold upon a smooth surface and her back pressed up against a wall that felt as cold and featureless. With trepidation, she began to open her eyes, fearing what she may see. Even without seeing anything, she knew this was not in her home. After some time, she allowed her eyes to open into the almost blinding light, where she saw a figure.

"Ken!" Dressed in unfamiliar clothing, the girl gaped towards Anna as Anna jumped to her feet, throwing herself towards the girl she now considered her saviour. "I knew you would come! I knew it!"

"Anna, how are you here? How are you even doing this?" Ken pulled away, holding Anna's shoulders, looking to the side where a woman stood, looking confused. "How many impossible things are going to happen around here?"

"What is it? You look like you're holding something. Are you seeing things?" The woman, dressed as Ken, in some kind of apparel that Anna had never seen, all white and in one continuous design, furrowed her brow as she looked at Anna's friend. "Has losing connection to Thought-Scape affected you? We need to get out of here. Now!"

"What is this place?" Looking around, Anna found herself in the strangest of environments.

A room, lit so bright with odd, tube-like things attached to the ceiling, square in formation and with little in the way of luxury. The walls, stark and grey, appeared made of Portland cement yet of a far more smooth concoction. Nothing adorned the walls, except metal cupboards with more of the single piece outfits that Ken and the other woman wore.

For certain, Anna was no longer at home, though how she had travelled to this place escaped her. The only thing that redeemed the vision was that she no longer suffered the procession of images within her mind. The room, as bare and functional as it appeared, remained only this room. Nothing else flickered and flashed before her eyes.

"Anna, this is the Real. The real world. This is where you really are. You mean you still don't know? You don't recognise it?" Ken looked into Anna's eyes, searching for understanding, it would appear.

"Anna? You're talking to Anna?" The other woman looked around the space before Ken, hand reaching out. "She's dived into your implant? This is incredible! I need to take some readings!"

"Who is that? And why are you dressed so? Are you working in a laboratory of some kind? Father often spoke of gentlemen of the sciences wearing odd clothing in order to perform their experiments." In an odd way, Anna felt more comfortable, here, than she had at home for days. The mere presence of Ken calming her mind. "I would most assuredly care to know how I came to this place."

The woman had removed some contraption from a bag dangling across her chest. Placing it upon Ken's disgruntled head, the woman then removed something else, a flat, rectangular object and then began a furious tapping upon it, as though playing a piano with a single finger.

"That's my sister, Kontessa. Can you touch anything? Other than me? What do you see?" Ken caught Anna's hand, yet it did not feel substantial. It felt almost like holding a thick cloud.

At Ken's words, Anna began to examine her surroundings with greater intensity. As she observed the room, she saw that it did not appear as fully formed as she first believed. Everything behind Ken had the appearance of something out of focus, yet everything before her had an almost uncanny clarity. As Ken looked at Anna, the woman, Ken's sister, remained distinct, but her single piece clothing became blurred.

Releasing Ken's hand, Anna reached out to the woman. As Ken's eyes followed her, the woman's clothing became more distinct, taking on texture and detail, as did the area of the room in that direction. Hesitating, Anna tried to touch the woman and her hand passed through her as though she did not exist.

"This is quite impossible! Am I now the ghost within your dreams, Ken?" Anna stepped back, rubbing her hand. She had found a serenity in the presence of Ken, now that peace almost shattered. "Or is this yet another of my own dreams, though I doubt even the imagination of Mary Shelley could fathom such a strange place."

"I don't know, Anna. I'm sorry. But, if anyone can figure it out, it's Kontessa." Ken looked, once again, to her sister, a questioning look appearing upon her face.

"Nothing. I'm registering nothing." The woman, Kontessa, scowled towards Ken. "There's nothing there. Nothing at all."

That would seem unlikely. Anna, she felt certain, was in fact here. Although, she had to admit, the situation was far from that of normal, she maintained that this had to be the dream and not, as Ken had continued to insist, her home. That, and only that, was the only possible explanation.