Anna In The Garden

39

39

She screamed until her throat became as though filled with thorns and spikes. She could not understand how she could feel that pain, in this ephemeral form, but she could. The sight of her own face within that metal casket had caused every fear, every ounce of terror she had held inside, to erupt. It brought back memories of the nightmare. Of laying within tepid, viscous liquid and the voices in the dark.

Opening her eyes, she saw nothing. The bland, grey of the room, with desks of flashing lights, had fallen into darkness. With the darkness came the sense of feeling alone, the sense that everyone had gone, disappeared. Ken, Kontessa, even the grey haired man. Until she felt a hand reach out to her and she knew it was Ken.

"Anna? Anna, I need you to calm down. Everything is alright. You're alright." Ken's voice, calming and controlled came to Anna's ears and another hand searched for her own. "Please. Breathe. Breathe and try to relax."

Such a state felt difficult to achieve. She had surprised even herself at how calm she had accepted the circumstances she had found herself in. Finding Ken and her sister in this dull, dour world was strange, in the extreme, yet none-more-strange than her lack of fear. Now she felt that fear and realised she had tamped it down, deep inside.

Gripping Ken's hand, she tried to control her breathing, closing her eyes, drawing air in through her nose, releasing it from her mouth. After some time, she opened her eyes again to see light returning to the room. That light also brought the metal casket to her sight. The lights flickered.

"That cannot be me. That is not who I am!" She stared at the casket as Ken attempted to catch her eyes. "I am not some monster, formed not birthed. I am not."

"No. You're not a monster. You're a sweet, beautiful girl. But this, in this unit, it is you. I found you, Anna, just as I said I would." Ken squeezed Anna's hand and looked into the glass porthole of the casket. "The tubes are almost extracted. You'll be waking up soon and I'll be right here for you. I promise."

"Remarkable." The grey haired man had moved over to the benches holding the strange equipment, staring at a roll of paper ratcheting from the machines. "She even has control over analogue devices. I never dreamed of such a thing! Never. The readings are incredible."

"We don't have time for reviewing findings!" Snapping at the man, Kontessa joined Anna and Ken. "I thought, perhaps you were something like those creatures. I couldn't be certain, that's why I didn't want to say anything, to worry you. But, look, you're beautiful! As beautiful as this projection I'm looking at."

Kontessa pointed to the face inside the metal casket and Anna had to admit the similarities to her own face, only without her tight, golden curls upon the head. As Anna looked at the face, her face, the eyes flickered and Anna experienced a strange feeling. A feeling of becoming drawn away. Once again, fear threatened to swallow her and she tried to tighten her grip upon Ken's hand, only for her hand to pass through that of her friend's.

"What is happening? I feel as though I am fading away!" Panic began to surge through her and, once again the lights in the room dimmed, flickering. Yet Ken's face remained calm, offering her a comforting smile.

"You're waking up, Anna. You're like a butterfly, emerging from your cocoon." Now Ken appeared to fade, along with her voice, becoming mist-like and distant. "We'll be here, waiting for you."

She sat bolt upright, shivering, shaking. Opening her eyes, it felt as though she opened them for the first time. Everything appeared sharp and filled with colour. She drew in great, gasping breaths and that, too, felt as though she had never breathed before, the air rushing like a chill wind into her lungs. Holding her fingers up before her face, she saw the thick, viscous liquid sloughing from her and she could feel the liquid trickle down, past her wrists to arms encased in some strange, tight and grey fabric. Fabric that covered her entire body, she observed as she touched her chest, arms and legs.