2021
What a time to be alive. My breakfast greets me from the kitchen table. On my phone, articles about which celeb to cancel today keep me company while I eat my lonely meal. It's almost time to leave for the office when suddenly I remember. It was today. I sprint to the window and look out over the street. There he is, just coming around the corner. A snail.
Now this could have been any snail, but I don't like to take risks with this kind of thing. When I was 20 I'd made a deal with a strange man. I thought he was joking, but I've come to realize that he was not. He was dressed completely in black and wore shades too. The man offered me immortality. To live forever, to be able to see the course of history from now on with my own eyes, to be able to roam this earth into infinity. There was a catch, though. Forever, a snail would be chasing me, equal to me in immortality. And if it ever reaches me and touches me, my life would end. Would I accept this offer? You see, I thought he was not mentally alright and assumed he was lying or making it up. So I accepted. I'm 31 now and don't look a day older than 20.
And now I see its tiny dooming figure on the pavement.
Without hesitation, I shove my belongings in my backpack and swing it on my back. At the end of the street I could still see it. The snail. It wasn't my time yet, I could feel it. So I ran. I ran until I couldn't anymore. And then I took a flight to the other side of the world. As a fugitive of the end itself looking me right in the eye.
2103
'We are forever right?'
I look up and see in his eyes that he means it. He is truly in love with me. I wish I didn't have to lie about this, I wish I could be sincere. But I can't tell him.
'We are', I swallow the spit in my mouth. Slowly his eyes drift down towards my lips. His mind and mine seem to both go blank. It feels like we are the only people. His breathing slows down as he closes his eyes and leans in. I wonder if I do this because I love him or just because he loves me. If my feelings for him were true, I wouldn't want to make him go through the pain of losing me.
2104
Here lies y/n
A beautiful flower
In a world too harsh
Like a winter for
A rose
A bouquet of flowers lays on the cold stone of my grave. I watch from afar as a figure in a dark blue coat approaches holding a fresh one. He bows his head when he reaches the grave and I can see him shaking. Crying about his love that had ended too soon. But I can't let him know, because he'd find out and he'd be hurt in the end. It's better this way. He'll find someone else he can live a normal happy life with. Who can stay by his side and who he can grow old with together.
I wipe a tear from my left eye and look at my suitcase. It was time to move again. The snail will arrive somewhere this week according to my calculations.
2377
Another day had passed. This life is my first and hopefully my last, because I've seen enough. As an immortal you grow tired of this eternal environment that seems to change yet always stays the same. I turn 387 years old next week. The snail should've already found me 20 years ago. I've actually been chasing the snail these past 20 years. Every snail I see I touch, just in case that it is the one that will finally end my suffering.
It had been hard for me to leave the one I love time after time again and watch them die after having lived an unfulfilling life, like every other mortal around here. I used to think a human's end goal was to find 'The One' but being immortal, that is as good as impossible. My one is probably already dead. So I've spent my life writing, painting and working. Recently, I finished medical school and now I work as a doctor to help people, at least using this last leg of my long existence for something good.
The wind blows through the loose ends of my scarf while I walk to my car accompanied by my colleague. As always, we talk about work and we say our goodbyes for the weekend. Suddenly, completely out of the blue, he asks my to grab lunch with him tomorrow.
I've dated enough people to know what he means. I like him too, but it's hard not too already imagine the ending of this story.
'I'll take that as a yes?'
'Yea. Yeah sure. See you tomorrow!'
Ah shit, here we go again.
The next day, we promise to meet at a café in the city. I feel the cool autumn air against my cheeks and take a deep breath. There he is, waiting for me. My heart, apparently still not frozen, starts beating faster as I approach him.
'Hi! It's good to see you? Aren't you cold? We should go inside!'
I chuckle at his nervousness and throw him a shy smile. I had become an expert at this game.
Miraculously, he makes me feel things I haven't felt in years. The date goes well and we go on another. And another.
Our connection is unlike the others I've had. It's not physical. I feel like he understands me. Sometimes I wonder if I should tell him about my curse. I'm sure he would understand it.
Time goes on like this and we grow even closer. Close to the point that I invite him over to my house.
We aren't very touchy with each other so now he's over at my house, it's low-key awkward. A lot of sitting on the couch and drinking, making eye contact and quickly looking away again. Slowly but surely, as the conversation continues, we get more comfortable and get closer to each other. Now I should tell him.
'This is going to sound really really really weird. But please believe me?'
He is quiet for a second and hesitantly says 'okay? What is it?'
'I was born in 1990. I'm immortal and 387 years old', I blurt out.
He looks at me as if I was crazy. Of course he would. Why would I think he'd understand? I sound crazy.
'Hahaha just kidding! You should see the look on your face!', I try to save myself by covering it up as the worst joke of my life.
He inhales deeply, looks at me and says: 'Me too'.
Perplexed, my mouth falls open. There are others like me? And I've found one? This must be fate. Maybe the One does exist out there for me.
'You're kidding right', I answer still looking at him as if I'm looking at a ghost.
'I'm kidding as much as you are' He follows up, 'I've finally found you'
And suddenly I see a tattoo peaking out from under his collar. It's a snail.
