Short Stories

True Happiness

UNEDITED

The scent of the various cooked meats slowly dissipated, the view of the food court slowly vanishing until it disappeared from my peripheral vision. "That was so delicious... I loved it!" Beside me was my girlfriend, Fay, who's fingers are intertwined with mine. I nodded, the taste of our lunch lingering at the back of my tongue. The chilly, mall air around us lulled me into my head, the chatters of the crowd dissolving into nothing but blurred static.

As we passed by the mall entrance, I caught glimpses of the warm tinted surroundings. The grass is not the same vibrant green hue anymore, and even the trees are starting to transform. From the corner of my eye, a colorful leaf broke off from its branch, swaying in the wind. It went down, drifting lower, and lower, until-

"Phil?" A voice broke out from all the gray sound, beckoning me out of my thoughts. I turned my head, gazing at her dirt brown irises. "Hey, are you alright? You've- you've been spacing out ever since the day started." I pressed my lips into a thin line, my forehead cold with sweat. A string of words tumbled out of my lips, which were only incoherent mumbles to me.

"...back home...'d like? ...bit... lightheaded." I let out a puff, her voice sounding distant. The echoes clashed, wandering about in my head, but I managed to catch a couple of words. "Nghh, no no. It's fine. I can... go on." Fay looked behind- no, she was shaking her head. She opened her lips, but nothing came out. Wait, no, is she... Talking to me?

I placed a hand on my head. Everything felt... hot... and cold. A foreign feeling rose up to my throat, echoes bouncing all around me. Wait... since when did the ground get so close to me? A silhouette was in front of me... No, several silhouettes are... I heard a laugh, or a sob? Why do I feel so light? Mrghh, my mind is a mess. Everything felt blurry... It... where.... am I...?

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Soft... My eyelids felt heavy, the glaring white walls staring back at me. Huh? I forced my eyes open, my senses clearing up. A window was showing the city landscape on my left, accompanied by a tall, plotted plant with long, pointy, dark green leaves. Some sort of tank was beside the headboard, and it had a tube connecting to it.

Am I...? I looked to my right, seeing a complicated looking machine along with a dark green screen. Wait, is that a heart monitor? Moving my shoulders back, I applied force on my elbows, trying to stand up, but I only managed to land back on the bed, my entire body feeling weak. Wasn't I in a mall just now? Where's Fay?

I sighed, trying to recall what happened. Fay and I went to the mall for our date, then we went to the clothing store, toy store, then after we just finished eating our lunches in the food court, we were going to the... What store was it? The... Arcade, right. Then, I came up with a blank. Weakly putting a hand up to my face, I felt a breathing mask on it. Oh... OH! Fay was with me when-

"Oh gosh..." I let my hand plop back to my side, an unpleasant feeling bubbling in my chest. So she experienced my episode, in the middle of the mall, during our date. Oh no, oh gosh she doesn't even- "Mr. Tyson." I flinched, looking at the front. In front of the door stood my doctor. "Oh, Doctor Flint. Did I...?" He nodded, confirming my worries.

"The ambulance was called to Ruby Mall, the caller testifying that you collapsed and threw up. By the time you got here, you were unconscious, and your skin started to swell and redden, so we took you to the ER." I nodded as he looked down onto his papers.

"According to our examination, it seems like you had another episode. However, this time, the attack seems to have caused more irritation to your kidneys, worsening your condition." My... condition? I felt my throat dry, the world turning into nothing but mere static.