The Trickster

•Distent•

I'm standing in the middle of a road, surrounded by skyscrapers. I can't remember if I've been here before. The architecture seems familiar but the rest of this place seems... off. There's no cars driving on the pavement or parked on the side of the road. I swing my head in all directions, but I can't seem to find any signs of life. I can't see anybody on the sidewalk, there are no birds looking for scraps or flying in the sky. The streets are too clean. There's no trash, I can't even spot a cigarette bud on the ground.

I close my eyes and take a second to listen to my surroundings, the only thing I can hear is my heartbeat but even that's off. It's faster than usual.

My lungs expand while taking a big whiff of air, primarily to calm myself down but I pick up something familiar. The scent is... sweet? I think it's hard to tell since the odour is so weak. Where is it coming from, and why do I recognize it?

My eyes stay closed but I'm on the move now, searching for the origin of the familiarity. When I turn the corner, the sound of people forces my orbs open. The city that was once deserted is now filled with life. There's so many people, in fact, I'm being pushed around the sidewalk. There's so much traffic that the cars are barely moving, the only thing they can do is honk at each other. There's only one thing that stays the same. Except for smelling gasoline, cigarettes or expensive cologne, the sweet aroma is so strong, it's the only thing I manage to concentrate on. The source of it must be nearby. I turn my head left and right not knowing what I'm looking for. I squeeze my way through the crowd trying to find a sign, or at least a clue.

I immediately stop walking when I see it.

On the other side of the street, I lay my eyes on a building that looks misplaced, an outcast of some sort. Surrounded by skyscrapers that I only presume are million dollar enterprises is a one story tall building. The brick walls are covered in a lair of pink paint. Behind the large window that covers most entrance is a variety of candy displayed for the public's eye.

My eyes glued on the window, I cross the street, not bothering to look both ways. The cars aren't moving anyways so what's the point? Once I reach the other side, the world  around me suddenly goes quiet. I'm not sure if everybody and everything simultaneously stopped making noise or if it's my mind that's too loud to even acknowledge my surroundings. My fingers curl into my hands, forming a fist. My sharp fingernails are digging into my skin. All the memories that this place is forcing me to recall is unbearable. It's hard to breathe when my blurry eyes look down at the colourful treats filled with sugar.

Every second that passes without my lungs filling up with air, my heart starts to pound my chest harder and harder.

Every instinct of mine is telling me to walk away, not to dig further into the sadness.

But I can't.....

I can't look away....

I can't breathe...

I can't scream..

I can't move.

I can't run!

It's like somebody is forcefully pinning me down, trying to torture me with my own mind. I can't hold it in any longer. The only comfort I have is the pain in my palms, but it's not enough to prevent me from crying. The tires that have been accumulating in my eyes are now escaping, running down my checks. The fists that I have created are now so tight that I can feel my blood leak through my fingers. The bottom of my lip starts to quiver.

"Please let me go" I say with a chartered voice to the invisible force that's keeping me in place.

Of course it doesn't listen to me. Why would it let me go, if it's whole point is to watch me suffer, to see me crack under the pressure. But there's a flaw to my logic. I have already "cracked", so why hasn't it let me go?