Serendipity. Se-ren-di-pi-ty. My favorite word. Even though I had zero idea what it meant.
Serene maybe? Or perhaps calm? I didn't have a clue. It was times like these I wish I wasn't surrounded by the darkness so much, then I would have access to a dictionary at least.
I closed my eyes. Out of reflex if nothing else. Closed or open it was pitch black all round. I opened my soul, numbing myself, feeling my worries and hopes grated down like stones washed by a constant wave.
Who am I? I asked myself
A happily injured boy I responded
Why would you be happy being injured? I inquired, feeling confused at the deduction.
Because now we don't have to worry about anything, now we can let go. I responded
Let go I whispered into the wind.
I would love to let go. Even in this drug induced slumber I could still feel some connection to the crushing world. A distant sob begging me to wake up, an angry voice screaming at lawyers to sue the person who had hit his son, and a rhythmic beep.
I let go again. The beep entered my space again, shrilling and screaming. A voice shouted for help. A plea joined the sounds.
Just a little more
I released even more, floating into a deeper void I wasnt sure I could get out of. I could almost feel the string at the small of my back, taut and ready to snap. Warning me of the consequences of my actions.
I released a little.
I felt the edge of the deeper void before I fell back down, dragged down and landed on the supposed ground.
"Why would you want to go?" The voice asked.
My heart simmered as I got up and flung my arms wildly at the voice in a state of madness.
"Dude calm down." He said.
I spun around. How did he get behind me?
"Who are you?" I asked moving slowly towards where I estimated him to be.
"I'm Aisling. And you?" He said, his voice dripping with more sugar than I could take.
I balled my fists and raised it up about to blow when the voice rang out, in a totally different location this time.
"Just think about the place getting brighter."
I paused and considered his words before picturing light filling the room and letting me see where exactly that annoying voice was coming from. And just like that, the void became bright, blinding my eyes with the sudden change in contrast.
I peeked through closed eyes at the figure that stretched calmly.
His shiny black hair stuck out the most, clashing with the immaculate foreground. He took a sigh of relief and lay down on the floor. "Ahhhh at last," He started to make an imaginary snow angel on the ground. "Five days of dream hopping finally paid off."
I glared at the idiot who seemed not to even care that I was standing here with rage at my precious dark being taken away.
"What do you want?" I cried stomping like a three year old after a toy.
I crouched down, looking at him with the best puppy dog eyes. "Why would you want to die?" He asked with a straight face.
"Because there's nothing left?" I replied in reflex
"How are you so sure? Your parents and friends want you to stay." He replied getting into a sitting position.
I jerked back instantly, narrowly avoiding his forehead colliding with mine. "Don't move like that you dick."
He shivered and looked like he was suffering from a convulsion. "Can you not curse? It makes me sick."
I cackled. "Really now?"
He shivered again. "Why do you look like a plotting villainess?"
My eyebrows twitched in fury. "Why you little motherfuckingassholebitchface*****cunt."
He screamed and ran off into the distance screaming something about his dignity being violated. I laughed in victory and turn my back to contemplate on just how to make this place dark again when I felt something sticky place on my lips.
I tapped my face and spun around to see Aisling staring seriously at me. I ripped the duct tape off my lips and was about to scream another profanity when he spoke.
"Orion Miller. Age: 20. Last week you were hit by a truck on your way out of campus." He looked at me with pity before continuing. "And you are now in a coma which the doctors say it's up to you to decide if you live or die."
I trembled, both out of fear and out of anger. "What are you? An angel of death or something?"
His features softened a bit. "Like I said before, I'm Aisling and am a lucid dreamer."
Play along. And when you get the chance escape.
"There's nothing dreamlike here." I said warily.
His hands spread out and he did a little spin. "This is your brain," He looked at me again. "And dreams are made of the brain and the heart."
I nodded not buying this shit at all.
He twiddled with his fingers. "I know it seems like there's nothing really worth living for but I can show you that there is."
I laughed bitterly. "How? Through my past and my future if I died and if I chose not to die?"
He rolled his eyes. "No. Through your dreams."
With the way he drew out the last bit, I was half-expecting fireworks and confetti.
"Do you agree Orion?"
I shrugged. "What do I have to lose."
I'll still choose to die anyways.
"That's great" He said. And just like that he vanished, the room melting away until I was falling and crashing through clouds. "Lets make you wanna live again okay?"
