Chronostasis

THE OTHER SIDE

So today is the day, Lisa thought to herself while intensely staring at her reflection to convince it not to cry. No tears today, Mom needs you. She leaned forward and took a few seconds before splashing water in her face and leaving the bathroom. When she arrived at the door she rested her hand on the doorknob, put on a smile, and only pushed the knob down when she was sure it had reached her eyes.

"Good morning Mom!" she exclaimed like it was any other day.

The pale woman slightly turned her head towards her and let the cloudy eyes do the rest of the way. Her skin looked so brittle that Lisa feared it would crumble right of the bones.

"Good morning Dear. Come here!" the voice was a soft whisper and the hand barely raised, to reach out. Lisa rushed over to take it.

"I know today must be hard for you, but you don't have to worry, child. All the preparations are made and I am more than ready. Plus we can always meet on The Other Side."

Lisa's face flinched and for a second she lost the smile, just to double the effort of maintaining it right after. Her mother chuckled softly, ending in a cough.

"I know you don't like it, but please come visit. Your father is always complaining. He feels like you avoid him, not the place."

"You say father, but we both know it's not him."

"If it's not him they sure did a hell of a good job making it feel that way. Heck your brother never leaves the place anymore, that's how real it feels. I have to push him out once a day so he takes care of his body. If he had the money, I'm sure he'd be in a tube already."

Lisa couldn't help it anymore, making the disgust on her face undeniable, leading her mother to get that sad look in her eyes.

"I'll visit, I promise. I just..." the doorbell interrupted her, which she welcomed at first, but then she remembered who stood on the other side of that door.

THE OTHER SIDE was written across the sweater. Lisa looked up to see two smiling faces and a Worker Type Robot next to each other.

"Good Day, good Lady." the man said excitedly. "Is this the Lindours house?"

Lisa nodded.

"Wonderful. We are here for the ascension of Margrit Lindour. Where might we find the lucky lady?"

Lisa pointed at the door to her Moms room.

"Thank you." the man said and pushed past her through the door, followed by the second man carrying a huge bag. The Robot hauled a human sized metallic box up the stairs and through the door.

Lisas stomach began to feel light as if it wanted to fly out of her body, taking all of its content with it. She turned away, supporting herself on the wall.

After a few minutes one of the men tried to get her attention. His voice was noticeably less chipper than the one before.

"Ehm..., Ma'am? Excuse me Ma'am?"

She looked up to him.

"We are ready now. It is advised to have someone on The Other Side to make the transition as smooth as possible. Preferably someone who hasn't ascended already. Does she have a person waiting?"

Lisa nodded.

"Good, good. You also want to log in or you wanna come with me?" his voice got quieter at the end of the sentence, indicating the last was his least favorite option.

"I'll stay with her." was her answer despite that, and she followed the man back into the room.

Her Mom was logged in already, she couldn't even say goodbye. Tears quoll up in her eyes. She took her hands squeezing them like she hoped she could make her stay, not ready to let her go.