Energumenus

Four

Seconds ticked away as I waited for the pain, for something. But all around me was dark and nonexistent. It was like only my mind was still intact. 

Maybe I was dead.

Maybe I'd miraculously survived and only imagined this emptiness. Maybe in reality I was already on my way to the hospital.

I waited some more, scared, but excited. The initial fright was slowly beginning to fade, being replaced by an even greater fear and clearer thoughts. I knew I had to break through this somehow; I needed to see what had happened.

I barely noticed the subtle changes at first, but once I recognized the soft caress of a warm breeze and the melodious chirping of birds, I forced all my attention on them. And then, suddenly, I was back. 

I opened my eyes.

Above me was the blue sky of a summer morning. I lay on my back on lush green grass, overgrown but soft against my skin. Around me stood crooked apple trees, their green leaves aglow by the warm sunlight. To my right was a small weathered shed, slightly tilting to the side, and behind it high grass marked the border of the yard.

I recognized the place immediately, as I'd spent more days here than I could remember. But still I stared for many long minutes, confused and unsure.

It made no sense how I was suddenly at Aleksander's place on Saaremaa, when only moments ago I'd left my apartment in Tallinn. After another minute of speechless staring, I hesitantly got up. I still had my bag slung over my shoulder; noticing this, I quickly dug through it for my phone. The screen showed forty minutes past eight. Forty one.

Glancing toward the house I noticed that Sasha's mother's old Audi stood beside it, though I could not see anyone moving about. Light glinting off windows cast the rooms in shadows, making it too hard for me to see inside from this distance. Somehow I felt unsure if I should've gone and checked if she's home, or if I should've called someone - who? And what would I have told them? That I somehow travelled two hundred kilometres through time and space? 

A foreign sound escaped my lips - something similar to a broken laugh - as I looked one way and another, not knowing what I was supposed to do.

To my right, a creaking sound made by old wood cut through the relative silence. I flinched, turning sharply to look at the old shed. Its open door swung slowly on the rusty hinges, even though I could swear the old crooked nail had held it in place only moments ago. Against my better judgment, I gave in to the small voice telling me to take a closer look. It was like something pulled me there. 

The air under old eternit and years' worth of decayed leaves was pleasantly cool compared to the hot morning sun. The shed was just slightly wider than a metre, but all the shelves and boxes along the walls left little room to move. Then again it was about three times as long and thanks to the low doorway not much light got in. Hesitantly, I stepped forward, feeling a painful sting in my heart as my eyes surveyed all the junk.

Me and Sasha had often come here to look for tools, various materials or other trinkets to either build stuff or just play around. My fingers grazed a dusty shelf, stopping on the hilt of an old wooden sword. Tears began to blur my vision and I had to raise my head to stop them from running free. But doing so, I noticed something. 

Between me and the exit stood a dark figure, not more than two steps away. Startled, I jumped back, straining my eyes to see against the light and through my tears.

My pulse began racing, making my head spin.

. .. ... .... .. .... ... .. .

We once found a big cardboard box hidden under fishing nets in the attic at Sasha's place. Inside were many old books, tableware wrapped in newspapers, crochet doilies, albums and much more. Excited with our find, we began to dig through its contents, carrying the stuff all over the dusty attic. We were noisy enough for Sasha's mom to hear us from downstairs, so she came to make sure we weren't causing any troubles. Turned out the box must have held something really important, because her eyes widened and her tone was more than a little displeased when she asked us what we were doing. Her reaction startled me enough, so I couldn't give a good answer. I was young at the time and still basically a stranger to their home. I looked over at Sasha, but the boy stared up at his mother with the most innocent eyes.