Halcyon

Chapter 3

I remember the first time she explained to me what the box was.

I was sat in my usual place.

Her words made my heart leap.

I felt the potential to live in this room seep into my fingertips and up into my veins. I listened, realising what could become of this spark of hope amongst the shadows, a drop could extinguish it and I reckon she would happily let it rain if I messed up again. I heard the "thump, thump, thump" as she brought it down to me.

The box was the shape of a coffin and matte black, it was the perfect thing to bury me alive in. She beckoned me over to it.

Running my fingers over the top I felt the energy flowing out of it, not electrical, there were no wires. She took hold of my wrist and placed my palm in the centre. She never spoke, just deathly silence, the opposite of the box.

***

I stood in the centre of Times Square New York. My body seemed to slow down and everything else speed up, I looked around at all the people whizzing past me. Wandering aimlessly, I stumbled across a man.
He was sat cross legged on the edge of the path, he was staring off into the sky and I turned to see what I was looking at. A man, on a tightrope. He's concentration captivated me and I watched him walk from tree to tree. He glanced up and caught me staring.

Directly below him a blue dot appeared on the floor and then one at my feet, like the tightrope the glowing dots connected. I slowly stood up and started walking on the line. I felt the mans heart beat echo in my head. Entranced by the line I bent down to touch it, it snapped.

The man fell off the tightrope and hit the concrete below, hard. Horror filled my chest as the man who was sat behind me rushed forwards and turned the man over so he wasn't on his face. I knew without looking he was dead, I could feel it. I locked eyes with the man crouched next to the tightrope walker, a blue dot appeared at his feet. Not wanting to snap it, I glanced round at the onlookers of the scene, blue dots sat at their feet.

Within seconds I was stood in a web of glowing blue strings.

I ran, terrified of hurting anyone else. I stopped. Slowly turned round and looked at the snapping strings behind me, the dead lay littered at my feet, the strings snapped and broken.

***

Tears flowed down my face, I didn't realise I was getting out the box, but I was. I crawled into the corner, and cried, I killed them, it was my fault.