Trapped

Chapter Five

January 7, 2060

I can't trust myself, but these notes must be real. I can touch them, I can move them, they are really here. Maybe it's not me who is going crazy, but it's my mother. I think about all the notes and wonder if she could've written all of them. It can't be, she seemed as bright as ever when I last saw her. There is no chance she would do this. I start to shout: 'Show yourself! Just show yourself if it's really you!' I stop for a moment and look around in the kitchen, I should grab something in case someone is there. The kitchen table is completely empty besides the note. The kitchen counters are fairly empty as well. It almost looks as if the kitchen hasn't been used in a while. I use the flashlight of my phone to look around. The marble counter tops shine as if they are brand new, the same holds for the cabinets underneath. Maybe my parents hired a maid again, they were never the people to clean the house themselves. There must be some cutlery in one of the drawers. I slowly move backwards towards the counter, keeping my sight on the kitchen door. I'm about to open a drawer when I hear a voice coming from the hall. 'It's me David, let me help you get out of here. Just follow my instructions.' It's the sound of my mother's voice. I rush back to the kitchen door to greet her. I stare into the hall. 'Mother, where are you?' There is no answer. 'Mother! Please, I need you!' Once again, I'm greeted by a silence. Several seconds pass, I don't know what to do. All of a sudden, the voice returns. 'I can't talk, they will find out. Follow the signs David.' I gaze into the distance, her voice fades into the back of my mind. I can't decipher what it means.

It feels as if my mind is split in two. The notes and her voice feel incredibly real, but I can't trust myself in this situation. I should call Doctor Eckhardt. He once told me to call whenever I feel lost or confused. I wonder why he used those exact words, perhaps he knew I would feel lost at some point. I go back into the kitchen and close the door behind me, I keep my eye on the door just in case something happens. I take out my phone and open the contact list. I must decide quick since the battery is almost dead. The doctor is listed under his full name, John Eckhardt. I start to doubt my decision, is this really the time to call him? My thumb hovers the screen, it only takes one touch to call him and sort this out. But what if he just said it to make me feel better, maybe he doesn't want me to call him. I think about my options and wonder if I have any. I'm having a hard time coming up with solutions, as I'm still processing what just happened. I see no other solutions, my thumb hits the screen and the phone starts to ring. I wait for Doctor Eckhardt to pick up, the phone has rung seven times and I start to doubt he will pick up. As I'm about to hang up, I hear a crackle on the line. A raspy voice greets me with a hello. 'Doctor, is that you?' I ask hesitantly. 'Yes David, I wasn't expecting a call. What is the matter?' I'm uncertain what to say to him, I should've thought about this before I called. 'I'm having a hard time distinguishing what is real and what is not. I think I might be hallucinating since you have given me a new prescription.' Doctor Eckhardt sighs and takes a pause. 'This is a very real issue, can you tell me what you have been seeing?' I figure there is no going back at this point, I should tell him what I've seen and heard. 'I woke up at my parents' house and have been seeing and hearing things that seem impossible. I keep finding cryptic notes, supposedly from my mother, and I found that every book in my dad's bookcase is blank.' The doctor blurts out a 'what!' He quickly coughs and lowers his voice. 'I can assure you these are hallucinations, you are not supposed to see these things. I would recommend going to bed and forgetting about what you've seen. I have to go now, bye.' The phone clicks and the conversation is over. The doctor seemed agitated, as if the news bothered him greatly. I know I can't go to bed like this, something still doesn't feel right.

I'm completely sunken in thoughts as I lean against the kitchen table. Even though the doctor assured me it were hallucinations, something felt off about his phrasing. The unrest in his voice and the sudden leaving makes me think something is wrong. I called Doctor Eckhardt in order to regain grasp of the situation, but it has not helped at all. I need to devise a plan, something that will give me a way to distinguish what is real and what is not. The only thing I can trust are my thoughts, the ability to rationally think about what is happening is my strongest weapon at this point. I start to scour the kitchen drawers and cabinets for things I can use. I need something to communicate, like a marker or a book. The kitchen seems to have nothing of the sorts. Each cabinet or drawer is filled with standard kitchen equipment: plates, cups, cutlery and some towels. There must be something useful in dad's office. I walk to the kitchen door and slowly open it, I look around the room. Nothing or no one is there. I make my way towards the office, the door is still open from when I last left it. I go through the door and close it behind me. The note I saw earlier is no longer on the door. I look around the floor but I can't see it anywhere. The rest of the room seems unchanged. The Somnium book is still on the desk, the other books I took out of the bookcase are stacked next to it. I might be able to use these books since all the pages are empty anyway. I can't contain a smile after that thought, it's all too ridiculous. I open a desk drawer looking for a pen, to my surprise I find something better, a flashlight. A bright blueish cone of light fills the room when I press the button, finally something I can use. Now I need to set out a test that will verify what I have seen and heard. The idea that I'm testing my own credibility feels strange. I won't be happy with either result. Either I'm seeing things that are not there or there is something mysterious going on. I should get this over with quick.

'I'm going to ask some yes or no questions, if you can answer them correctly I will believe that you are my mother.' My words are absorbed by the walls. I have no clue if it is heard by anyone, I can't even believe I'm doing this. I place the flashlight in the middle of the desk and say: 'To answer yes, turn on the flashlight once. To answer no, turn on the flashlight twice.' It's a ridiculous test, that I've only seen work in films, but it will give me some comfort to see that nothing happens. I haven't thought about all the questions yet, since I doubt this whole situation. 'The first question: Is your name Juliet Sarah?' The flashlight should turn on twice, my mother's second name is not Sarah, but Marie. I stare at the flashlight, waiting for something to happen. I start to feel calmer with every second that passes. But then it happens. The switch flicks back and forth causing the flashlight to create a quick flash of light. After a small pause, it happens again. I look at the flashlight in disbelief. I wasn't ready for this plan to actually work, but I need to continue. I have to make sure there is no doubt that this is truly my mother. My voice trembles. 'As a child, we used to sing a song together called this is my world. True or false?' I used to be extremely scared of the dark, my mother would sing this song to calm me down. She promised it would be our secret. I focus on the switch from the flashlight. One single flick of the switch will determine whether I will follow her or not. I notice I'm breathing quite heavily in anticipation of something to happen. Each second feels like an eternity, but my eyes never leave the switch. With a forceful click, the flashlight turns on. After a brief second, it switches off again. I wait, five seconds, ten seconds. But there is no second flash. My hands are shaking and my heart rate is ever increasing. 'It's really you.' I whisper. My words are heard, I am greeted by a soft voice from my mother. 'It's me David, now go.' My mind is set, I need to follow her. No doctor or prescription can take this away from me. This is real.

I have an enormous amount of questions, but there was a sense of urgency in my mother's voice. There has to be an explanation for this situation. I grab the flashlight from the desk and walk towards the door. She told me to follow the signs, if only I knew what those were. I turn on the flashlight and open the door. I move the cone of light across the hall, everything still seems to be in place. I direct the light towards the floor, there appears to be a marking near the stairs. I can't quite make out what it is, I will have to get closer. My steps are cautious as I walk towards the stairs, using my flashlight to investigate the remainder of the hall. The marking on the ground seems to be an indicator of sorts. I crouch down and use the flashlight to look at the marking. It represents an arrow, made of dark red paint which is barely visible on the brown hardwood floor. It seems to be pointing to the left. I look up and point the flashlight in the exact direction of the arrow, it's the wall across the stairs. As I approach the wall, the flashlight starts to flicker a couple of times. I wonder what I'm supposed to see here, it's just a wall. I run the flashlight from left to right, as I reach the right corner something glistens. It seems to be a silver handle, I don't think I have ever seen it before. The closer I get the clearer it becomes, I guess it's not just a wall after all. I reach out towards the silver handle and push it down. A door indistinguishable from the wall opens up. I give the door a push to open it all the way. I feel anxious to look inside, not knowing what I will find. I shine into the dark hole and find a steep set of stairs going down. There seems to be another marking on top of the stairs, it's an arrow pointing down. My feet are in the door opening, I peek down the stairs and notice a dim orange light on what seems to be the bottom of the stairs. I have to go down, I have to find out what's going on.

With my feet carefully placed on each step, I slowly make my way down the stairs. After ten steps, I hear the door close behind me. I look back at the door and use my flashlight to see what happened. I find that there is no handle on the inside. There is no going back now.