Lost Connections

Day One

“Chris.”

I stand up from where I kneel on the cold, muddy ground, my knees constantly threatening to numb as the rushing wind stings through the waterlogged fabric of my jeans. The airy tone of the voice calling out my name resides in my ear, ringing faintly as its presence looms over my brain… I’ve heard this voice before.

“Chris.”

“Dad?” 

I whip around, frantically scanning what is possible to see of the area around me, my vision limited by a heavy mist that falls across the muddy plain.

“Dad?”

I call again, flailing my hands in front of my body in attempt to clear the obstructing mist which sets cleanly around where I stand, almost in a perfect circle. I move forwards towards the sound of the voice, tensing every muscle in my upper back as I prepare to break through the abyss of mist, but am suddenly stopped in my tracks. It’s as if there’s something calling out to my brain, warning me not to step foot in the wavering white shield.

I step back, searching with my gaze around the outskirts of the small space, but the only thing that comes across my field of vision is a giant pile of dripping mud in which I had been knelt short moments ago, observing a six foot deep trench hand dug into the soft ground.

“Chris…”

“Dad? Where are you?” My nerves start to tense as I call out again, a call responded only with the eerie gusting of the cold wind.

“Dad?”

“CHRISTOPHER!”

Every nerve in my body suddenly contracts at the booming yell, jolting my entire body upwards, and my eyes open as I immediately snap awake.

“Aw look who’s awake, good morning sunshine.”

My vision slowly clears as I'm quickly sucked back into the brightness of reality. I lift my head up from where it lies on a downy pillow, observing the presence of daylight around me… and a sarcastic Andy standing at the foot of my bed.

I groan as I pinch my fingers between my eyes, closing them tightly to block out the piercing light, “What time is it?”

“It’s 1 pm.” He replies, sounding entirely unamused. “I brought your laundry for you by the way - all nice and clean. I hope you’re pleased.”

The weight of a large pile of warm clothes hits my head with a muted ‘thunk’. I manage to murmur a muffled “Thank you” as the weight of the pile pushes me down in its path to my bed.

Almost at once, the intoxicating aroma of dryer sheets surrounds me. I inhale deeply, allowing the fresh scent to quickly engulf my senses. Strong feelings of pleasure sparked by the aroma flow throughout my entire body, coursing through my nerves and rushing to every extremity in a feeling of bliss. I let myself sink back into my pillow, soaking in the comforting heat and scent.

“What the hell are you doing? Come on Chris, I got Ryan coming over in like ten minutes.” 

Andy’s comment rings amongst the background but I brush it away as my heavy eyelids start to fall once again, unintentionally hurling my mind back into the world of sleep.