A Pessimist's Fiction

Soul Mates

I sat quietly in a small cafe right outside Seattle. I ordered my usual, small white hot chocolate with caramel, and sat down to read my book. I kept glancing anxiously at my soul clock, the small countdown clock that was on everyone's wrist. We were born with them and they counted the years, months, week, days, seconds to the moment you would meet your soul mate. Mine was slightly over 15 minutes.

I tried to calm myself, who wants to be flustered when they meet their soul mate? I tried to focus on reading, but my mind was racing at pace matched only by my heart.

10 minutes.

What would he look like? My anxiety kept building. It would be thought that not having to worry about finding a mate would be calming, relaxing even. But it's scarier. You don't know who they'll be or if you'll hit it off. What if you and your mate don't get along? Do you get a redo?

7 minutes.

I sipped the last of my hot chocolate and pushed the cup away slowly as I looked around the small building. Was he here already? Calm, breathe. There's nothing to be worried about, right?

4 minutes

I fidgeted in my seat. I can't stand this anymore. I have to leave this cafe, claustrophobia's setting in. I stand up and walk out.

2 minutes

I slowly walked down the street, headed back to my apartment in Seattle. I was three blocks away when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Excuse me?" I turned to look into deep brown eyes set above freckle-dotted cheeks. "Ma'am, you left this in the cafe." He said, holding my book. I glanced at my clock.

0:00:0:00:00

"What's your clock read?" I whispered.

He pulled up his sleeve, 6 days. But, shouldn't he be my soul mate? I met him when my clock stopped.

"It's so close, I'm super nervous." he said. I slowly lifted my wrist, to show him my clock. His eyebrows knit together. "Did that just stop?" he questioned, as confused as I was. I slowly nodded my head. "I'm sure it's fine. I hate to do this, but I have to get going. Best of luck!" he said with great sincerity before turning and walking away.

How could this happen? I turned and started running. I ran and ran and ran. I ran to my apartment, the place I loved, but currently despised. I quickly changed clothes and went to the doctors office. I sat patiently in the waiting room, as if for something so simple as a cold. I felt cold. Cold and emotionless. My whole life everyone was comparing their clocks. 'I'll meet mine sooner,' and, 'I bet mine will be cuter.' Where is my soul mate?

The doctor called me in. I updated him. His looked saddened.

"Ana, when a person's clock stops when they don't meet their soulmate it means one thing." he started slowly.

"Please, Dr. Thoms, just tell me what wrong." I said quietly.

"Miss Martin, you're dying."

My heart skipped a beat. I'm dying, I thought. "You don't have a soulmate, because your soul has been deteriorating your entire life. It's undetectable, until your clocks stops. Take a look at your clock now, Ana."

I looked down slowly, pulling my sleeve up. The numbers are fading, like the battery's dying. The battery is dying. I am the battery. I am dying. I look at the doctor.

"It won't be long now. You can't live very long without your clock running. Once a person finds their soulmate, the clock keeps track of how long they've been together. The clock's like a heartbeat. Keeping you alive each second. You won't feel pain, it'll be like going to sleep. Come with me, let's get you comfortable." I followed the doctor down the hallway, to a room with a bed and small lamp. I slowly, numbly took off my shoes and laid down it the bed. The doctor left.

I felt myself getting tired. Maybe he was right. Maybe it wouldn't hurt. I was on the verge of death and I felt okay. I laid there quietly until I felt a pain inside my chest. It felt like a knife plunging into my heart followed by the wound exploding in flames. My body was enveloped in the excruciating pain and knives and flames traveled my body, tearing my soul from my body. I blacked out after 3 minutes. My heart stopped after 4.