Flash Fiction And Short Stories

1. "Paradise Lost"

A shiver ran down her spine when she felt the sudden and unexpected cooling drought blowing at her face. Eyes closed, she sat there waiting for the sunlight to reheat her skin while playing with the zip of her bag.

Never in her life had she ever seen such a magical place, although they had shown her many -from desert landscapes over tropical rainforests to regions with towering mountains - but none of them were as special as this one. Flowers were spread across the whole scene. Beautiful greens and a spectacle of sparkling water embraced by its colorful light reflections. She found that this spot had something magical in the way its beauty was perceived. She had the impression that the place could not only been seen but also felt. Sweet but unknown scents blew her senses in a way that dazed her mind. Euphonious sounds, familiar seeming melodies, filled her ears creating a peaceful yet enticing atmosphere. She believed that this could be it; the world she was supposed to live in. Her personal little paradise in her own universe.

She just sat there quietly. Eyes still closed. Imagining the colors surrounding her and trying to identify the flood of impressions that were overwhelming her. She felt the flow of the water, the breath of nature encircling her figure just like a comforting invisible cloak giving her a feeling of safety and protection. She felt as if nothing else but this exact moment, at this exact place, was the only thing that mattered.

As she was becoming one with her environment the scenery drastically changed. Suddenly, a first of many forceful cries penetrated out of the nowhere. Ripped out of her sensations, she looked around, having the feeling someone had called her by a name. Maybe the name she had been given back then? It sounded habitual yet so disturbing and for a few instants there was complete silence. The melodies had ceased. No more perfume in the air. The site was wrapped by an invisible oppressive aura that created a certain feeling of discomfort. Everything around her slowly appeared to lose its colorfulness. The warming rays of sunshine had vanished. Instead, the trees had first caught fire, then transformed into black glowing shades. The greens melted into an ugly brown, the water lost its vividness, and a smell of burned flesh hung in the air. The shrill screams turned into a long persisting and disturbing noise which seemed to gore itself through her head, making a terribly high-pitched sound, becoming louder and louder. She looked up to the greyish-white sky that had worn different shades of blue a few moments earlier. The landscapes had disappeared. Wherever she looked she saw these familiar looking grey walls and right in front of her this huge white door without doorknob. She was screeching in pain, starting to tremble because of the unbearable pain, fighting this unknown power, begging it to stop, until at some point it did. For less than a second the silence concurred the noise. Her past life flashing by in front of her eyes, like in a movie. Then, everything turned black.

* * *

It was exactly 2.06pm when the men in the white coats entered the room to dispose of the body. "This one has endured way longer than expected. Well, what a pity!", exclaimed one of them while removing a chip from the little vent of the body's neck, write down the following: Identification number of test object: K-7045, test duration: 0,68 seconds, virtual reality nr.6, chip version 4.1.2. The two men, with the dead corpse, left through the white door, leaving the room completely empty.

W.E.S. 10/2017