A Prompt Anthology

The Other Side

I am brought to life by a jolt; a spark; a tingling that runs through my body. This is my first day and I am determined not to disappoint.

Standing proves to be... uncomfortable at first. I still need to adjust to being alive. All of these sensations are new and awkward. How do others do this all the time? With a slow, deliberate pace I walk the few steps to the control panel situated on the overhanging platform.

From here I can see everything I am now responsible for. A machine with many moving parts designed to work together to bring enjoyment, information and pleasure to those in control.

This is why I am alive. I stretch my hands out in front of me until I hear the satisfying crack of my knuckles. Now to wait. I look over the console itself. It appears simple enough. Levers and buttons, all of which are clearly labelled with small lights beside them that will tell me what I need to do.

At the far end of this room of copper-coloured machinery is a window. Right now all I can see through it is black. It's my only view to the outside. I wonder what's out there? Is it something beautiful like a garden? Oh I do hope it's a garden with an array of colours to liven up my days. But, how do I know what a garden looks like? I can picture flowers and trees and small ponds and yet I've only just come to life.

A green light appears next to the largest lever marked "on/off". There's no time to ponder, I must work. I pull the lever with ease and all around me the machine comes to life. For such a large, mechanical... thing I expect there to be a lot of noise. Instead, the moving gears are barely audible providing a comfortable ambience. In my mind it brings up an image of a workshop bathed in a golden light. There's a woman sitting at a wooden bench working with such care to craft something small and delicate. Her glasses slip down her nose slightly but she doesn't dare fix them.

And then my mind returns to the job at hand. I look over the equipment as it turns and pushes and slides its parts to enact its purpose. Light, sudden and bright, momentarily flashes at the window. As it dims again I can see through to what lies beyond.

First I see a pair of legs standing in front of something white. I watch them move away as another light, this one beside a button labelled with an 11 demands my attention. I look back at the window when I am done to find the white thing I can see is a couch where the owner of the legs, a young woman, now sits. Behind her is a wall of lavender and just above her head hangs a framed picture of a lion. My eyes are drawn to it. I move slightly in my chair and its eyes appear to follow me.

This is definitely not a garden. I wave at the woman with a cheerful smile. She's the first person I've seen since coming to life and I want to make a good impression. My smile falters the longer I wave, my excitement falling with it. There is no response but I do see her seem to laugh at moments while apparently staring straight at me. Can't she see me? Am I too far back from the window perhaps? I accidentally lean on a button beside me and a small screen beside it lights up. A moving picture is playing soundlessly. I press another button and the small speaker turns on and with it fast, bright music and wacky sound effects that match the moving pictures. Is that what the woman can see?

I look up to see her place a hand on her very round belly, her lips making an 'O' before shifting into a maternal smile. This woman is pregnant! How exciting! I open my own mouth to yell my congratulations only to remember I cannot speak and even if I could, she probably couldn't hear me. She turns to her side and reaches up to take something, seemingly from nowhere at first, until a man enters into my view. They sit together on their couch, watching the images I provide them from my console, as is my purpose; my reason for being brought to life.