Stories from an Empty Room

A Dream

"Hey..." said a voice.
"Am I dreaming?" I asked.
"No, not really, but yes." it replied.

It was cold, yet warm.
I was in a place where it scared me to death, but it also gave me hope.

"Where am I then?" I asked.
"Wherever you want to be." it replied.
"Am I dead?"
"No, I don't think you are at least."

The place grew silent.

The voice, it said it had a name. Deidra, she called herself, but I wasn't sure if she was even human.

She had the warmth and light of a mother, but the tension and strength of a father. I never actually understood what the voice was.

"Deidra..." I contemplated.
"Yes?"
"Was I ever alive?"
"I don't know, were you?" she replied in a mocking tone. "What does alive mean anyway?"

The room suddenly was filled with chimes, chaotic melodies came from the north while the south wind blew at them. It was quite dark when all of this happened.

"You see..." she explained "life is like a string instrument, and the strings are those around you. You pluck the strings according to what you feel. Sometimes you feel anger or hatred, so you pluck them violently, nearly breaking them. Or you feel sad and mellow, so you pluck them sorrowfully, never breaking them but still having the same power."

"Did I have friends?" I asked.
"Did you? If I asked you what it meant to be a friend, would you be able to show me?" it replied.
"Yeah, they're the ones that are always there for you when you feel down. Holding you up and cheering you on."
"And were they with you?" she asked.

I felt, alone.

The waves are now getting stronger. The boat started to shake. I look out the bridge and I see a storm ahead. I checked the radars and it was going off, the sirens are ringing loudly. The ship's hull is now broken, I called for help but no one answered. It was too late.

I was all alone.

"Ahh, I see..." the voice said "You think you could command this vessel alone?"
"I didn't want to bother anyone"
"So you pushed them all away?"
"I was only an annoyance to them!" I exclaimed.
"So, are they your friends then?"

Suddenly, everything went back to the way it was. Everything in balance and harmony. It felt cold, yet warm. I felt lost, but found. I was neither dead nor alive.

I was asleep.

"Hey.." called the voice.
"Yeah?" I replied.
"It's time to wake up. The world's waiting for you.."