iris

waiting room

crowded waiting room. flickering light. heavy air. sitting there. uncomfortable wooden bench.
on one side, nothing. on the other, a girl. she is swinging her legs, back and forth, back and forth. it is dizzying to watch.

she wears a bright red shirt and equally bright brown shorts. her legs are bare.
you catch a glimpse of white scars on her legs, shaped like circles, pink in the center.
like bullet holes - a thousand of them.

back and forth, back and forth.
like a swing. like a pendulum. like a newton's cradle.
tick, tock.
it's a clock that you can't see. it must be somewhere though.

people sigh, shuffle their feet, mist the windows. maybe there's rain outside. maybe øūț§ïđə.
they are waiting in line.
you are, too.

back and forth. tick, tock. inhale, exhale. mist breath.

the swinging stops, and she turns.
"hello." she is pale. her voice is pale too. it sounds like discordant music.
her eyes have stars.

tick, tock, tick, tock. your reply syncs with the clock and suddenly is not heard.

galaxies, planets, stars.
a black hole.
she might be talking. or only breathing.
the line shuffles forwards, and then settles.
tick-tock. tick-tock.

someone is tapping their feet in sync with the clock. it might just be you.
"so?"

she looks up from her lap. stares at the girl.
"what?"

she is not a she. you are yourself. she blinks, disorientated.
you feel yourself fade.

"§ø?" the čøłøūř-påłə girl repəåţ§, her eyes still full of the universe, but this time only the błåčķ høłə§.

"W̬͉̺̜̞ ̛̥̞̮͕ͅH͕̟̯̞̥ ̧̯̰̣̜̺A̲̲͍ ̣̭͚͇̟̟̻́T͈ ̛̺̗̺͉ ̞̲̭̮ ̪̝A̻̙̞̮͍ ̨̦R͎̱̖̳͟ ̛͓̭̝ͅͅE̬͖ ͏̩̗̜ͅ ҉̯̺͚͈̮͔ ̪̙̼͚͇͇ ̤̜̯͔̜̯Y̗ ̖̙O͙̻̼͇̹ ̢̯͉̻U̴̥ ̼ ͇͕̟͍ ̞̠̺̖G̯̗͉̗̰̠ ̞̥̱̼̕ͅO̵̻ ͍̬͖̹ͅN̛͉̥̳̠̖̺ ̲͘N͇̥ ͕̮͔͈̭̩ͅĄ͈ ̣͖͓̠ ̘̹ ̲ ̪C̷̤̖̦̣ ͚H̘͔̰̹ ͎̹̲͚Ǫ͇̭̜̖̖ ̢̪̫̱͎̜̻Ọ̝̗̗̤̘̖͞ ̷͖̝S̡̜̺̘̻̦ͅ ͏͙̫E̢͇ ̗̼͖̬͙͕̘͢?̹͢ "