I let the African Prince guy slide without comment, but I just can’t accept that this place is somewhere ‘else’. I look over at Alice coolly, and then get up and go to the window. Then I pull the curtain back.
For a long moment, my mind just refuses to accept it. Outside the window is… imagine huge, rotting icebergs, made of crystals of metal. Imagine corrupt sky-scrapers, fallen down as if the devil had played domino-toppling with your city. Imagine the clouds that pain might make, if it were a blue gas. Imagine the last moments of awareness before a black hole sucked you into a particle-thin stream of plasma. Then, when you have bits of all of that churning in your head, imagine it shuddering spastically, as though it was trying to get away.
It is the most horrible thing I have ever seen.
The sound of wild screams brings me back to reality. A moment later, I realise that they are mine. It takes me a moment more to stop.
“It’s best not to do that,” says Alice calmly, and for a bright, burning instant, I hate her beyond reason.
I close my eyes, take a very ragged breath, and pull the curtain closed by touch. My throat hurts.
I turn my back on the window, and collapse to the floor.
I look at Alice, and manage to choke out...
- ... "But what -- ?" (42%)
- ... "But how -- ?" (33%)
- ... "But why -- ?" (17%)
- ... "But where -- ?" (8%)
Voting Closes at: August 14, 2009 @ 1:00 pm
Loading ...Today’s illustration is the truly magnificent “Vortex of Sorrow” by and (c) ~Bourkey at deviantart.
Hey Tim,
Good work in keeping this going all the time. It’s really enjoyable and interesting, and surprising to see what happens next. Your writing is captivating. Be Proud.
That’s a really lovely thing to say. Thank you, Alison. I really appreciate it!