Amentia

Chapter 4 - An otherworldly tune

Reykjavík, Iceland.

Anna woke up hearing the sound of her mother in the air. It was soft and delicate, like a kiss on a scraped knee. The air around Anna seemed to embrace her and whisper something in her ear. It circled her relentlessly. Every single morning, the air filled up with her, even though she had been gone for three years. And those whispers, those breaths, were nothing but reminders of the absence of a beautiful, loving woman. The house was still filled with her, as if it refused to believe she was dead. In a way, Anna was grateful she could still feel her mom around, but it was a painful blessing, bittersweet... a reminder of sounds that she had loved so much to hear but would never again repeat. There was a comfort in that pain as well; it meant her mom was never fully gone and could keep her company in an ethereal way at least. It was in no way a replacement for her real presence, but it was the closest thing Anna had.

At least the air of the house was also filled with many happy sounds that kept Anna from going insane. On a good day, she could hear her own laugh as a child coming from the living room; she could feel her own old happiness from simpler times. On a very good day, she heard nothing but actual, real laughs coming from her dad sitting across from her at the kitchen table. It seemed this was one of those days. Her dad's laugh filled up the room as he read a comic strip from the paper, the gusts of air twirling and dancing around Anna as she ate her cereal. He knew how much she liked to see his laugh and he always tried his best to give her a good show, especially in the morning.

"Was it a good one?" he asked her.

"It was particularly twirly today," she said, nodding and feeling a smile coming on.

Her dad grinned proudly and continued with his breakfast.

They would go to work together that day because her dad had some finances to do, and he preferred to do it at the office than at home. So they finished their breakfast and left for the restaurant side by side. They liked walking to work when the weather allowed it. Anna saw and heard the wind join them in each step they took, accompanying them. Its whispers told her today would be an important day, somehow. Something was coming her way. It wasn't a usual message, so Anna tried to pay extra attention to her surroundings that day.

After opening up, Anna oversaw the delivery of some products, during which time the chef arrived, and afterwards she sat on one of the tables to check the inventory and the schedule for the day as the rest of the staff began showing up. About an hour before opening time, she checked if every employee was accounted for and told them to start setting their work stations and cleaning up the front of the restaurant. She made sure everything was spotless before she flipped the sign on the front door.

The firsts to arrive in the morning were usually tourists, because they were the most anxious ones to have breakfast as early as possible. A lot of them were seen walking around on the street at eight in the morning, fruitlessly looking for open restaurants or coffee shops. They were practically waiting by the doors, counting the minutes until opening hours.

As the restaurant got more crowded, Anna got busier. If a plate or a glass didn't break, then an order would get mixed up and she'd have to go over there and bring the correct order along with an apology. There was always something going on, and Anna had to be attentive to all of it. It was difficult and strenuous work, but she enjoyed being the boss and having things done her way. And it wasn't too shabby to have the wind helping her out from time to time, either to prevent expensive dishware from shattering to a million pieces or to immediately let her know if a costumer was displeased. It made her the most efficient manager anyone had ever seen; she could anticipate almost every need before the costumers even knew they had it. So at least the air was kind and useful when it wasn't wrapping Anna with whispers of her dead mother.

The day went on, busy but otherwise uneventful. No accidents, no burned clothes, not more than five plates broken. All in all, a calm day. Still, when her shift was over at 10 pm, Anna was beat. After flipping back the sign on the door, she dropped herself on a chair with a drink in her hand while the busboys cleaned up the floor and tables around her. She sipped her drink slowly, taking the time to enjoy the sweet burn down her throat. By the fifth sip, a familiar face opened the front door and walked towards Anna as if showing up at a restaurant after it had closed was the most normal thing. It had become a bit of a habit for Sóley to come find Anna after her shift was over. Some nights she kissed Anna on the lips to say hello, other times on the cheek, but she always kissed her somewhere. It was on the cheek today, but she made it linger more than usual, leaving the smell of beer floating around Anna's face.

"Already drunk, are we?" Anna said after the kiss, both surprised and amused, as Sóley sat down on a chair in front of her.

Sóley only showed her a cheeky, playful smile as a response. And then, as usual, she offered Anna to join the group at a bar.

"You really look like you could use some fun tonight," Sóley said, leaning forward and putting her hand on Anna's forearm.

Anna had been declining the offer for the past few days, but the air around Sóley told her it was important to go out that night instead of returning home directly. Maybe this was what the wind had warned her about.

"Just let me finish my drink and closing up, and I'll meet you there," Anna said.

Sóley squeezed Anna's forearm sweetly and left the restaurant.

Anna wondered why this night was different from the others, why the wind would tell her to accept the offer this time. Maybe it wanted her to get laid, which wouldn't be the first time. But as soon as she stepped outside, she realized it was something else. She had to go in the direction of the bar, but that wasn't her destination. No, her destination was much farther than that. She followed the wind, paying attention to the whistles and the currents. On her way, she noticed a lot of people were going to bad places for them, as it usually happened at night, but there was nothing she could do; it was important for them that they found those places. So, on she went, trusting that the wind was leading her to wherever it was important for her to go.

She stopped walking when she found a particular graffiti on a half-lit alley. It was a psychedelic drawing of a door, above which were only two words: "Wake up." Anna opened her mouth in surprise when she saw the wind flow inside the door, almost as if it was being absorbed. She'd seen wind go through a wall, but never into it.

And then the wall cracked open with a white light in the shape of a diamond. Anna saw the air around herself mix with the wind that blew around and into the light, the dissonant melodies tangling and forming an otherworldly tune. The message was clear and physically impossible to ignore, as the wind and the light both pulled at her like a magnet. Mesmerized by this turn of events, Anna raised both arms as if to push the door open, and took a step forward. The mixture of light and wind swallowed her, and she disappeared from the world without a sound.