Something From Nothing

Nude In Front Of The Royals

Achilles Morgan

It was quiet.

Too quiet...

A flash, a creak. There was something lurking in the shadows. An evil no one can see. A monster that tormented me. It sought out the weak and made itself a home inside of my head.

Inside my head...

I can feel it, raging inside of me. Just under the surface. Just loud enough for me to hear, but there was a door in between us. I had locked it in a room, tried to keep it far away from me.

But it's still there...

Tearing through the holes, trying to reach what's left of my sanity.

My humanity...

It's only a matter of time before it manages to break through. It's been locked up for years, but the door I put between us is starting to collapse, to crumble.

And It knows.

Darkness surrounds me. Locking me in a tight grasp. The walls close in, I want to curl my hands into fists and punch right through them. I know that nothing here can hurt me but unless I can feel the breeze and see trees, my heart starts to pound erratically; my mind searches for ways to escape with all the methodology of a bouncing ball.

My stomach lurches, adrenaline pumps and I want to scream to let out all the fear that's building inside me. I want to scream so loud it becomes not a cry of fear but a roar of one who has been forged stronger by life's challenge.

The world is aquiver.

Shaking. Blurring at the edges.

I can't tell up from down.

I'm not sure if I'm breathing.

A claustrophobic, blinding light ensnares the universe.

I choke as I am pulled apart, as I slowly explode from the inside out...

The pain is unbearable, building, building, building --!

A scream is torn from my chest.

Quickly, shadow falls, washing away the blinding sharpness of the sky.

A moment of silence. Then everything shatters.

A sweet, smooth, mellifluous hum flows gently through the darkness. Warm arms surround me.

The voice gets louder, more comforting.

A woman stands before me. Her ivory skin was flawless, stretched across the almost perfect bone structure. The women's nose was slightly crooked and freckles covered her nose and most of her cheeks. Her full lips were pink and stretched into a soft smile. With eyes that were a mixture of bright green and pale blue, she was beautiful. Dressed in torn jeans and an old shirt that was far too big on her slender form, she had layered it with bomber jackets and combat boots. Despite it being so long ago since I last saw her, I recognized the women instantly.

"Mama," I spoke my voice cracking.

"Hello, my little hero," I lurched myself forward hoping to envelop her in a hug but my body flew straight through her. My mother laughed sadly. "We can't do that anymore. I'm dead remember?" I gulped back the tears that were threatening to escape.

She crooked a finger and my hand raised on its own. Palm facing towards her. She reached out herself and despite not touching me I could feel the taps on my palm.

Dot. Dot.

Pause.

Dot. Dash. Dot. Dot.

Pause.