R e t r o s p e c t • PSYPHY

Chapter 3: E q u i n o x

        They say a white light greets you, upon a near-death experience. I figured that must've been what was happening. As if the irises in my eyes had been swallowed by the white, the world before me had wiped away. In a moment of heightened adrenaline, time seems to slow down. The oculars were like cameras and mine were taking lots of pictures. I payed attention to each and everything in this moment. Arianna; the woman whom unfortunately sat beside me on the train - was overwhelmed with fear. She had been taking short breaths ever since this peculiar situation had started. I began to think that she had some sort of anxiety for things like this.

        But then again who wouldn't? I could hardly fathom the events leading up to this. This being the ethereal, oblivious state that I was subject to right now. Time, as far as I knew it - had been frozen. "...what the..." My eyes scanned the room around me. It was utterly awe-striking. Soundless, not even a pin could be heard against the plush carpet. Not a peep nor a breath was emitted and I could even dare say - that I could hear myself think. "This is...insane." I could hardly believe how quiet it was. Among all the oddity in this moment - on this train, with these people - the silence hit me the hardest.

        While on the other hand, my sights were just as baffling. "Whoa..." I blinked a few times; taking in what I was seeing. From my point of view, I was viewing the majority of the cart. The perpetrator, his position was fumbled as he was seemingly paused mid step staggering toward an unseen target. His arm was outstretched and fingers curled like he was moments away from clutching something. Something prized; cherished that held a value like no other. I narrowed my eyes - almost captivated with the curiosity of what this man was in such a scrimmage to obtain.

       At least...I would've if I didn't catch a glimpse of what was in his other hand. A gun; shotgun to be exact. "...what in the world..." I leaned toward it squinting my eyes. It was highly unlikely, and to be honest if I wasn't seeing it I wouldn't believe it. But the handle of the gun - was actually not within the man's grasp. It was literally, floating in mid air - a mere centimeter from the robber's palm. "Huh?" I rubbed my eyes just in case they were deceiving me. But no, it was really there; placed in the stone-still grip of time itself.

        I shook my head. "No," I doubted, "No." I refused. "This is impossible." I stood myself up from the floor. "!!' A shudder went through me. I then realized that just a moment ago, I was not in fact sitting down. Still for some reason I couldn't remember what I was doing. The memory had escaped me no different than this robber escaped security. "Hmm," I pondered. It was weird, almost eerie. I thought about what I had just experienced. No matter how much effort I put into it - I couldn't remember the past few moments. "Huh," I gave up, chalking it up to jamais vu. My glance then shifted from the floor upward.

        There were a myriad of sights to behold. Have you ever seen a scene of dismay - paused in mid action?  Because the cart of the train was narrow and cramped, there were bunches of people trying to move at the same time. It didn't even occur to me that there were probably over a hundred people on this train. The lot of them were savagely trying to escape their seats. To the left; an elderly woman was frozen still while she was reaching in her purse. The strap of the bag was mid flight as was the pearls around her neck. Her dress was an indigo shade. And she looked as if she were going to a ball or dinner party.

        Her expression is what got me. Her eyes were peeled and mouth ajar - open just enough that I could see her false teeth beginning to drop. Yet that wasn't the only thing false about her. The hair atop her head was shifted in the commotion. It was a poorly crafted blonde wig that sagged to the right because of her vigorous movement. Her gloves were elbow length. They were white and stood out the most in this image. But not as much as the view to the right - where a toddler was stopped halfway in a tantrum. My glance slowly directed toward the child.