S-Real

“Hello,” the voice said. I had no idea where it came from, but I heard it and it spoke to me directly. And so I replied.

“Hi.” And there was silence. I opened my eyes. I was in my room, alone and cold. I knew I had to get up and live, but bed seemed such a comfortable place. I turned onto my back and lay staring at the ceiling. I closed my eyes again and I could see the blood filling in the black space behind my eyelids. I saw the blood flowing through my face, and I heard the world flooding my ears with all its noise - sounds which rang as though layered in ice, heat, love and confusion. It was beautiful. I opened my eyes. I wasn't in bed any longer. The voice spoke again.

“Follow me,” it said. It was a male voice, and it spoke softly with calm undertones. It sounded familiar.

“No.” I said. I wished to stay where I was. I didn't know where this was, but it felt right.

“Follow me or you will die” the voice pressed. It sounded urgent this time.

I opened my eyes again and found that I was walking down a familiar street towards a place I knew very well. I don’t know how I got there, but it was as real as the certainty that I am. Although I knew it wasn't. I stopped.

“Why do you stop when it feels right?” the voice asked.

“Who are you?” I screamed, suddenly realizing that it wasn't normal to be hearing a voice speaking where there was nobody in sight. I realized, too, that there was nobody in sight. I stood still, alone. I stood and waited.

“Who are you?” I cried out again. There was silence but for the howling wind. I waited for the voice to speak, but nothing came from the wind no the cold, barren street. I sat down, legs crossed, to think. As I sat, the world came alive. There were voices everywhere. There was movement everywhere.

“My boyfriend said he loved me,” said a female walking with another male. I thought of how unfortunate he was to be in the friend-zone. He could get out, though. All he had to do was kiss her. Sure, the friendship would end - but perhaps that’s what they both need. For what they know to end, so they can rebuild and continue working towards happiness.

“I don’t know, maybe the world needs to be destroyed so we can rebuild,” said another voice as it strolled by moments after the first pair had passed. It made sense. I was just thinking that. Perhaps it is time for the world to stop and reassess where it’s going. But we're all lazy, and so we’ll stick to this world and burn with it before we ever decide that we’re the change it needs. It’s sad. I sulked.

I don’t know how long I was looking down for, I lost track of physical time. I looked up, and I saw a face I knew. She smiled. I smiled.

“Hello,” she said.

“Hi.” said I.

“What are you doing, sitting here, alone in the dark cold?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I've been waiting, I guess.”

“What are you waiting for?” she prompted me. I really wanted to tell her, but I couldn't find the right words. So I just smiled and looked at her, and I could tell that she knew. And so she sat with me.

“Do you sometimes hear a voice inside your head?” I asked. I don’t know why it went there so quickly, but it was done and there was no way of undoing it. And so I ploughed on. “I listened to a voice, I don’t know where it came from, but it lead me here - and here is where you are, so I'm not really complaining.

She smiled, blushed pink and laughed.

“You’re endearing,” she said.

“You’re beautiful,” said I.

There was silence. I took it as my chance to simply take her in. I looked into her hazel eyes, traced the lines on her olive-skin and indulged myself in the sound she made as she breathed life into the beautiful body that sat beside me. She needn't have replied, she needn't have ever said anything. Simply having her around was enough. A car parked right in front of us. I saw my own reflection in it’s metallic coating. Course, curly hair. Dark eyes, a yellowing sclera. I smiled. Yellowing teeth. I frowned. I looked old. A short, curly beard. A round nose. I smiled again. Beautiful. I looked at the figure reflected beside my own. Feminine. A beautiful body, I thought. A beautiful smile. A gorgeous face. Perfection. At long last, she spoke.

“I think I'm going to go.”

“I would like to go with you a little bit of the way,” I said.

“Will you,” she asked, beaming.

“Will you hold my hand?” I asked.

“Yes,” said she. “Will you hold mine?”

“For so long as you’ll allow it.” said I.

We stood up and we walked, hand in hand, in the direction neither one of us had planned on taking. I had no idea where I was going. But I held her hand. I looked at her and she smiled.

“I really like you,” she said.

My eyes opened. I was alone again, but I was happy. It was dark all around me, but I wasn't afraid. The voice spoke again. I felt it more so than I heard it this time around.

“This world is yours to tame,” the voice said. “Explore it with the confidence of a thousand knights at arms on the strongest of ale, protect it with the ferocity of five hundred lions and love it, always, as only you know how to love. Love it as you love yourself. For this world isn't simply yours; you are as much of it as it is of you.