nothing

I could see nothing.
I could hear nothing. .
I could feel nothing. .
I could smell nothing.

FLASH. The flash was so sudden, and though it only illuminated everything for a few seconds, I could now sense more than I had moments ago.

I could see Nothing but trees.
I could hear Nothing but the air whistling through branches
I could feel Nothing but the cold, moist earth I was laying on
I could smell Nothing but the plant life that surrounded me.

How had I gotten there?
Where was I? In a forest, it seemed.
Were there nothing but trees? Where were all the insects and small animals that inhabit forests?
After a moment I realized my questions weren’t going to get answered.
“Is any body there?” I yelled.

My mouth was dry and didn’t have as much volume as I could have liked. So I got up and began to wonder through the trees- hoping I’d find my way to the road.

I couldn’t remember anything that had happened. The last few days were quite a blur.

Where are you going? a voice I didn’t know asked. The voice seemed to be as much in my head as it was the wind. I looked all around me.

I could see nothing but trees.

“where am I?” I asked out loud. Wondering if it was possible I’d be answered.

Nowhere. And everywhere. Why, where do you want to be? the cryptic voice asked sweetly.

“home. And who are you?”

And where would home be? the voice laughed

Until that second, I had been picturing my home. Thinking about my friends, work, my house, everything positive in my life before. Now the thoughts alluded me. I couldn’t remember any of it. It was if the thoughts had been stolen from me.

“who are you?!” I yelled with more volume then the first time.

Why would I tell you that? It would ruin our fun. Now tell me, where do you really want to be? new images filled my head. Places I had never seen, but with the images I knew everything about the place, as if I had always known….

The first was of the streets of Spain. So many people in colorful outfits, shopping and laughing….

The second was of New York. Of a restaurant, so many different races, mixed and mingled around the bar while several tables were filled with couples…

The third was of London. Of the clock tower, tourist crowded around, taking pictures with their families.

The pictures continued like that for several minutes, I stopped and leaned against a tree while I watched the happy people. It was as if the feeling had been foreign to me, and seeing it now, feeling what the people in the images were feeling…. I was overcome by it completely.

“what do you mean?” I asked almost silently.

I mean, look at the images- wouldn’t you rather be there? Be happy? the voice began sounding frustrated, but ended with teasing. You could almost her the smile in the voice.

“okay. New York. To that restaurant.”

Your first wish. Are you sure? the voice asked teasingly.

“I guess….what do you mean? should I no-” I cut off, wt was like being moved at an incredible speed. The spinning and turning at such speed was making me dizzy… before I could make sense of amy of it. I was there. It was exactly like the image.

Exactly like the image. It only took a few seconds to realize nothing was moving. The people, the place it was as real as the forest had been, but it was all still. I walked around the people- hoping for them to come to life…

“what’s going on?”

you wanted to go to the image. I asked if you were sure. the voice seemed to sigh

“I want to leave” I said to the voice

Well, I’m sorry. I have something more important to do at the moment. I’ll talk to you later. impatience filled the voice.
“wait, who are you?”

But nothing answered.

I hope the voice comes back soon, I thought to myself- wondering if that was true. The voice couldn’t be too good, but evil? I didn’t want to think so. But what was it? Was it a person? Or something else all together? How could something hear my thoughts and communicate with me?
I was too freaked out by the concept to think anything more of it.

I quickly found that the still people in the restaurant were the only things I was going to see of the city. There was no way to leave. After what seemed like hours, I heard something other than silence.

Where else would you like to go? the voice was more polite now.

“I want to know who you are. And what’s going on”

Again, sweetheart, that would end the fun. That’s all this is- fun. Use your imagination. What would you like to do now.

I thought about a way to trick the voice. Maybe convince it to send me to a real place, a place where I could figure out what was going on…

No dice, dear. I’m not ready for this to end. it laughed.

My stomach clenched uncomfortably.

“I don’t care where we go. But what do I call you?”

Hmm, you can call me angel, the voice laughed.

. Interesting.

The voice just laughed. “well, I don’t care where we go.” I lied casually.

Yes you do, but okay, lets go to Spain.

“joy”

More laughing. angel really seemed to be enjoying herself.

This time the whirling and spinning didn’t make me as dizzy.

The Spain image was a lot like the New York one had been, only it seemed more like a large picture. Two-dimensional.

“are you going to leave this time, too? Or have you decided to answer my questions?”

What questions do you have? angel seemed to be trying to stay polite.

“what’s going on? Where am I? and who the hell are you?!”

I already told you all of that, sigh, we’re having fun. We’re in Spain, and I’m angel.

I decided it’d be best not to argue with angel,, It seemed impossible. “okay”

This seemed to make angel mad. All at once, I knew that was something I did not want to happen. The consequence of that would be far worse then whatever was happening around me.
I doubled over in agony. Angel seemed too angry to speak. Searing pain coursed through me. All at once my vision blurred, I could hear my hearts horrid beating- threatening to stop. I could taste blood as I bit my tongue in efforts not to scream. I felt myself hit the brick road.


Then nothing.

I could see nothing.
I could hear nothing. .
I could feel nothing. .
I could smell nothing.

FLASH. It was exactly like the flash I had seen in the woods. Lasing only a second, then I was more aware of my senses. I was terrified, was I back in the woods, lost?

I could see a bright light-there were no trees obstructing my view.
I could hear beeping. From a machine nearby.
I could feel something soft under me, and a blanket of some sort wrapped around me.
I could smell….. It smelled… clean. It smelled like cleaning products.

Well, I am not in the woods. Where am I?

“How are you feeling?” someone asked me. The voice was familiar, but I could not quite place it.

“Umm, confused… what’s going on?” I sat up. I could now see that I was in a room that looked like a hospital room… the walls were decorated in a mural. I stared at the mural for a few minutes; thinking- there was something too familiar about the people in the mural… Something from when I was lost in the woods…

“It’s a lovely mural, isn’t it?” the familiar, unplaced voice asked. I took my eyes off the walls to look at her. She must be a nurse, I thought. “Oh, I’m your nurse.” she said, “We thought you’d a freak accident. However, the police will be in soon to ask you some questions. They think you were attacked” the woman said as I tried to figure out what was bothering me. Everything about this was too familiar…

“It was you!” I suddenly realized. The nurse- it was her voice I had been hearing when I woke up in the woods. Moreover, the mural was the last image I had seen. Spain.
Took you long enough, sweetheart. Nevertheless, you were not supposed to wake up from your coma. In addition, since you seem to know too much- I cannot let you talk to the men outside. The woman smiled. You will just have to go back to sleep.

I remember screaming. Then nothing,

I could see nothing.
I could hear nothing. .
I could feel nothing. .
I could smell nothing

Only this time- there was no flash.