I looked sideways, sleep still threatening to drag me back under. Wait... does that say 9:30???
Dang it! I sat up, pushing my hair away from my face and scrambled out of bed. The note said to be there on time. I paused in front of the mirror, my face a little swollen, my pajamas far from presentable.
It definitely said don't be late. But more important than that; it said it would change my life...
It was dark when I returned. I left the lights off. My coat clung stickily to my back and my left arm. The right arm hadn't fit in the sleeve anymore. I fumbled in the dark, using my right hand by accident. I heard the scissors-snip sound and felt the wall give under my touch. That was going to take some getting used to. It was all going to take adjusting. Of me, of my habits; I wouldn't go back to them, not anymore, not after what I saw in that final room.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I'll get better. Perhaps I'll heal. Change back. I didn't finish the course, after all...
In the bathroom, I hesitate over the toothbrush. I don't know if I can manage it without the lights. But I won't turn the lights on. I won't look in the mirror. I don't want to see the changes.
I'm so tired. I feel like a bear at the end of summer. It's a full sensation, something swelling within me. I feel like...
...like a caterpillar. A caterpillar about to pupate.
I won't turn on the light...
Whoa! AWESOME. I've got my virtual lighter out and I'm holding it up. Evocative and brilliant. The visual was just eerily perfect.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ReplyDeleteI've noticed I tend to immediately veer towards the ominous and eerie with these prompts. I'm not sure what that says about me.
(I also already see several places I'd revise this snippet, but I'm trying to keep to the premise of "flash" fiction and just leave it as it came out the first time. This probably also says something about me.)