-Eternal Solitude-
Work in Progress
With the sun blazing down on me, I could hardly see anything. Squinting through the bright light of day, I tried to make out where I was: a grassy plain covered with several flowers and nothing but hills in the distant view. There was no one else here but me. It was supposed to be a peaceful place, but I thought anything but peaceful. I was worried... where was I? As I thought this, many more questions appeared in my small mind, I was unable to answer them all. How do I get back home? Where is home? Who am I? Why am I here?
Trying to push the eagerness to get answers out of my head, I calmly walked across the plain for a couple of minutes. “What is this place...?” I asked aloud, still knowing that no one else was here. I waited for a couple of seconds, and then knelt down on the grassy surface to smell a flower. It was... beautiful. The calming scent let me relax for a moment, while I started to think about what I would do here.
My thoughts were interrupted by a loud ringing noise. It was an alarm, so my thoughts were actually a dream. I found myself sitting on a chair in front of my desk. Was I working late again? The questions that I sought answers for in my dream were now just a faint part of my memory. Whatever, I was thinking too much. I should get up.
As I stood up, I felt an aching pain in my leg. It was like a cramp, but worse. Pushing that pain out of my way, I walked to the clock to see the date and time: 8:30 AM, Saturday, August 9. I was staying up late again, but don’t I always do that on a Friday? Oh well. A teenager’s logic is never perfect.
But something wasn’t right. Something was missing, I just didn’t know what. It was too irenic, too silent. It was almost at a state of suspense where, unexpectedly, out of nowhere, something would happen that would terrify me.
Nothing did happen.
I went around my house to discover that no one was here. Chairs and tables were scattered about as if this was the aftermath of such a disastrous event. Where is everyone? I wondered as I picked up a family portrait that was lying on a half-broken shelf. I couldn’t believe what I saw: myself with a backdrop view of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was beautiful... but what made it so horrifying was that my family was scratched out of the picture with what looked like burn marks.
I became immediately scared, but that was one side of me. The other part was wondering out of curiosity: what happened, and why? I couldn’t answer all of the questions, which frustrated even more. I sat down on a ripped sofa to think.
A breeze flew through the broken windows.
I looked around to see what else I could find. On the counter I saw a paper, so I went over and picked it up to read it. There was only one word, though.
Edutilos.
“Edutilos?” What does that even mean? I sat down on the sofa again to think about what the meaning of that paper was.
Another breeze flew through the windows. This time it was like a calling... it was almost as if it was calling me.
I decided to go outside and talk to some other people. Maybe someone would have answers to my questions. Maybe someone would be able to explain what all of this is about. As I opened the door, a third breeze ran past my face and I looked on in the distance in complete disbelief.
Not only was my house abandoned, the entire city was also. The buildings were entirely empty while cars were flipped over with opened doors. The wind blew several leaves across the floor, and tree branches were bent and snapped. The sky looked so dark and gloomy, as if lightning could strike any minute. This type of environment made me think something would happen any second.
Nothing did happen.
This is my home now... so empty and alone, I kept telling myself as I walked across the deserted street. There was trash scatted all over the ground everywhere. This town, almost always filled with the noise of cars, construction, friendly chatter and laughter, contains nothing but ambient silence, besides the wind and leaves shuffling. What’s going to happen now? I wondered. I’m a thirteen year old and now I’m going to live by myself.
(Usually) being the productive type, I started to plan out how I would start a new life. I still couldn’t believe it but I had to accept the fact that nobody’s here now and I have to live by myself. How am I going to feed myself? I pondered, until I wondered if the stores would still have some food and supplies left. Perfect! Okay, but how am I going to feed myself if the stores don’t have anything left? Yes, there’s a possibility, but then I could always go hunt in the forest nearby. First, I don’t know how to hunt. Second, what if there’s nothing to hunt?
A violent ringing noise stuttered my thoughts as I heard it. What was it and what caused it? I couldn’t think straight. Was it just my head? I didn’t want to think anymore so I concluded that I had a headache. The pain from the ringing caused me to collapse on the floor. I tried to get up, but I kept falling down. Time to start gathering food, I told myself and I half walked, half crawled to the supermarket... which was ten minutes away.
After reaching the doors to the supermarket I was breathing and panting heavily. As I got up, I almost collapsed again, but I held on to the handle on the door to keep me up. Looking inside the windows, I could see the registers, the shelves filled with food. Yes! I could get something to eat now, I thought as I pushed the door open...
Only to be interrupted by another violent ringing noise, the same as the previous time. It was louder and more painful to hear. I collapsed on the floor, almost fainted by the ringing. My heart was racing. I didn’t know what was happening, nor did I want to know. Did it have something to do with the desertedness of the city? I had too many questions now; I was desperate to get the answers I wanted.
