A Taste For Life Weekend Challenge #36〡Prompt Response
Time’s Up
Short Fiction
Tick. Tock. Tick.
Aurora stared at the towering clock standing before her eyes. Roman numerals were etched along the perimeter.
So this was where you went once you died, she thought to herself. Aurora didn’t remember much about her life, except that it seemed like it had occurred about a century ago. Her last moments were hazy in her mind. Her death had not been a particularly unexpected one. She had been diagnosed with a long-term illness that left her weak and bedridden. The doctors had all said she had no chance of recovering back to her former health.
“Ah, Aurora. I see you have passed the test,” hissed a voice. Aurora whipped her head around. There was no one behind her. Strange.
“What test?” asked Aurora. Her voice sounded frightened and on edge. There was no reply. Aurora felt frozen in her own body. She tried to move her feet, but they seemed to be glued to the ground.
“The test of mortality,” replied the snake. It was slithering towards her. She screamed. The snake transformed into a balding man with a hunchback. He carried a pocket watch in his hands. Aurora tried to ignore the sound of all the clocks ticking in unison.
“You have been chosen to be immortal, and you will return to earth shortly,” he said. Aurora didn’t know how to react to that statement. She felt like she could not control what was about to happen. She hoped for the best. The man snapped the pocket watch shut.
“But in return, you must take my place,” he said as he shrunk back into a snake. He bit her in the ankle and Aurora’s screams filled the air as her body twisted and morphed against her will.
©2022 Yao Liu. All rights reserved.
