An Awakening
A crashing comet, a day stuck in time, a final escape attempt. Check out the first part here.
How did I go from being free as a bird to feeling stuck in a cage, like a bird. Why am I not in my bed? Maybe a hospital? Or I’m dead. Did I escape the day? And why are there voices now? Maybe the comet finally crashed. Or I didn’t fall hard enough. Coma? How does a coma work exactly? The voices seem to get louder.
I find myself in a crystal white room, pangs of regret filling my mind. A few people who I could safely assume were scientists were circling me, whispering between themselves. A blue-haired scientist approaches me with a comforting voice, “Welcome back sir”. I struggle to get a grasp of my surroundings. Weird equipment and strange people are disrupting my routine. A few of the scientists help me get out of my chair, unwiring me from their machine in the process. I’m offered food and water which I am hesitant to consume. Knowledge is power in some situations, the scientists having a clear upper hand as I watched there every move with curiosity. “Well, I think we owe you an explanation”. Is it a smart move to use sarcasm as your first response?
“The day you were reliving was part of a simulation. You had lived that day three years back. You volunteered for the simulation to provide visual imaging of the comet. When we tried to bring you back, the machine malfunctioned causing the day to repeat itself. The light you experienced multiple times was due to us trying to remove the visor, but the program had already reset, and we were afraid switching off the simulation at that point might cause damage to your body. The only way to shut it down was for your brain to think that the simulated life had ended, a feat which you achieved by taking the leap. Overall, it looks like no major damage was caused and the numerous days provided reliable data about the comet”, explained the leader (my assumption). At least that was the basic gist of what he was saying. Why would I willingly volunteer myself to relive that day?
Suddenly it dawns on me. “The comet crashes, doesn’t it?”. The solemn looks on their faces provide me with a silent confirmation. That was the last day I saw my home, the last day I probably went to school, the last day I looked at the sky with bliss not knowing it would be the medium for an impending disaster. “You were one of the few to survive from that hemisphere”. What if I was the last man on Earth? A simple mind game I used to play in my head during class. To have no troubles, to not be locked down by any rules, to define my existence. Sometimes the universe strives to make your wildest scenarios come to life.
“Can I go back one last time?”
What if you wake up knowing that today was the last day everything remained normal? Some might say they will feel regret, having taken things for granted. Others will waste no time to reach out to their loved ones or mend broken relations. There will be a group that won’t believe or choose to act in denial. The people who hurry to finish their bucket list. The ones that pray and the ones that accept. A spectrum of responses; even in the darkest of times, a way to show we are different.
I am back on the familiar bed, staring at the ceiling. I realize everything around me constitutes a part of me; my house had become the gate to a million memories. I find my parents downstairs, their location, and dialogues stuck in my head. How do you say goodbye? Breakdown and force a therapy session? A simple hug and ‘I love you’ ought to do. No point in burdening them with remorse. “The comet passes by today, the first time in this century”. Time can be a real bitch sometimes.
I’m not going to act like I’m going to miss school. That place of misery disappearing is one of the few plus points. Friends, on the other hand, force me to feel pain again. Having talked to them countless times doesn’t undermine the memories created.
Memories. A part of me I will cling too.
I find myself on the roof. I don’t feel anything this time: no panic, no regret, no expectations. Just a quiet calm. The comet rushes along the sky, creating the end to an unknown beginning.
Life can be brought to its knees so easily. We go about thinking we have an impact, a purpose, a reason for the universe to keep us around. A simple comet, a mass among the millions, can show just how simple-minded we are. But, we move on. We rebuild. Not to prove we are more than just a speck of dust; just to prove we belong.
