Spring Afternoon (Part II)

A month has now passed since my unexplainable episode. I feel like I should tell someone what happened but I don’t want to be labeled as crazy. Should I speak to a doctor? Should I tell a friend? Should I tell my wife? These are the questions that run through my head. I continually talk myself out of telling someone. My days go by a little more normally now and I begin to feel as if my “attack” was a one time thing. I do fear looking in the mirror every time I enter the bathroom but I face my fears and stare into the mirror only finding myself staring back. Who or what was the image in the mirror on that beautiful afternoon? I can’t say for sure. What the figure said to me was disturbing though. It menacingly stated “You are worthless! You don’t deserve to live. I won’t kill you but you should think about ending your worthless life. Nobody loves you!” These words continued until I once again lost my senses only to regain consciousness later. I obviously did not make it to work that day and I had to come up with a good excuse that would satisfy my boss and my wife. My wife is not a tough person to deal with but she is overly concerned. I had to tell her that I came down with a stomach bug and spent the day in the bathroom. The duration of a stomach virus is usually only 24 hours, so this lie worked out perfectly. I was weak and afraid to leave my apartment following my attack. The spring afternoons were no longer as pleasing to my senses. I drove to work with my windows closed and the music at a low volume. I felt that I could control my environment. Today I feel better. I have had a long day at work. I walk to my car and hop in. I roll my windows down and turn the music up. I even enjoy singing along to the songs. I enjoyably drive home without any fear. I make my walk up to the apartment and I smell dinner. I open the door and kiss my wife. She has prepared a nice meal. I offer a complimenting comment to my wife, “Mmmm, Chicken and veggies. You are the best!” She loves when I appreciate her cooking, as do most women. We eat dinner and I take care of clearing the dishes. “It’s only eight O’ clock, should we watch a movie?” I ask. “Sure, we haven’t seen Super Bad yet.” She says. “That sounds great to me.” We watch and laugh throughout the entire picture. “Time for bed McLovin'!” she says. “Okay, Ha-Ha.” I couldn't help but laugh. We enjoy teasing each other. It keeps our marriage fun. We prepare for bed and brush our teeth. In the bathroom I look in the mirror and to my surprise, what do I see? That oh so familiar image! “Shit Shit Shit!!!!” I cry. My wife is luckily in the kitchen at the moment. I nervously finish brushing and leave the bathroom as quickly as possible. I get in bed and wait for my wife. “I love you” she says. “I love you too.” I reply. She drifts off to sleep quickly, but not before her 'good-nite kiss' and I lie in bed thinking to myself. I hear a sound like static from a radio or television. “I know I turned off the TV.” I utter to myself. I don’t bother to get out of bed. I soon fall asleep. I am awoken by the sound of a siren. I still remain in bed with my eyes closed. Then I hear another siren and then another. Police and rescue vehicles suddenly pull up, outside my apartment. WTF!? I open my eyes and I am now witnessing a nightmare. “No! What happened? Shit! She can’t be gone. No no! This is a dream. Wake up! Wake up! No!” I ecstatically shout. The blood tells a story. A story that does not end well for me and one that ends even worse for her. How could this have happened? So much blood and my hands are red.

…To be continued

Spring Afternoon (PART I)

A spring afternoon is upon us and I am taking it in. I breathe in the warm air and walk briskly in the direction of my car. I feel the cool gentle wind blowing through my hair and it gives me a slight chill. The beginning of spring is awfully enjoyable following a long winter. I get in my car and flip on my Mp3 player. As I back out of my space and begin to drive I roll the windows down for the first time since fall. I get the feeling that my ride home will be breathtaking. My favorite song from Brand New is playing and I am enjoying the fresh air. The color of the sky speaks to me like that of a canvassed art work. The sky ranges from deep blue to different shades of gray all garnished by soft, fluffy, white clouds. I pull up to the parking lot outside my apartment and I feel energized. I am almost saddened to end my journey so suddenly but I know that there are many things to be done today. I snatch my belongings from the seat and close the car door. My keys, still in hand are now being aimed at unlocking the downstairs entrance to my apartment. I step in and let the door close behind. I begin my ascent to the 2^nd floor, which is where I reside. I begin to feel as though something is not right. I feel a mysterious dizzy spell. “I must be hungry!” I utter to myself. I unlock the door to my apartment and I enter. I put my items down on the kitchen table and get my work clothes ready. I come back to the kitchen and search for a quick snack. “Eh, Pop Tarts…ha-ha, I guess this will do.” I often laugh to myself in regards to the crap I eat when I am in a hurry. I put the package of Pop Tarts down and suddenly I find myself standing in the kitchen with a very peculiar feeling. My heart begins to race and I feel a cold sweat pouring down my face. “What the fuck is hap---” the rest of my words fade out. I can hear the floor breathing heavily. The painting on the wall is giving me a look as if it were ashamed of me, so ashamed that it has begun to cry. I scream “What is wrong with me?” I am in disbelief. “This can’t be happening.” My vision is completely distorted. What is going on? Am I sleeping? This must be a dream. Could it be true that the beautiful spring day was actually non-existent and I was still in bed sleeping? I have so many questions but who could answer them? My head is in excruciating pain and I can hear a sound like a fuzzy TV. I begin to hear my insides. It is a similar experience to putting ear plugs in your ears. I could hear my breathing and my heart beat and I could also hear my bones creaking, like a hardwood floor. As I found myself on the kitchen floor I, for a moment, was beginning to feel relieved because my senses seemed to come back to me. I took a moment to regain my composure. “Holy shit, what the fuck is going on?” I got up off the floor and ran to the bathroom. I washed my face with cold water and I looked up for a moment. In the mirror there was a strange figure looking at me. I was freaked out and I jumped back and the figure did the same. I moved and it moved. I moved in closer to get a better look and the figure spoke. As the mouth moved and a voice could be heard, there were no words, sounds were expelled but it was screeching and mumbled chatter. “Who the fuck are you?” I asked in fear. The answer I got was more coherent than that of the first screeching although I did not enjoy what I heard.

... To be continued