Skeptical Epicurean Pragmatist - EE Story

Dec. 21st, 2007 01:09 am EE Story

She stepped out into the night and her nostrils were assailed by the odor of green. The green of lawn clippings, bruised and bleeding, piled into a sodden heap. The green of vines and tendrils and moss with rain falling down in sheets and cascades grasping wetly. Cloying, nauseating, thick and heavy green. She gagged as it seeped into her mouth and throat and nose trying desperately not to cough as it invaded her lungs. Suffocating, she had to run, to move to find a place safe from the nightmare. Safe from the darkness.

She stumbled through the green miasma. Struggling for air, just a gasp, something fresh. The thick heavy air settled on her like a blanket. Weighing on her chest. The drawing of a simple breath was an effort. She continued moving through surroundings, swampy and slogging.

Feeling the solid form of a tree beneath her hand she collapsed against it, holding on. The drawing in of air became a very slight bit easier. Her forehead ground against the rough damp bark. A drop of moisture hit the back of her neck. Warm, oozing slowly down to her shirt only to be rejected by the material which held too much moisture already. Sweat and damply soaking humidity combined to plaster the clothing to her body.

She became aware of her heartbeat
thub-DUB thub-DUB thub-DUB
thub-DUB thub-DUB thub-DUB

Her breathing slowed in time
inhale thub-DUB thub-DUB thub-DUB
exhale thub-DUB thub-DUB thub-DUB

Another drop fell from the wet crown of leaves
inhale thub-DUB spat thub-DUB thub-DUB
exhale thub-DUB thub-DUB thub-DUB

Her mind began struggling. When had it happened? she thought.
inhale thub-DUB spat thub-DUB thub-DUB
exhale thub-DUB thub-DUB thub-DUB

The chaos the shrieking the flames and howling.
inhale thub-DUB spat thub-DUB thub-DUB
exhale thub-DUB thub-DUB thub-DUB

What did I do? she begged of the universe at large.
inhale thub-DUB spat thub-DUB spat thub-DUB
exhale thub-DUB thub-DUB thub-DUB

Knowing she had lost...what? What was it she sought?
inhale thub-DUB spat thub-DUB thub-DUB
exhale thub-DUB thub-DUB tic thub-DUB

The hoplessness and helplessness and the blood! Oh god the BLOOD!
inhale thub-DUB spat thub-DUB tic thub-DUB
exhale thub-DUB thub-DUB tic thub-DUB

Everyone looking to her for reasons. For explanations. For salvation.
inhale thub-DUB spat thub-DUB tic thub-DUB
exhale thub-DUB tic thub-DUB thub-DUB tic

Her tears flowed faster.
inhale thub-DUB spat thub-DUB tic thub-DUB tic
exhale thub-DUB tic thub-DUB tic thub-DUB

How was she supposed to help when she didn't know herself what was happening.
inhale thub-DUB spat tic thub-DUB tic thub-DUB
exhale thub-DUB tic thub-DUB tic spat thub-DUB

Her shoulders tensed with the effort not to cry out loud.
inhale tic thub-DUB spat tic thub-DUB tic thub-DUB pum
exhale thub-DUB tic thub-DUB pum thub-DUB

LISTEN!! her mind screamed silently.
inhale tic thub-DUB spat tic thub-DUB tic thub-DUB tic pum
exhale tic thub-DUB pum thub-DUB tic thub-DUB

Suddenly she became aware of the new rythm.
inhale thub-DUB pum spat thub-DUB tic thub-DUB pum
exhale thub-DUB tic thub-DUB pum thub-DUB tic
inhale thub-DUB pum spat thub-DUB tic thub-DUB pum
exhale thub-DUB tic thub-DUB pum thub-DUB tic

"Noooooo" she softly whined her eyes opening wide.
inhale thub-DUB pum spat thub-DUB tic exhale thub-DUB pum
sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka
thub-DUB tic inhale thub-DUB pum thub-DUB tic
sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka

Not the drums! No! Please not the drums!!
exhale thub-DUB pum spat thub-DUB tic inhale thub-DUB pum
sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka
exhale thub-DUB tic thub-DUB pum inhale thub-DUB tic
sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka

Sobbing she begged "no no no please." It was just as in her dreams.
exhale thub-DUB pum spat inhale thub-DUB tic exhale thub-DUB pum
sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka
aaaaaaaaOOOOOOOOOaaaaaaaaaaaaaaEEEEEEE
inhale thub-DUB tic exhale thub-DUB pum inhale thub-DUB tic
sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka
aaaaaaaaOOOOOOOOOaaaaaaaaaaaaaaEEEEEEE

She collapsed on the ground shoulders heaving sobs choking her throat. The chanting. Just like in her dreams. The incessant chanting.
pant thub-DUB pum gasp spat thub-DUB tic pant thub-DUB pum
sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka
aaaaaaaaOOOOOOOOOaaaaaaaaaaaaaaEEEEEEE
booma booma booma booma
gulp thub-DUB tic pant thub-DUB pum gulp thub-DUB tic
sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka sh ka
aaaaaaaaOOOOOOOOOaaaaaaaaaaaaaaEEEEEEE
booma booma booma booma

Dreams invading waking life. The pounding and chanting and rattling grew louder and louder until her world consisted only of sound. She curled up as tight as she could trying to block the noise with her body. The cacophony drowned out even the sound of her own cries, her own heartbeat. There was nothing but the harsh, jarring roar. Rumbling. Shouting. Cackling.

Then

Silence

She lay still as the ringing in her head and ears quieted. The feverishness of her recent dream still swirled throughout her body. She was laying on a hard surface, twilit sky above her. Cool. Damp. It felt good. She tried to stretch out so more of her body could contact with the soothing surface. That's when she realized she was bound.

She struggled against the bindings. They were tight. She began to panic. When had she been tied up??!! Her mind treid to wade back through the last passage of time. She remembered noise. Noise and drumming. Had she been hypnotized?

She raised her head to take in her surroundings. She must have been drugged some how. She was light headed and her neck muscles didn't seem to be responding properly. Her head was well clear of the surface. Almost upright. But where her ear should be pressing against her shoulder there was nothing.

A soft chuckle floated to her from the direction in which her head had been laying.

"You awaken, my beauty."

A man's voice spoke quietly. She turned her head to face her captor. She couldn't seem to focus on him however. She blinked, closed one eye and tried again. She saw a seated figure wearing a hooded robe.

"He will be well pleased with you."

She opened her mouth to scream; "Let me go!" But she only managed to make an unearthly, garbled squawking sound. Terrified she fought her bindings furiously.

"It is time."

She felt herself lifted and held securely by another individual. She felt an arm encircle her and hold her tightly. She must be terribly weak; she seemd to be held in much the same way as a sack of potatoes.

The cloaked figure approached her. She watched him withdraw a sharp, unusual looking knife from beneath his robe. Again she tried to struggle and cry out but a hand grasped her neck and choked off any sound she might make.

The cloaked individual lay the knife on the stone table upon which she recently lay. He leaned down. When he stood upright he held a large, shiny tray of some type which he placed in the center of the stone alter. The person holding her grasped her by her legs and extended his arms upward. Her body swung around and again she tried to shake loose his grip.

A low murmur began: "al-majaal yakshof lana al-majaal yakshof lana al-majaal ennahom ..."

Her reflection in the tray below moved in tandem. She gazed down at the tray and froze; emittng a silent scream. The image gazing back at her was that of a beautiful large, black swan.