The water cannoned into the room through where the windows should have been and slammed me back and up against the wall which for some reason held, as did I. At first all that I could do was hold my eyes closed and feel the pressure of what must have been immeasurable tons of water pushing against me which then gave way to an even weirder feeling, that of soft and slimy objects bumping into me. I opened my eyes to see corpses, bodies seeming to have been in the water a long time in various states of decay, increasing in number exponentially like the ones that fell from the loft, only these appeared to be jostling to get at me, to run up upon myself and hem me in with their dessicated forms.
Once there was no more room for them to move about due to the sheer numbers, some type of instinct took over and I began to climb upwards, using heads, limbs, and torsos as hand- and footholds in a slippery ascent that seemed to go on forever, and now describing it I know somehow that air and breath were not a concern, for surely enough time had lapsed that I would be dead and drowned if that were to be my fate. Finally my head rose above the water and as it did so the massive pile of forms beneath me receded, as if the water were still rising as I was carried continually further aloft.
I looked around and saw no hint of land in any direction and knew as I had since seeing that wall of water that I was in no doubt doomed. I looked down at my limbs as I tread water and began to wonder why I bothered, why I didn't just let myself fall into the depths of fate that there surely was no escape from. But then from behind and far below came a massive shadow, moving ponderously forward, with no discerned edge on either side for it was so large, and suddenly I was thrust into the midst of a foundational terror that had laid deep within me for all of my existence, that of being a tiny speck afloat atop an infinite ocean with some giant below me, to whom I was insignificant and powerless to prevent whatever whim may strike its fancy. And so the dull sense of doom was shocked through with a visceral terror that tore at my senses and forced me into vivid life. Finally I saw the end of it pass and continue on, though I was no less afraid.
And why would I be, since in a short time it came back again and I began a loud and seemingly endless scream as it grew darker, for no doubt it was rising to me. Eventually I saw the mottled and cavernous flesh upon its head and then the beak-like jaws with a single fang upon both top and bottom, slowly opening and closing as it came closer and closer. I had the odd feeling when I saw it that I had known it was coming for me from the time I first beheld the sea. The mouth then clasped me and I felt as though my heart burst, yet I was not rent, I was not crushed, but instead held there as the monster dove again into the unending sea.
Again breath did not seem a concern for me as the interminable descent continued until I could see some detail before me, some mass of structure set apart from the darkness. As we came closer I saw that it was a cliff, and closer still I saw the house again, still intact upon that edge and my body rushed to those windows that were not there and the beast seemed intent on smashing through the whole thing and I could not withstand it anymore.
The next that I knew I was lying on the floor of the living room. I will not say that I awoke for I swear that was not the case. However, the house was as it had been before, there was no water except that which was soaking me to the bone from the clothes that I wore. I immediately scrambled to my feet, ran to the door, grabbed my bag and headed for my car. After placing my bag inside I strangely was able to think of placing the house key in the lockbox as instructed by the rental agreement. I then drove my car, my wet clothes now soaking the seat, as quickly as I dared back to my home where I attempted to recuperate over the course of several days.
Epilogue
I met my friend not long after at a tavern to put and end to to the whole thing in both of our minds. He had by then come to the conclusion with the help of friends that he had simply had a mental fit that caused him a great distress brought about by some personal pressure. As he said this he looked at me for confirmation, as if he was only partly sure that it was indeed the case. I assured him it was for I had seen nothing of interest myself while I was there. How I was able to convince him of this so easily was beyond me, for I am sure that there was no way for me to fully conceal what was roiling below the surface of my demeanor, but he accepted my word and seemed relieved of it.
Now some may think me cruel for this, but I tend to think of it as a kindness. Yes, my friend would now be plagued with the idea that his mental state was tenuous and that at some point in the future he might fall again to such an attack, but is this not better than what I myself must suffer? For he is to never realize that there are things in this world that go far beyond the standards of our subjective existence, things that come at us without warning and far beyond our depth of understanding that can rend us apart, destroy our fragile understanding of ourselves and the shallow ideas that we hold of where we reside.
Yes, it is better for my friend that he not carry this realization around with him as I must, and that to the grave, in fact.
No comments:
Post a Comment