Gaby

Ally Turtledove

74
 Garret 2020
Open, Close
1.
I open my eyes.
A searing pain roars through me. Everything hurts, everything burns, and I try to scream,
but no sound comes out. I’m on the rough carpeted floor of one of my elementary school
classrooms. I call out to the children, the teacher, to anyone. No response. The teacher turns
around and begins writing multiplication tables in grainy, chalky writing on the collapsing
chalkboard. To her, to all of them, I am nonexistant. My pain is worthless. I am worthless. A
tear slips down across my cheek.
I close my eyes.
2.
I open my eyes.
My chest tightens painfully; a boa constrictor wraps tight around my throat. In front of me,
all around me, corpses litter the rough earth. Everywhere I look, there is devastation, disas-
ters, death, screaming, suffering. Beside me, a bloodied man crawls toward me, a burning
fire nipping at his toes. He softly cries, begs for help with a raspy voice that I can barely hear
over the sounds of the collapsing buildings and thunderous cries of pain across the land-
scape. “I’m here,” I try to whisper, to comfort the man, but the constrictor’s grip tightens,
and no sound leaves my mouth, sans a soft, gasping breath. The flames reach his toes, his
calves, his waist. I hear his pained cries, him sobbing for help from someone, anyone; his
screams and the crackling of the majestic flames engulfing his body are the only sounds I can
hear. I feel the crack of my throat collapsing as the constrictor tightens its grasp once more,
preparing for what must be its final meal. I fall to my knees, hearing the man’s gasps fade
into nothing, and watch the devastation surrounding me.
I close my eyes.
3.
I open my eyes.
This time, there is nothing, only darkness-- infinite, unforgiving darkness. The universe, my
conciousness, my entire being-- none of it exists anymore. There’s only “me”, what remains
of me; I am trapped and completely and totally alone. My mouth no longer exists, nor do my
eyes, so I can no longer scream or cry.
I close my eyes.
4.
I try to open my eyes, but they remain sealed shut. This time, I allow it. Maybe it’s better to
keep them closed anyway.

Mariah Connor
75