REYES, Larissa Maia G.

CW100 THW1, Flash Fiction 2

BA Creative Writing, 202004418 26 March 2021

PROMPT: a familiar story + an unexpected place

Word count: 1043

UNTIL THE SECOND ENDING

(1) The edge of the universe was nowhere near as exciting as Clara thought it would be.
There wasn’t much to see. After all behind her was quite literally all she had ever known, and in
front of her lay a vast nothingness. It was pitch black, to say the least, but looking at it made her
head hurt. 

(2) Her ship was hovering two steps away from the only Reality Bubble in the area, and
every second she spent here only increased her feeling of discomfort. Still, it took her months to
get to this very spot even while traveling at lightspeed—she was going to stay here for as long
as she physically could without wanting to throw up.

(3) A humming seemed to surround her Bubble and she froze. The edge of the universe was
by no means a popular destination among travelers like her, and even if it was, the chances of
someone visiting the exact area she was in at the exact time she was there were extremely
unlikely. Subtly, she tried to reach into her pocket for the button that will trigger her ship’s
emergency protocol—one click to trigger the alarm system, two clicks to teleport herself back to
the safety of her ship.

(4) There’s the tell-tale sign of someone creating their own Reality Bubble beside hers, and a
quick glance to her right reveals another ship—nowhere near as grand as Clara’s ship, of
course, but nothing to be laughed at. It was sleek and silvery grey in the starlight, and even
though every part of her was on high alert, she couldn’t deny that it was a beautiful ship. 

(5) That, and it was ever-so-slightly familiar.

(6) She merely watched as the ship continued to produce its own Reality Bubble—a process
which was not as wondrous as one might think. It was, quite literally, a bubble. The only
difference was that it was made of a thin layer of nanobots, all working together to maintain an
REYES, Larissa Maia G. CW100 THW1, Flash Fiction 2
BA Creative Writing, 202004418 26 March 2021

atmosphere safe enough that any living being could step into it without the risk of freezing to
death in the vacuum of space.

(7) Reality Bubbles were things of wonder, really, but they were nowhere near advanced
enough to mimic gravity. And so, anyone within them had no choice but to float within. It
made for an interesting experience, so Clara never put much thought into it, but in moments
like these where she needed to be able to escape quickly if need be, she missed having solid
ground beneath her feet even if it served no real purpose.

(8) The other ship was now finished creating its Reality Bubble; it latched onto the side of
the ship where the opening should be and Clara held her breath waiting, watching as the hatch
opened and revealed—

(9) It’s him.

(10) Unwillingly, her heart began to pound as he clambered out of his ship and into his
Bubble, paying no mind to Clara as he let himself slowly drift into the center of his bubble. It
took an eternity for him to turn towards Clara’s frozen form, and when they finally lock eyes,
time stopped.

(11) Hey, he mouthed. There’s a smile on his face that Clara couldn’t bring herself to mimic.
Instead, she nodded. It’s been years, but the wound still felt fresh.

(12) She watched in confusion as he made two circles with his fists and brought them
together. He seemed to get more frustrated as he continued to hold his hands in circles, and this
time Clara couldn’t keep the smile off her face when his eyes kept growing wider. 

(13) “You mean the Bubbles? Do you want to merge them?” She asked, tilting her head. He
stared at her for a few seconds, no doubt trying to figure out what she said. Suddenly he
nodded vigorously, pulling out a slim grey rectangle from his pocket, no doubt the controls for
his Bubble. 
REYES, Larissa Maia G. CW100 THW1, Flash Fiction 2
BA Creative Writing, 202004418 26 March 2021

(14) It only took seconds for their Bubbles to fully merge, and when the process finished,
there was nothing but silence and the vast expanse of nothingness before them.

(15) Theo was the first to break. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be here.”

(16) Clara looked at him surprisedly. “What do you mean?”

(17) “You mentioned that you wanted to come here, all those years ago.” He clarified,
breaking eye contact with her. “I didn’t know if you changed your mind about it, but I figured it
was worth a try. I just… wanted to see you again.”

(18) She grimaced. “I’m sorry things ended like that. You deserved better.”

(19) For the next heartbeats, nothing was said. The two looked out into the unknown, with
nothing but the hum of their ships to fill the silence between them. Had it always been like this?
Have they always been two souls yearning to say more, to be more? Clara didn’t know. All she
knew know was how much it hurt to be around him again.

(20) “Have…” Clara coughed, cheeks flushing at the realization his gaze had already been on
her before she even turned to face him. “Have you been well?” 

(21) Theo smiled that secret smile of his—the one she thought she would never see again.
“I’ve been alright. You?”

(22) Clara shrugged. “I’ve seen better days. Are you gonna tell me why you wanted to see
me again?”

(23) “Will it change anything?”

(24) “Theo…”
REYES, Larissa Maia G. CW100 THW1, Flash Fiction 2
BA Creative Writing, 202004418 26 March 2021

(25) He smiled sadly. “Then let’s leave it at that. For now, let’s just enjoy each other’s
company, if that’s alright with you.”

(26) Clara simply closed her eyes. Guilt on its own was nasty, but guilt mixed with regret?
That was something else entirely. Oh, how she wished she didn’t come here today. 

(27) She had no idea how long they were there, gazing into the void. It was disconcerting to
see nothing beyond them, but the headache it induced within Clara earlier had faded into mild
existential dread. Soon, she would have to go to the star cluster she had passed on the way here
if she wanted to sleep somewhere other than her ship. Soon, she would have to leave Theo
behind.

(28) For now, she could pretend that nothing had changed, that she hadn’t walked out of his
life that day, that she still had him—until she has to break both of their hearts again.