Tired. Oh so very tired. What little strength John still had was completely sapped away by the chilly water. Too exhausted to keep himself afloat, John quickly began to descend to the murky depths below. But that didn’t matter; all that mattered now was his crippling fatigue. Even with his imminent fate just around the corner, John yearned for graceful, beautiful slumber. To weary for rational thought, John closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep at the very bottom of the moat. Don’t worry, it’ll be painless. This will all be over soon enough. While the voice in his head was comforting, it did nothing to ease him of his remorse. With regret still rooted deep in his mind, John drifted off into a deep and lasting slumber.
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White. He hated the color with his very being. Out of the millions of colors the human eye could perceive, not a single one could match the plain, sterile effect of pure white. With a sigh, a man draped in a coat of the color he so very loathed stepped into the pale grasp of death itself; formally known as the ICU. After a brisk walk through a small corridor, the man found himself in front of John Doe’s room. With a series of polite knocks, he entered the sterile white chamber.
Seated beside his patient was a woman lying fast asleep. Despite her relatively young appearance, she showed obvious signs of aging. Her red and puffy visage told tales of endless strife and grief; how she managed to survive it all in one piece he could only hope to understand. However, what really stood out were the dark circles beneath her eyes. Be it stress related, lack of sleep or a combination of both, it truly gave her the appearance of being tired, and knowing the circumstances that befell her son; she deserved all the rest she could muster.
Knowing this, the doctor was reluctant to awake the woman, but nonetheless, he had a job to do. With a few gentle prods, he awoke the slumbering woman. “Excuse me Ms. Doe, but I have to ask you to leave; visiting hours are over,” he said as he helped the fatigued woman out of her seat.
“I’m sorry doctor. I must have lost track of the time,” she replied, her gaze still locked onto her bedridden son. “I just feel so helpless right now; keeping him company is the most I can do.”
“About these visits Ms.Doe,” he said, noting her disheveled appearance. “Have you been visiting John everyday for the past two weeks?”
“Why yes, I have. It’s becoming quite a chore fitting it in my schedule with work and all, but I manage.”
“You don’t have to visit every day you know?” he replied, general concern in his voice. “Your son will be just fine even without you by his side.”
“I beg the differ!” she contended, a pang of pride visible on her face. “It is a mother’s duty to stand by their child!”
“This can’t be good for your health!” he countered. “Why not take turns visiting with your husband?”
The woman’s prideful expression was replaced with a solemn one at the mention of her spouse. “He passed away some year’s ago.” she disclosed, momentarily fazed, but ultimately keeping her composure.
“Oh . . . I’m truly sorry to hear that.”
“No need to apologize, nothing wrong with a bit of curiosity.” she responded, averting her gaze as she did so. “Well this was a good conversation, but I should probably be leaving now.”
Quickly, the woman kissed John on the cheek, whispered several words into his ear and left the room without saying another word. With his task accomplished, the man made his way to the doorway. Turning around, the man took one final glance at his patient. This poor woman has known nothing but grief all her life, and now her idiot son goes off and plays in traffic. John, you’re doing nothing but adding to the pile. With a grimace, the man turned off the lights and closed the door behind him.
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White. The color painfully blinded his already groggy eyes. Momentarily fazed by blindness, John had no choice but to lie still until his vision returned. Slowly, but surely, John’s eyes readjusted to the bright lighting of the room. Though the chamber was illuminated, not a single visible light source could be seen; as if the very walls itself oozed of light.
Unable to clearly see the rest of the room in his current position, John rolled to a nearby wall and propped himself up. With a better angle of observation, he noticed the chamber looked oddly familiar. A single bench occupied the barren white space not unlike his previous dream, but as for similarities that’s where it ended. Unlike the old one, this new room was clearly dilapidated. Its surrounding walls bore the scars of age; its very essence flaking off with the slightest touch. Contrary to the ramshackle appearance of the rest of the room, a single elaborately designed door graced the ruined walls; its stoic figure concealing all that hid behind its wooden frame.
“Who knew? I didn’t know you had it in you,” remarked a familiar voice from behind him. Caught off guard by the sudden disturbance, John quickly whirled around to the source of the sound. Sitting on the previously vacant bench was the living embodiment of chaos; the bane of logic and order; the creature known only as Discord. “However, here you are; standing in my humble abode.”
“I did as you asked. Now let me go!” John avowed, doing well to conceal the anger in his voice. “That can be debated, but nonetheless, I am proud of you,” Discord replied as he pulled out a folded newspaper from thin air. “However, let’s not get too hasty. You and I still have a lot to discuss.”
In big bold lettering, a simple three words lined the front page of the document: I MISS YOU. Regardless of his curiosity, he dismissed it without a second thought. “I don’t have time for your silly games.”
“You’re no fun, but fine, have it your way,” scolded Discord as he engulfed the parchment in flames and pointed toward the doorway. “Just open that door and walk through; you’ll be back in your world in no time. Don’t worry about the door knob either; the thing’s just for show. Simply push the blasted thing with your foot and it should open with ease.”
At long last, a way home was finally within his grasp. With nimble steps, he made his way to the grand door. Endless possibilities lay behind the door, including a way home, yet doubt still clouded his judgment. While the beast had no reason to lie, he was still the living embodiment of chaos; not exactly someone you would confide in.
“How exactly am I supposed to know if this thing will take me home? How am I supposed to know if this world isn’t truly real?” John demanded, still standing in front of the doorway.
“Well to be frank, you can’t,” Discord divulged, still lounging nonchalantly on the bench. “You have no choice but to trust my word.” With this information now known and his doubts and regrets resurfacing, John stood hesitantly at the door. With a sigh, John took a step back.
With wide eyes and a dropped jaw, Discord stared at the armless boy in disbelief. “Why’d you stop? The hell do you think you’re doing?!”
“Thanks for the help, but I think I’ll be staying in this world a little longer.”
“You fool!” Discord bellowed as he rised from his seat. “Simply walk through that blasted door and you’ll be back in your world.”
“No.” Though it took all his courage, John had finally said the accursed word to the face of the beast. His new found courage in hand, John took the opportunity to truly convey his thoughts. “You’re a beast, a monster; how did you think I could ever come to trust you? Also, have you seen this world at all? This place is far from paradise, but it’s pretty damn close. If my world was even a tad bit like this one, I might still have my arms and father!”
Like a stubborn child, the boy stood unmoving; oblivious to reason. “Fine, go back to your colorful ponies, but don’t say I didn’t try to stop you,” Discord weakly countered, unable to change John’s mind. With a simple snap of his talons, the wall adjacent to the grand door exploded into pieces; revealing a simple wooden drawbridge draped in the radiant light of the moon. With his decision made, John gingerly made his way to the drawbridge; Discord’s gaze following his every move. With the boundary between room and bridge now crossed, he now began to feel the weight of the choice he just made. Radiant water surrounded him on both sides on a bridge spanning further than the eye could see. Never before did he feel more stranded or alone; hoping to ease his mind, John casted a reassuring glance behind him. What instead greeted him was a dark void. Stuck between transversing through nothingness or a structurally questionable bridge, John easily picked the latter. However, as he turned around, instead of being welcomed by a scenic night time view, two quickly approaching yellow orbs greeted him.
With the sound of splintering wood and thrashing metal quickly approaching, there was but one sensible option; run. The deafening beat of his heart droned through his ears as he retreated further into the dark void; the yellow orbs of death in hot pursuit. Though his adrenaline pumped legs carried him at breakneck speed, the metal beast was rapidly approaching despite his zig zag movements. His fate sealed, John did the last thing he would ever suspect; he cried. Tears streaked down his face as he remembered all the wasted opportunities and dreams unfairly crushed by an ‘oh so cruel’ world. Content with his fate, he stopped and faced his pursuer head on.
Unable to handle the anxiety of the imminent impact, John closed his eyes. Several moments passed, but he still stood unharmed. Slowly, John opened his eyes expecting to be run over at any minute. What instead greeted him was a warm bed and someone seated beside him. Surprised by his sudden awakening, his caregiver could only utter two words.
“Welcome home.”