The Book Of Anomalies - Where They Both Lie

Brief Statement. As you may have gathered from my posts or, as is statistically likely if you're reading my blog, your personal friendship with me, I am a big fan of science fiction and an aspiring writer. 

A long time idea of mine has been to write science fiction shorts and put them into a compilation called The Book Of Anomalies. It will be like a mixture of Twilight Zone and... no it's ostensibly Twilight Zone.

I'll be posting some of the stories up here for your reading pleasure and, as any self-respecting writer should, I'd like to hear anything you have to say about these posts either in the comments or in private message form. This story is set in the not so distant future, I hope you enjoy it.

Where They Both Lie

The world is 4’ by 6’. Between its northern and southernmost points, where square oak boards ward the boundaries of existence, the world is nothing more than a soft white plain, with a fine satin blanket draped across it. This world was built for two people, and only for them. The two figures that lie naked in its quiet embrace know only each other and that’s all they ever wish to know. Their heads resting on two pearl white pillows, they stare into one another’s eyes as if witnessing a mountain rise from the deep earth, or a star burst into brilliant existence from a void of dust and silence. 

He speaks first. His words are nothing planned, but rather a simple overpowering thought which has filled his mind, demanding release.

“God I love you.” The words ring with profound beauty in his ears. He observes the minutiae of her face, the angelic symmetry, the perfect imperfections, the precious truth that there is one and only one like her and the warm, all enveloping gratitude that he is the one to witness this moment.

The words float across the white duvet and burst in her mind like a firework. A rush of elation flows through her body like a warm wave. Her smile is irrepressible and she has no reason to hide it.

“I love you too.” She replies, completing a circle which, for so many, lies open and unanswered. This simple exchange says all that needs to be said. A world of complexity and responsibility, of power and loss and crippling uncertainty cast aside, reduced to nothing in 8 monosyllables, spoken softly between two entwined souls.

Her brow furrows slightly as she catches sight of the white faced clock, which hangs above their world like a moon. 

“It’s nearly time.” She says; her voice quivers slightly with apprehension.

“Don’t think about it.” He states simply. “It’s now. That’s what we have.”

She smiles once more, perhaps for the last time. She and him both know that they have a slim few precious seconds before their world crashes down. Before the greater world, full of its daily disappointments and struggles dwarfs their own personal Eden and ruins it’s quiet, pure simplicity.

As the final seconds count down, he looks at her with heavy words lodged in his throat. His eyes brim with emotion as forces himself to speak.

“I don’t want to…” He starts, but the last few words are too painful to admit and wash away with a pained intake of breath.

“I know.” She looks back, the growing sense of loss tugging at her heart in one long, slow pull. She leans forward and kisses him. Perhaps their final kiss on this earth, in this world they made together. He falls into it, never wishing to pull away. The clock ticks down.

She feels the effects immediately. She pulls away from him and stares apologetically. He sees the meaning behind those eyes and turns down his head with solemn understanding. Her mind feels like it’s being numbed, like a fire being smothered by a creeping wind, the neurotransmitters which brought her mind to life recede to normal levels. Her gaze shifts from his face and instead she stares past it, into the empty middle distance. Normality has returned.

He lifts himself from the bed and dresses. No words pass between them as he covers himself in a dark grey shirt and jacket with matching trousers. The tie hangs in his hand as he pauses.

“We could go again.” She says, gesturing to the bedside table where a small glass vial holds a translucent red capsule. He turns round to face her and shakes his head. One hour was all he allowed himself. Any more and he starts to think. Starts to think about the girl before him, starts to wonder if he’s right to bask in her fleeting love, however real it may be at the time, only to watch it fade from her face as he walks out into an indifferent world. It seems equal parts a blessing and a burden, this brief glimpse of an Eden he cannot find himself.

He pulls a stack of £20 notes from his jacket pocket and places five of them on the bedside table. He looks back to his once great love and, without a word, steps out of their world. He walks back towards reality, adjusting his tie as he goes. He passes a man in the corridor, who continues towards the now vacant room.