-Being-
I sat down by the window. Rain. Again. I looked through my reflection out into the Unconscious. It's trying to tell me something. There has to be a reason for all of this. This madness. This torment. The unbearable strangeness of it all. I look down at my hands. Not even a single fingerprint. I rub my hands together. Feeling. Cold. Strange. I don't feel cold. I look up at the window once more. I focus my eyes. My reflection. Blank. I place my hand upon my cheek. Cold. So very cold.
W h o a m I ?
The figure in the endless darkness was trying to make me realize that very question. It isn't about who he is. He is me. I am him. Rather, he has become me, and I have become him. I have become that which shouldn't exist. I have become nothing. I stand up and stare out the window for what seemed like an eternity. Lost in thought. Lost in my own mind. Night fell. I grew tired. As I walked over to my bed, something caught my attention. A piece of paper, before my very eyes, fell from the ceiling; as if it had appeared out of thin air. It lands in my hand as I reach out for it. Handwriting. It looks... too familiar. I sit down at my desk and examine the page.
-Shadows-
"Shadows - By Ravine"
"The alarm rings next to my bed. I hit the snooze button. The first day is always the hardest in a new apartment, especially when you're alone like me. No friends, no close family, and definitely no significant other. What is my purpose here after all? Well, I guess that's what I have to figure out today. I heave myself out of bed and get on my usual clothes. Things seem the same as before. Normal day, normal circumstance, just a not-so-normal environment. I put on my shoes and head out the door. Not a bad neighborhood, kind of serene, actually. This walk will bore me soon enough, might as well enjoy it while I can. A few blocks down, I arrive at The Blank Page; a quaint building with black, rustic wood finish and a golden font for the sign. It reminds me of a tavern, only less dirty and full of drunks, and plenty more books. It is a book shop of sorts, after all. I walk inside. I hear my name called from across the room.
"Briar?" called a tall man with golden spectacles.
"That's me." Huh. That sounded cartoon-y. Hope he doesn't think I'm a simpleton.
"Pleasure to meet you, sir! You may call me Grove." He extends his hand. "When will you be planning on starting your work here?"
I shake it firmly. "Show me where to go, sir." I smile at him.
He turns around and heads toward an opening between two very large library shelves. I follow him closely. We walk a good few paces before he makes a sharp turn into a very narrow walkway between some more shelves. He starts gaining pace. He's pretty fast for a big guy... I rush to catch up with him. He turns a corner. I turn as well. But before my very eyes, I'm suddenly in a large room. "What? Where... how did I..." I stammer to myself. The room is covered from floor to ceiling with endless amounts of pages. As I try to pick one up, it seems to suck itself to the floor. I get down on my hands and knees to a read a page. "What the hell..." The font seems to get smaller as I get closer to it, I can't make it out. I looked up toward the back of the room. That's when I saw it. In huge, black painted letters:
"ENDING"
"Are you alright, Briar?"
I blink.
"Huh?" I stammer. The room is gone.
"You sort of zoned out for a moment. I know, the collection is spectacular, isn't it? Well come on, no use standing around jaw-dropped, I'll show you to your stations!" He continues down the narrow passage. What in the hell just happened? That was no ordinary daydream. What did that message mean? Ending? Whose ending? Mine? I'm over-thinking this. It was probably just a daydream after all. I continue down the alleyway after Grove."
