SIXTEEN - A Dream

The fog was so thick Arous could feel it like water on her skin. She took a step and heard a step.

Just an echo.

“Mom. Mom!”

She continued to walk through the fog. She began to make out a looming object in the distance. Before her were rows and rows of gray metal shelves, the same color as the fog. She continued her relaxed pace. She stopped and turned to look behind her. She couldn’t see either end of the shelves. They seemed to disappear into the fog. No walls. Grey floors. A dim light seemed to glow around the immense shelves.

“Mom. Mother!”

Arous turned and walked to her left. There were rows and rows, stacks and stacks of boxes and files lined up along the wall of shelves and down each row. It became more and more cluttered the further she walked. The ceiling began to get lower yet there was still no sign of the end wall.

“Well, this is futile,” Arous called out. “Mother, where are you? I can’t find you.”

She began to walk faster until she started to run. She noticed a pink dot up ahead. She ran faster.

An exit . . .? She stopped. She began to walk toward it.

What was that . . . Did she see something move?

“Mother? Is that you?”

No answer. Not even an echo.

She began to pull file boxes from the shelves. She flung old V-dot equipped newspapers from the boxes.

She caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She whipped her head around to the far end of the aisle.

Did someone just round that corner?

She started pouring through more files and boxes. She shouted into the files and boxes, “Mother! Where are you?”

No this isn’t right. It’s not here.

She looked up and began reading the labels just above her reach. As she walked in front of one shelf it lit up, glowed.

Something moved again. She swung to face the movement.

“Mom, is that you?”

Silence.

Another movement caught her attention. Arous turned. Nothing.

Another movement. This time above her. She looked up. Blinking lights speckled the ceiling.

Stars?

They began to fall as if streaming across a night sky. They poured out, faster and faster. They rained down on her making her wet and blinding her. Arous became dizzy watching the blur.

“Stop!”

She looked up and the night sky was pitch. Greasy oily pitch. All the stars had fallen. Nothing sparkled. She could just make out the shelf out in front of her.

Footsteps. Arous looked around. Nothing but silence and black.

Footsteps again. Closer this time. Movement again to her left. She spun around. She froze. A dark figure stood staring at her. He glowed so that she could just make out the crisp outline of the body. But not any details, not the face. The figure stared at her but she didn’t feel the need to run.

“Mom?” The figure moved toward her. “Mother? What’s going on?”

The figure stopped.

“No. You’re not my mother. No, not yet. I’m not ready to go. You can’t make me!”

She began to run. She could hear the footsteps behind her getting louder but no faster. They mimicked her heartbeat. She stopped and turned around.

What . . . ! Who are you . . ?

The floor shook. A loud crash. She twisted around. Another loud crash. Like dominoes, the bookshelves were toppling toward her. She could hear them but couldn’t see them. She turned around. The thick bright fog encircled her. Behind her echoing footsteps and toppling shelves advanced.

A heavy hand landed on her shoulder. The hand pushed her deeper into the fog. She struggled. Arous turned to face the stranger but he was blank. He still had the same massive appearance and perfect posture. Arous slunk to the floor to try to escape the man’s enormous grasp. From the floor Arous could see a speck of light ahead. She began to crawl toward it.

A hand gripped her ankle.

“No!” She kicked but the faceless figure behind her had a firm grip on her. He wasn’t letting go.