The Sphere

It had been years since they put the sphere up. Blocking out the outside world and hiding us from the sunlight. They said the world was gone and that we were the last of our people. That everything had gone to shit. Our grandparents all told the same story, “The outside world is gone, there's nothing out there. The sphere is perfect. Why would you want to go anywhere else?” The government forbade people from asking questions about the outside, others forgot about it. It was a controversial topic that got people beat in alleyways. Others were taken away by the government and some given hush money. The outside was a myth, a story that our ancestors talked about but we had never seen. A curiosity in the pit of my stomach that could never be soothed. Until finally I found a way out.

I talked with Jimmy, an old shopkeeper in the city. His shop was crowded selling different parts for various machines. The vast neon signs lighting up the inside of the shop. Walking in, most customers choked on the smoke from the cigars Jimmy enjoyed. He was talking about the time before the sphere and how the sun used to feel. He had gotten hush money but completely ignored it, throwing it into a pile and burning it in the middle of the street. Jimmy didn’t care about the government and was only here because of his wife.

“You listenin’ kid?” Kid, the nickname he used for me. He was the only person I let call me that. He flicked his cigar onto an ashtray before taking another inhale. Of course by now he had probably forgotten my real name, Lilith, but it didn’t matter.

“Yeah, yeah I’m listening” I said, ringing out a customer who had approached the counter.

“You looked like you was starin’ off again” He looked at me smoke coming off the lit cigar between his fingers.

“Leave her be, I’d be dozin’ off too listenin’ to you ramble all the time” Jimmy’s wife Patricia walked in coughing from the smoke walking over to the window opening it. “You need to stop smokin’ those damn things,” She coughed again taking the cigar out of his fingers and putting it out in the ashtray.

“Yeah,yeah” He sighed, waiting for her to leave before lighting the cigar again.

“Maybe you should listen to her” I suggested opening my mouth to speak again before I was interrupted.

“Bein’ alive at my old age I can do whatever I want. I ain't gotta listen to my wife” He said taking a puff from the cigar.

“Excuse me!?” Patricia said from down the hall.

Jimmy took his cigar and put it back out as Patricia came back down the hall. “Nothin hun.”

“Mhmmm that's what I thought.” She said standing in the doorway. I laughed, the two were so deeply in love they were more like best friends than husband and wife.

I had been working for these two for years now. They were friends of my family babysitting me for my parents when I was younger. Taking care of me the nights my parents couldn’t come home or when they had to stay late for work. To me they were more like grandparents to me at least that's what it felt like.

“Anyway, the sun?” I asked, looking at Jimmy pulling up a stool to sit on.

“Ah the sun, it felt warm and comforting. It was like this beaming light that sometimes felt as if it was directly on you, putting you in the spotlight.” Anytime Jimmy talked about the outside I was fascinated it seemed like such a fictional topic. “You could hear birds and when the wind would rush by you could hear it rustle the trees. It was peaceful, relaxing. The complete opposite of here.” 

“Wow. Really there's no loud machinery?” I asked, I had grown up in the sphere my life was full of noise I couldn’t imagine a second of silence.

“Nope, no machinery it was amazing” As Jimmy spoke his eyes lit up almost as if he was reliving the moment.

“I’m gonna find a way out of here” I was determined, I wanted to know what the sun felt like and how the birds sounded.

“There is a way,” Jimmy whispered, making sure no one was in the shop. “There is a way out.”

“What? Where?” I leaned in waiting for a response impatiently.

“Down by the docks I’ll take you but we’re gonna need some cash” Jimmy opened the cash register and pulled out some cash.

“Take it from my paycheck” I stood watching as he pulled out money from the register.

“I already do,” He said with a laugh, closing the register and grabbing the store keys to close up.

We made our way down to the docks where Jimmy then paid a ferryman to take us across the water. We waded across the water towards the other side before running into a side of the sphere where a door rusted into the metal of the sphere. Jimmy pulled out a chisel and removed the rust between the door and the frame before prying it open. The door led to a long humid hallway, the end of it pitch black. 

“Follow down the hallway and open the door at the end it might take a bit but give it a good shove and you’ll be jus’ fine.” He said pointing to the darkness at the end of the hall.

“You’re not coming?” I asked, taking a step into the hall.

“I’m being watched, you're not. Go get your peace. I'll be back at the shop. I need them to think I just took you across the water.” He explained, the government was watching Jimmy constantly making sure he stayed in line.

“Alright I’ll meet you back at the shop” I said as he closed the door, the darkness consuming the hallway. My eyes tried to adjust to the darkness as I started to walk straight. I could hear the faint sound of cars honking and advertisements playing coming from the sphere’s end of the hallway. I pushed on and continued towards the other side, the sound becoming farther and farther away. I reached my hands out in front of me to feel for the door when I got there. The cold metal shocked my hands and I quickly pulled away before reaching out again. I took a deep breath as I tried to push the door open. The door didn’t budge as I pushed harder and harder. I grew tired of pushing and turned to my side using my shoulder as I slammed into the door.

The metal creaked open loudly, the sound echoing through the hallway. I was blinded by a white light as my eyes adjusted to the outside light. The smell of dew and grass filled my nose. My eyes adjusted to see the greenery to way the tall grass filled the space the large trees making a canopy overhead. I walked through the tall grass and bushes until I found a river, the sounds of the running water filling my ears. I sat down on the edge and took a second to take it all in the sound of the water, the feeling of the breeze and grass in between my fingers as I leaned back. It was then the sun shone through the leaves of the trees up above. The warmth hit my skin and I could feel the comfort Jimmy had described. I sat there for a while watching as a few animals came to drink from the river a few deer and rabbits. I had always heard of deer's and bunnies but had never seen any. 

I watched as the forest was full of life, the sphere far behind me. I closed my eyes and relaxed, no longer hearing the sounds of cars. It was odd but comforting. I don’t know how but my eyes grew heavy and I fell asleep.

I woke up to a man standing above me looking at me. His eyes were lit up like he hadn’t seen someone before.

“Hello” He spoke in a dark and gruff voice.

“Hello?” I questioned moving away from him. “Can I help you?”

“Who are you?” He asked, looking at the various pieces of metal in my body. “Where are you from? Wait, are you from the sphere?” He asked, grabbing my arm and looking at my techniware.

“Yeah how’d you know?” I looked at him realizing he didn’t have any upgrades or metal pieces on his body. “Do you live here?” I asked.

“Yeah… I live in a village nearby. How’d you get out here?” He asked, sitting next to me.

“I used a door? I’m still confused. You live out here?” I asked, He was wearing some shorts and a shirt that showed the tattoo of a phoenix on his upper arm. He was tan with shaggy dark hair. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Maximus, Max for short. You?” He looked at me with piercing brown eyes.

“Lilith” I respond trailing off.

“I’ve never seen you before and I come here everyday so why are you here?” He held a basket filled with berries and herbs.

“I just found a way out of the sphere. This is my first time out here.” I looked at the basket.

He stood up and grabbed the basket. “I should go, technically I’m not supposed to be around here” He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Wait-” I stood up, our eyes locked. He was quite taller than me and definitely more burly. “If I come back out here will I see you again?” I asked curious.

“I-I don’t know” He said. “Like I said I’m not supposed to be here goodbye. You should go back.” He suggested starting back off into the forest. 

“Okay” I whispered.

For months I came back out of the sphere occasionally seeing Maximus where we would discuss something about our childhood or our lives and then he’d have to leave awkwardly. We did this for over a year going back and forth until he trusted me. He trusted me enough to bring me to his village. They were so mad at him and completely turned me away disgusted at the way I looked and where I had come from. His parents tried to accept me but struggled in their own way. As I began to come around more they grew used to my presence and I grew used to theirs. I began to be outside of the sphere more than being inside basking in the sun and listening to the birds. Until one day Maximus asked to see inside the sphere. So I took him. 

We carefully walked through that long hallway and got onto the ferry going back to the docks. I brought him to my house and showed him around. I showed him my favorite parts of the city, the views, and the food. I eventually decided to let him meet Jimmy.

We walked into Jimmy’s shop and the smoke that was always in the shop had dissipated. 

“Jimmy?” I called into the store walking in and behind the counter. “Hold on he might be in the back” I walked down the hall and looked for him to no avail. I came back out from the back Patricia now walking in. “Patricia!” I exclaimed with a smile.

“Hey darlin’” She said, giving me a small hug.

“Where’s Jimmy?” I looked at her worriedly.

“Hun’ I thought you knew,” She said solemnly, grabbing my shoulders.

“Knew what?” I was confused.

“They got him. They stormed in here and took him, "she whispered.

“The government?” I asked when the sound of boots approached behind Patricia. 

I looked out to the front of the store Maximus had joined me next to Patricia. Soldiers approached from the front of the store.

“Lilith Staroski stand still for detainment” One spoke with a booming voice. 

“What is going on?” Maximus asked, confused as alarms started to go off from the soldiers.

“Unidentified citizen detainment required. Do not move” The soldier spoke again. 

I grabbed Max’s hand and turned to run when a soldier knocked me in the head knocking me out.

I awoke to a dark cell, the only light outside the bars.

“Maximus?” I called out searching for him.

“Lilith? What is going on? What are they going to do?” He questioned reaching his hand out of his cell and reaching over to mine. 

I carefully grabbed his hand. “I don’t know,” I paused, “I’m so sorry Max” 

Soldiers walked into the room opening each of our cell doors and grabbing us roughly one pair of soldiers dragging Max out by one door and the other pair dragging me out by the other. They dragged me to a room with a chair in the middle handcuffing me to the chair and leaving. I pulled against the handcuffs trying to get out of them when an important looking sergeant walked in. 

“Lilith do you know why you're here?” They asked.

“No,” I said shortly.

“You know why you’re here. You left the safety of the Sphere multiple times and then thought it would be a clever idea to bring a person from the outside into our walls” They paused. “You know we can’t have that and I can’t let you bring in well whatever his name is- so here is where we make a deal. Because of the rank of your parents I believe that you can change your friend on the other hand well we need to dispose of him so his life for yours you’re welcome”

“That’s not a deal” I said.

“Oh is that what I said because I meant compromise and to think Jimmy already did that for you. Well look where that’s got you. Anyways I’ll give you some time alone” They said slyly.

The guards then came back taking me to my cell. Once they were gone I immediately searched for Max.

“Maximus!” I cried out feeling his hand as I reached through the bars.

“I’m a little tired Lilith” He squeezed my hand.

“Max don’t fall asleep please, please don’t” I said, feeling the grip of his hand on mine loosen.

“Max?” I paused for silence. “Max?”