Lilith

Lilith

By: Liu Mok

Snowflakes fell profusely. Each winter in Terranova was an exact replica of the previous one. The same amount of snow, on the same days and storms on the fifth and twenty-third day of the year. That morning of the sixth day, everything went as usual, an overwhelming quiet after the ferocity of the previous day. Only the snowflakes disturbed the prevailing calm.

Lilith woke up like every morning at seven, and prepared for her daily routine. The first indication that something was wrong was in the kitchen: the Tetra Pak of orange juice was empty. Tried to remember when was the last time something similar happened, but nothing came to mind. She was baffled a few moments. It was unusual. Since she had memories, orange juice had been an essential part of her daily breakfast. She pressed the reset button on her fridge, but nothing happened. Attempted some taps to the sides, but her Tetra Pak of juice was still empty.

It was getting late. Her carefully timed routine had undergone a variation with a logical cost in terms of time. She made the decision to remove hairstyling from that day's routine so she could get to be on time at work. She had no recollection of ever been late.

Lilith went swiftly to the office, passing the snow-covered sidewalks. She did not usually walk in such a hurry, but nothing was normal on that morning of the sixth day. Part of her routine was to count the one thousand one hundred thirty-five steps until she got to work. 

Walked a few meters when she turned to start counting. Was startled to find that there was not a trace from the entrance of the house to the point where she was standing. 

Snowflakes continued to fall and caressed her face in stupefaction. She looked under 

her feet and turned away terrified, there were no footprints under the shoes.

It can't be.

She hurried to press the snow with the hands and to her surprise; the hands pierced the snow that seemed to have no texture. Between surprise and stupor, she laid her hands on the head, it was late, but she could not understand what was happening. Then something caught her attention as she looked towards the entrance of the house. A series of tracks 

were appearing at high speed and were heading towards her.

Lilith ran as fast as she could, without looking elsewhere than the flamboyant red building where she worked. She was short of breath, felt the cold inside her like needles, but she did not stop.

Reached the entrance of the building and stopped to take a breath in the lobby. Five 

minutes past eight, she was late.

Her mind could not help trying to look for logical explanations for what had just happened. Logic and routine had been a fundamental part of her existence since she had memories. 

Lilith looked out the entrance of the building, with its massive doors of pristine glass. Outside the snow was falling on the sidewalks and it was slowly beginning to cover the still fresh tracks that reached the very entrance. Her footprints. 

Lilith began to wonder if the lack of orange juice in the morning was playing tricks on hermind, if all the chaos unleashed that sixth day had altered her perceptions of reality. She shook her head, less disturbed, and headed for her job.

The long corridors of the red building, carefully marked, led her to her post: a blue chair with a wooden bureau. She would have liked to tell someone what had happened, to know if someone else have had a similar experience, but she did not know anyone.

The giant corridors of the red building contrasted with the small cubicle with a blue chair and a wooden table where Lilith worked. The red building itself contrasted with its surroundings of gray houses and endless sidewalks that Lilith had never walked. The one thousand one hundred thirty-five steps from her house to work were the only thing she knew about that city that seemed too big and overwhelming, as it was her small cubicle 

inside a gigantic red building of infinite corridors. She did not remember how or when she started working there, it just seemed like she had done it all her life. Actually, she had never tried to remember, absorbed in daily routines, did not have the time or disposition to do it. The chaos of that day had served her, at least, to be aware of her surroundings.

The exterior of the building was red, but inside, the corridors and endless walls were gray and dark, except for her small cubicle illuminated by a dim white light. Lilith thought she had had enough chaos for a day and decided to regain control. Maybe getting into the daily work routine would distract her from everything.

She sat in her chair and, as always, the Holoscreen opened in front of her. She entered the access code, like any day.

"Error, try again".

This whole day has been an error.

She re-typed the access code, this time slowly.

“Error, try again”.

She felt a heat inside her body that was running through her. Jumped, knocking the chair to the floor, which echoed in the endless corridors of the building as if a bomb had fallen. 

It was an unknown sensation; Lilith felt warmth in her hands and then her neck and finally her forehead. Screamed to the top of her lungs and everything suddenly went dark.

Lilith half-opened her eyes and saw an intense light directly on her face; she had no choice but to close them involuntarily. Felt a persistent buzzing, like the winter wind passing through the trees. 

After a while; opened her eyes one more time, the usual landscape of the dim light over her little cubicle was there again. The chair, carefully placed in its position, seemed to indicate that nothing had happened. She sat awkwardly, took a time to surpass disorientation. It was four in the afternoon, time to return home.

What a strange day, Lilith thought on the way home, while rubbing the back of her neck. This time she could count the one thousand one hundred thirty-five steps back. This made her feel calm, that she was in control again. Completed her meal, bath and bed routine without any setback. Nothing outside the natural order interrupted her.

The man took off his helmet. Typed the "compile" command on his laptop and pressed "Enter". Reached his smartphone and wrote a message.

The prototype is ready Dealer. Whenever you want now, you can visit her and do 

whatever you want. She will blow you mind!

Whatever I want?

Anything, bro, anything.

You are the best Richie. This is the future bro. This will make us millionaires. See you

tomorrow and hopefully I'll see her too.

Lilith woke up. It was the seventh day and she followed her daily routine with total 

normality. Nothing out of the ordinary altered her routine.

Once outside, the cool breeze of the seventh day, already without snowflakes, caressed her face. She took a deep breath in that clean air that felt like freedom. The satisfaction of that little world with undisturbed routines made her feel comfortable on that usual morning. She could not remember a morning that was different, the weather varied, but her routine remained. 

She made her way to work, as usual, with small steps through the endless sidewalks that reached the red building. One thousand one hundred thirty-five steps.