Isolated Truths

The sound of the waves crashing against the shore echoed in my ears. I listened intently as I stood on the coarse sand, watching the tides come in and flow back. Moonlight penetrated the ocean’s surface and dug into its depths, illuminating darkest corners of its boundless body. Yet, despite the moon’s best efforts, the ocean remained an enigma, an incomprehensible mass of water that hides many secrets beneath its glittering surface. I found myself walking towards the rolling tides and wanting to submerge myself within ocean’s warmth, sinking deeper and deeper to uncover its mysteries, unbidden by time or life itself.

I woke up in a calm and contented mood, a feeling that has escaped me for a long time. I could faintly hear the crashing of the waves, a sound nostalgic yet completely foreign to me. The view from the window evoked a similar feeling as I stared at the glittering surface of the sea and sun shining brightly.

How many days have I been here?

The question eluded me as I could barely remember anything at all, not my name or the life I had before today. I should have been panicked or shocked, but I remained in that strange fugue state, calmly drifting from one moment to another. I decided to put away my concerns for the moment and explore where I was as I didn’t have memory of that either.

               The house was empty and had an ethereal feel to it as everything was colored a glossy white, the walls, the floor, the ceiling, the furniture, everything. It felt somewhat disconcerting yet calming at the same time, as if I was in a dream. I touched some of the objects to make sure they weren’t illusions and sure enough, they weren’t. I pinched myself on the cheek but I felt as awake as ever.

If this isn’t a dream, what happened to me? Why am I here?

My questions went unanswered.

               The house seemed to be much larger than I had originally thought. There are many doors that led to corridors and hallways expanding the house further. I almost got lost, as I traversed the various rooms, looking for a door to exit the building. Unfortunately, my search was in vain, and it was as if the house were this giant maze, and I was simply a rat scuttling through it with no sense of purpose or direction. I attempted to break through the window in my bedroom, but it wasn’t made of glass, but a sturdier material and my efforts only resulted in me hurting myself.

Now what?

I felt completely at a loss on how to proceed from here. The thought of being trapped here for eternity frightened me but I tried to remain relaxed as I evaluated the possibilities and theories I have come up with regarding this entire experience.

This might be an experiment or test of some kind. But testing what?

‘You seem to be lost, mister.’

This voice startled me and somewhat shook me of out the calm state I was in. It belongs to a girl with dark brown hair and a somewhat pale complexion. She wore a simple white dress which evoked a sense of youth and innocence. However, for some inexplicable reason, I was utterly terrified of her.

‘W-Who are you?’

“You should ask yourself that, mister” the girl said in a somewhat teasing tone and giggled.

Ask myself? I can’t even remember who I am! How should I know who this girl is?!

The girl walked to the window amidst my confusion.

‘It is a beautiful sight, isn’t it?’

I noticed that her voice sounded kind of strange, then I realized her mouth wasn’t moving when she spoke. Then, I realized mine wasn’t either.

‘Yes, we are talking telepathically. I can’t believe you didn’t notice it earlier’

‘Telepathically? Wait……is that normal? I could have sworn I talked normally before’

‘Before? Before what? Nothing existed before this so what are you talking about?’ the girl asked while tilting her head. It seemed she was genuinely confused by what I said.

Nothing existed before this? What?

“Wait wait what are you talking about? Something must have happened to me that resulted in me being here”

My understanding of the world was starting to unravel and tear. Then the girl’s next words completely obliterated it.

‘I don’t understand what you mean. In the first place, what you call “here” doesn’t exist. It is just something you created. Even I am simply a product of your imagination’

‘A-a product of my imagination? What? What are you talking about? Why am I here? Who am I? WHO AM I!?”

Any semblance of sense or understanding was gone as I struggled to contain my confusion and rage. The girl remained calm in spite of my growing agitation. She simply stared at the oceanic scenery while my mind devolved into insanity.

               I calmed down after a while and apologized to the girl for my outburst. She didn’t seem to even notice it as she continued silently staring out the window, as she had been doing since our conversation. I tried to ask her some questions, but she was completely unresponsive. I abandoned the endeavor and left the room.

Nothing makes sense anymore. How did I even wake up here…...Wait! Wake up! Maybe if I go to sleep…

I immediately ran back into the bedroom to try out my theory. The girl was nowhere to be seen but that mattered little to me, as I quickly got into the bed. The fatigue immediately hit me, as the confusion and agitation slowly seeped out of my body. I slowly drifted into a realm of darkness as my worries and doubts left my mind.

This will work. I am sure I will wake up back where I was from. I want to go back…...

‘You don't understand, mister. You can never go back. You don’t exist there anymore. This is your eternal prison and paradise.’

The girl’s silent whisper was the last thing he heard before he descended into slumber.

               The sound of the waves crashing against the shore echoed in my ears. I listened intently as I stood on coarse sand, watching the tides come in and flow back. I found myself walking towards the ocean, waiting for the warm embrace of waves to submerge me into a never-ending dream.