Lilac Zone

Story and Drawing by Maeve T

Swaying backwards, I hit the floorboards with an unsettling thud. Only the weight of a body could possibly muster such a horrid sound. Like a private escape, the brass and maple wood doors shutter from the unmistakable impact, muffling the sound from the outside world. The salty ocean waves lap at the sandy shoreline just beyond these four peeling walls. My eyes drift to the dull painting sat on the wall. It’s muted colors drip with emptiness as it stares back at me with lifeless eyes. The frame hangs on a rather peculiar angle; so very slanted, that Itwitch with discomfort. Just below the canvas lays a splatter of a pooled substance. Rusty like a worn iron pipe, it protrudes from the printed wallpaper. Seemingly ancient, yet sticky as sap, it glistens in the dim rays of light peering through the singular window. My glance follows the beam, as it makes its way from the crack spread through the foggy glass. Pictures are barely visible in the stained pane. Once portraying an important message, is now lost in time.

How long have I been here?

Reality has suddenly been set on pause, but I cannot seem to find life’s remote. I let my eyes drift close, patiently waiting for the replay. For every moment of my waking days to flash before me. To conjure up my most hateful insecurities and most sinister desires experienced up to my last breath. To release my worries and grudges from this life and to begin anew.

One shift in thought, and then I’m gone again.