A Better Place

The delicate touch of a hand caressing Eden’s face wakes her from a blissful sleep. She perks up to the deep aroma of coffee wafting towards her. As she rubs the crust out of her eyes, Anthony’s gentle smile comes into focus, he offers the cup to her;

“I could get used to this” she remarks.

The fleeting moment of peace is interrupted by a wave of nerves as she remembers that today is the day she finally finds out if she gets the promotion. Anthony recognises the mood change; he chuckles slightly:

“don’t be so worried, they’d be dumb if they didn’t pick you.”

A reassuring look and soft kiss later, Anthony leaves for work. The heavy pit in her stomach is growing by the minute. She rolls out of bed, changes out of her night gown and heads downstairs. It’s only 9:30am, she knows the company will most likely call her with their decision in the afternoon so she has a few hours to kill. Eden heads out to the garden after grabbing her paint and easel. She sets up on the patio, sits on the stool and savours the serenity she finds in the radiant rays of the sun falling onto her face. Eden thinks about how lucky she is in that moment. She lives in a modest home just outside of Oxford with a loving partner and a beautiful garden full of the most vibrant, sweet-smelling flowers. She makes the first stroke against the blank canvas and any anxiety she felt before melts away.

Eden loses herself in her creation until the tranquillity is shattered by the shrill ring of her phone. She takes a quick glance at her watch and notices it is already past 2PM. She races towards her phone in the living room, excited to finally hear the words she has been hoping for all week. She takes a deep breath to calm herself before answering;

“The boss wants you in immediately” the phone call ends abruptly.

This can only mean one thing; she got the promotion. An overwhelming feeling of joy floods over her. She hastily changes her paint covered clothes, rushes out of her home in St. Nicholas Street and drives towards the office. She’s made this journey hundreds of times before but today feels like the roads are never ending.

After twenty excruciatingly long minutes, she finally arrives at work. Eden briefly uses the mirror in her car to brush her short, strawberry blonde hair and clean the makeup around her emerald green eyes before strutting towards the boss’ office. The waiting room only has one other person, another woman. Eden feels the anxiety radiating off of her but refuses to let it break the euphoria she is feeling in this moment. She plants herself on one of the many empty chairs with poise and elegance. The tension in the air is agonizing. The tick from the clock is the only thing filling the deafening silence. Each continuous click that marks another second passing by begins to erode at Eden’s conviction. What is taking so long? The torturous wait is ended by the low resonance of the boss’ intimidating voice.

“Eden”

She tries her best to hide the fear currently expanding in her stomach. As she gracefully settles into the executive seat, she flashes a not so innocent smile the boss’ way in an attempt to sweeten him up. She is met with a stern, unimpressed look. The mood changes rapidly.

“Eden, I’m going to keep this short. Effective immediately you are being let go from the company. You have not been meeting our standards. We have already found your replacement.”

The words act as a dagger piercing straight through her heart. She doesn’t say a word, she politely nods her head and begins the embarrassing walk back to her car. An unbearable dread takes hold of her, weighing her down. How is she going to tell Anthony? They won’t be able to afford the house, the life that they built together is slowly disintegrating in front of her. The taste of salt and despair cling to her lips as the tears emerge from her eyes.

She approaches the drive of her once perfect home after purposefully taking the long way back and is filled with a paralyzing panic. The look of disappointment she is anticipating on Anthony’s face will be the final nail in the coffin but she knows she has to face it, get it over and done with. As she opens the oak wood front door, all the lights in the house are off and she feels a sense of relief. Maybe, just maybe, she doesn’t have to face it tonight and he isn’t home. After flicking the light switch on, she is met with Anthony who has set up a beautiful steak dinner to celebrate her promotion. She tries to speak but nothing comes out. Anthony lights the candles on the cloth covered table, pours her a glass of red wine and looks at her with a gleeful, proud smile. She gulps down the wine to try to gain the courage she needs to tell him. Anthony’s hands appear on her waist from behind, she shrugs him off and snaps;

“Why did you have to do this?!”

Anthony steps back from Eden, confused.

“I’m sorry, what’s wrong?” His voice is soft and unwavering but Eden can tell she has upset him.

“I was fired” she whispers quietly.

Anthony doesn’t hear her; his concerns begin to grow.

“What’s wrong?” he repeats whilst timidly stroking her hair behind her ear.

A ferocious, fiery bitterness engulfs her and she snaps;

“Are you deaf? I was fired”

The words left her mouth before she even realised what she said. The pure spite in her voice sent shivers down her own spine. Anthony embraces her without a second thought and encourages that she doesn’t have to worry. He offers to take on extra hours whilst she finds her feet again. The burning rage that was just inside her fades into a loving, passionate warmth.

The next morning, Eden wakes up to her usual work alarm, rolls over to get out of bed and begins getting ready. She changes into her work clothes forgetting the nightmare of a day she had before. Anthony hugs her from behind and asks;

“What are you doing?”

Suddenly she remembers, it wasn’t a bad dream. She really did get fired. Immediately shrugging off Anthony, she snaps again;

“Don’t touch me!”

Looking at Anthony, she realises how much resentment she holds for him in that moment. He doesn’t know the embarrassment and misery she is feeling. The love she once felt towards him is fleeting being replaced with an agonizing distain. She doesn’t even want to be in the same room as him, she can’t stand it. As she attempts to push past him, Anthony grabs her arm, staring at her with an affectionate look on his face;

“Don’t shut me out, it’ll be okay.”

The man she was once wildly in love with now fills her with rage, she wishes more than anything he would stop looking at her like that. Like she wants his pity, like he understands, like he cares.

*SLAP*

The doting demeanour Anthony had towards her rapidly changes into a shattered stare. Eden removes herself from the room, locking herself into the bathroom. She sits in the tub and turns the shower on, maybe she can wash away this suffocating sorrow that has been enveloping her.

The time escapes her, her skin is prune-like from being submerged for too long. The burning bright light that was once shining through the frosted windows in the bathroom has faded into a shadowless sky. Eden pulls herself from tub, grabs a towel and heads downstairs. She knows she should probably apologise to Anthony, it’s not his fault she feels like this. The atmosphere around her has become intense. The note on the kitchen counter delivers more bad news to her already broken heart;

“If you can’t help yourself, don’t expect me to be there to help you.”

The house she once had so much hope and love for is now empty and soulless. Her entire body is shattered from dragging around her heavy heart. She crawls into bed; sleep is her only solace right now. But as the night wears on, Eden finds herself tangled in the clutches of insomnia. Minutes stretch into hours as she lies in bed, her mind racing with fragments of thoughts and emotions. The room around her begins to shimmer with a surreal luminescence, casting elongated shadows on the walls. She walks outside for some fresh air and, the atmosphere is peculiarly serene. Soft, pastel hues paint the sky, casting a warm glow upon the surroundings. Eden finds herself standing at the edge of a vast, lush meadow, where wildflowers sway gently in a delicate breeze. The air is infused with a scent of tranquillity, wrapping around her like a comforting embrace.

Lost in her thoughts, Eden suddenly notices a figure approaching from the distance. As he draws near, she is captivated by his striking jawline and piercing eyes that seem to hold a depth of understanding. A mysterious aura surrounds him, and an unspoken familiarity stirs within Eden. Without a word, the man extends his hand to her, a silent invitation to a better place. Intrigued and longing for respite from her desolation, Eden hesitantly places her hand in his, feeling an instant connection—a flicker of hope.

With a gentle squeeze, the man guides Eden through the meadow, leading her to a hidden sanctuary nestled among the trees. The air becomes tinged with a melodic harmony as if nature itself is whispering secrets of solace. In this haven, time stands still, offering Eden a respite from the weight of her struggles. They reach a secluded pond adorned with shimmering water lilies, their petals delicately caressed by the ripples. The man releases Eden's hand, and together they sit on the mossy bank, gazing into the crystal-clear depths.

As Eden looks into the pond, her reflection shimmers with newfound radiance. In its watery mirror, she sees a version of herself that exudes strength, resilience, and boundless possibilities. A profound sense of peace washes over her, momentarily lifting the heavy cloak of hopelessness that plagued her upon awakening.

However, just as the serenity of the moment begins to take hold, a shrill alarm pierces through the dream. Eden's eyes snap open, wrenching her away from the haven of her subconscious. The remnants of the dream scatter like fragile petals caught in the wind, leaving behind a void of disappointment. Reality crashes down on Eden once more, a cruel reminder of the emptiness that awaits her. The dream, albeit fleeting, has only served to amplify her feelings of hopelessness. The weight of her shattered dreams settles heavily upon her shoulders, threatening to engulf her spirit.

She rises from the bed, her steps heavy and her heart burdened with despair. As she moves through the motions of the day, the dream lingers in the recesses of her mind, a bittersweet reminder of what could have been. With every passing moment, the flicker of hope she experienced in the dream fades, replaced by a profound sense of resignation. The man with the striking jawline remains a ghostly figure, forever out of reach, leaving Eden to navigate the labyrinth of her despair alone.

Eden couldn't shake off the fragments of her restless night as she ventured out into the city, hoping a change of scenery would lift her spirits. She found herself drawn to the Ashmolean Museum, its large windows displaying a vibrant collection that beckoned her inside.

Stepping into the gallery, Eden's gaze was immediately captured by a painting on the far wall. It depicted a surreal landscape, mirroring the fragmented reality of her dream. Soft pastel hues infused the canvas, evoking a sense of both tranquillity and longing. It was as if the artist had somehow glimpsed into the depths of her subconscious and translated it onto the painting.

Lost in contemplation, Eden hardly noticed when a voice broke through her reverie. Startled, she turned to find the man from her dream standing beside her. His eyes, filled with an uncanny familiarity, met hers with a mix of curiosity and surprise.

"Grace, isn't it?" he said, a hint of confusion lacing his voice as if he had stumbled upon a long-lost acquaintance.

It was a slip of the tongue, a name not her own, and yet, there was something oddly comforting about it. Eden's heart skipped a beat, caught between the realms of her dream and this newfound reality. She gathered her thoughts and managed a faint smile.

"You must have mistaken me for someone else. My name is Eden."

The man's expression softened, and he offered an apologetic smile.

"My apologies. It seems I've mixed up my words. Please forgive me, Eden." His voice resonated with a warmth that stirred a familiar sensation within her.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Eden gestured towards the painting that mirrored her dream.

“This artwork, it feels... familiar.”

The man's gaze followed her gesture, his eyes lingering on the painting.

"Art has a way of bridging the gap between the tangible and the intangible, revealing hidden truths and whispered echoes. It can transport us to places we've never been or places we've forgotten."

He turned to face Eden once more, his eyes holding a profound understanding.

"Wouldn't you like to go to a better place, Eden?”