Synesthesia

They say miracles can happen overnight yet she was still seeking hers. The Heiress, a woman surrounded by luxury, lavishness and materialism, grew up with gifts and trips and experiences she could never afford for herself. A woman, birthed into wealth with the heart of a fool, craving a world to discover on her own terms. A woman looking for a world impossible to breathe but discovers her breath against normality.

*

The late night of February 13th is consumed by bustling winds with a saltwater scent as she stands on the Serenity Villa’s porch, privately shared close to the coastline of Bequia in The Grenadines. The Heiress glares into the night at the hilly silhouette of St. Vincent wondering the mysteries beyond the surface. Behind the screen door, acquaintances from the Country Club sit in the foyer drinking sorrel over superficial gossip. They don’t even know it’s sorrel.

*

A friend spots her in solitude, finding her on the porch, bent over, forearms laying across the banister as her eggshell silk gown flows like the tides of the night. “You’re just so sick of us, aren’t you, June!,” her friend asks snarkily. Breath control. Taking a deep inhale in hopes the frustrating sensation of encountering such passive aggressive speech will subside, The Heiress exhales and inquires,

“Could you ever imagine a world where you’re unable to breathe, one where you know it’s naturally impossible yet you find yourself breathing anyway? How long do you think it could last?”

Perplexedly, her friend becomes conscious of the hints of brashness and her marooned disposition, responding with, “I’ll leave you to it, then,” turning around swiftly back into the villa.

*

As she continues glancing into the distance, she hears an eerie call. A tone in the night resembling agony, loneliness and despair. Who is it? What is it? Is it breathing? She turns around to check the attention of the other girls inside and then proceeds towards the coast of the island. Walking into the abyss of the night, she finds an unfamiliar sea creature upon the shore. She runs over to it, dropping her glass in the sand. She props down by its side trying to discover what type of sea animal it could be and if it’s been injured. Resting her hand gently against its ribs, she’s startled when she notices it looking directly into her eyes. Its eyes danced, hues of blue and violet. Her eyes swell from discomfort and confusion as the creature surprisingly asks,

“Are you breathing?”

She yelps from fright, stumbling onto the back of her forearms as she witnesses the creature disappear right in front of her. Breathing hastily, she slowly turns around where she finds a small motor boat appearing on the shore of the island. Turning her attention back towards the hilly silhouette of St. Vincent, she finds the courage to discover the mystery. She pushes the boat past the coastline and ventures into the night. Keeping her eyes on her destination, she begins to hear the eerie sound of the creature she heard crying at the shoreline along with warming pitches she cannot comprehend. Brisk winds brush against her face as her travel continues.

*

She reaches her destination, coming to a dock leading to cobblestone. As she ventures up the hills from the sand, she comes across the city's streets. The streets are dark and narrow, buildings with boarded windows as mainstream shops stand alongside them. She comes to find herself standing in the middle of a vacant street. As she closes her eyes, she begins to mindfully breathe. Awareness of the body, feet planted firmly on the ground, filling her lungs up, what do you hear? There are drums in the distance, 126 beats per minute in the key of G major.

She dances.

Body in motion as her dress sways along with her hips to the gradual motion of the music. She twirls in the midst of the night as if she’s in the middle of a bashment party and everyone is looking at her. Is she alone?

A local chimney sweep spots her in the middle of this imaginative party as he comes from behind one of the vacant buildings. A dark complexioned man, skin glistening with hints of blue in the moonlight. His clothes drab, face dirty with a smile just as dashing. He slowly walks towards her as she continues to be in her own world. He comes closer, towering over the back of her body, he gradually puts his hand on her right shoulder and pulls her into him. She stops suddenly and slowly turns her face to look up at him. “I'm not scared of you,” she states. He smiles back, letting out a chuckle and replies, “No?”

“Why?”

“Because I'm sent to help you breathe.”

The volume of the illusive music continues as they intertwine movement with each other, synching rhythms. Her heart begins to flutter as the warmth of his flesh flushes an arousal of exhilaration through her bloodstream, making her feel safe. The window panes begin to dance, the shadows begin to dance, cobblestones begin to move within their feet as they become the focal point of a mystical dance party.

The stimulating hallucinations continued lively surrounding the two as they ran through the cobblestone streets, hand in hand, fingers interlocked, eyes connecting their souls. The Heiress, joyful and elated, begins to giggle in high bliss. The chimney sweep abruptly stops in front of her, grabbing her by both shoulders, he leans into her face and asks

“Could you imagine a world where you’re unable to breathe?”

Before The Heiress could respond, he abruptly picks her up and throws her body across his left shoulder and begins to run.

*

The hasty breath The Heiress experienced when she came across the sea creature returns as she begins to yell “Stop! Stop! Put me down!” The chimney sweep continues to run towards the dock where the motor boat is parked and responds gently, "Not yet!" Running passed the boat, he heads for the water and begins to hit the shoreline. She continues to shout exclaiming, "But I'm not ready!!" As he begins to pant from the strong currents, he shouts back, "Then you'll never be!" Pressure from the water continues to hit the couple as they slowly head down the seafloor's continental. As they reach the abyssal plain, they begin stumbling underneath water. The chimney sweep takes The Heiress off his shoulder and grabs her hand, leading her deeper into the sea towards the seafloor's trench. The Heiress throws her arms around his waist, burying her head deep into his lower back. She’s panicking and declaring this petrifying moment as her fate. Without thinking, she inhales deeply, opens her eyes in disbelief and exhales with a loud “HA” for she realizes she’s able to breathe. She pops her head up, gliding up his back and rests her hands on his shoulders while her chin rests on his right one. Her eyes begin to beam as she witnesses an unbelievable sight.

A town full of beauty and vibrancy at the bottom of the seabed. Colorful costumes, sensual dancing, erotic swarms of fish, upbeat music, rum bottles, and dancing coral reefs brush the bottom of the town. As they float down into the seabed, she falls onto her right hip and stares in exasperation at the flamboyance of the crowd gleefully. She rises to her feet, turning around, she asks, “What is your name?”

“Jaheim,” smiling back at her. Jaheim's garb is different here. He wears a red feathered headgear, red trousers and brown sandals with red and yellow body paint on his chest. As he continues to smile at her, he asks “What is your name?”

“I’m June. What is this? Where am I?”

“Why, this is Vincy Mas, the most mystical of festivals! Happening just for June!”

June begins to blush with delight as she continues to take in the miracle she never knew could ever exist. Jaheim takes her by the hand and states, “I hope you're still breathing. Let’s go!”

He takes her by the hand and they begin to frolic through the parade as if they were back in the streets of Kingstown. The lively civilians and sea creatures rejoice: swaying hips, tails fluttering, thrusting pelvises, speedy swims, rolling torsos and skin to skin contact with vivid cloths swaying throughout the water between.

June begins to sway, thrust, roll and bounce as Jaheim joins her rhythms from behind. In the midst of the crowd, they stay in constant motion with one another, not missing a beat. Then, suddenly, the crowd begins to stampede and they end up losing grasp of each other. She frantically looks over the swarm of the swimming crowd hoping to spot him. When she finally does, they make eye contact from a distance. He smiles at her and mouths “Breathe,” turns his back and continues on into the crowd.

Leaving her behind.

*

June stands in the busy crowd of underwater civilians alone as she watches him take flight. She finds herself alone in a world where she’s unable to breathe, one where she knows it’s naturally impossible yet she was doing it anyway.

She walks slowly out of the crowd and glances around. She looks up towards the sky beneath the trenches. She scoffs and grins. Then thinks to herself,

“I wonder how long I’ll be able to breathe.”

***

(This story is a social experiment to challenge the reader's capabilities to see sounds, places and colors vividly. I hope you were breathing!)

- luxy