Left Behind

I feel myself begin to wake. I claw out of the abyss that is my subconscious and am greeted once again by darkness. How long has it been? I am wasting away, slowly sinking into the dust and dirt that relentlessly gathers around me. I would give anything to move, but the bindings grow tighter and tighter with each passing moment. I fade and they flourish.

My whole world shakes to the roar and rumble of thunder. It must be summer. I could never forget the sound of a monsoon as it rolls and howls above. It was raining when she left me here. I could never forget that either. Her shaking hands placed me down so lovingly as she whispered, “I'll come back for you. You'll be safe here.” She wouldn't lie, but the last things I remember of the world outside this box are the tears running down her cheeks and the rain running down the window behind her.

For a long while my hopes rose with every creak and crash I heard through these walls. Time and time again I felt that hope drain away and leave me with nothing but pain. In a rage I cursed her for leaving me, only to wallow in the guilt of having done so. I know she never meant to abandon me here, and so I pulled myself out of that hateful swamp of thoughts and clung to the dream of seeing light pour into my box once more. But the dust continued to gather, and the wristwatch beside me stopped ticking, and whatever piece of me that remained optimistic cracked and crumbled away. I felt the darkness grow thick and swallow me whole.

The storm pulled me out of that inky black nightmare with single bellowing cry. Now I lie here, immobile, listening to the wind as it howls to its heart's content. There is a crash and the sound the of wind grows stronger. More than that I feel it humming against the side of my box. Whatever was keeping it from me has been unceremoniously removed. As I contemplate this new development I hear a noise that makes me freeze. There is no room in me for any thought other than to focus on this new sound. Footsteps, that has to be footsteps. They are heavy and wet, but they are unmistakably heading directly to me. They stop. So close I might be able to grab hold of them, if only I could reach out. There is a creak and a groan I have awaited for what feels like longer than I have existed. Slowly the lid of my cage lifts and the darkness is replaced by a beautiful purple light. It bathes my entire world with a lavender hue and I am wholly and completely filled with joy.

Reach out to me, please. Free me from this prison, but all I am given is more purple light. There are more footsteps coming now, and when they stop I hear laughter. Then sobbing. “It's true, its really true.” A man says as he tries his best to stifle his tears. “We have to take it back with us.” A woman's voice now, and she says the words I have been waiting to hear, “Let's get you out of that box little one.” The silhouette of a gloved hand pierces the purple glow and descends upon my bindings. The lashings shine bright green under the violet light and seem to shimmer as they are carefully removed from the box. Each and every strand is delicately extracted until nothing remains to hold me.

The purple light pulls up and out of the box and then the lid begins to close. No. Please no. Please don't leave me here. Don't send me back into the darkness. They can't hear me. I feel the click of the box being shut completely before the footsteps begin and fade away. The wind ceases to howl, and I am left once more with nothing but a dead watch to keep me company.

This cannot be real. I never woke. This is just some cruel nightmare that my unconscious mind has unleashed upon me. But the pain is real, I replay the moment over and over. The purple light slowly rising and leaving nothing but wretched blackness in its wake. The lid inching down to seal my tomb. It's slow descent like a knife being sunk into my soul. The hole in me begins to fill. Rage and hatred and loathing pour into it and swell until they boil over, consuming my entire being. I could wrap myself around their neck and watch the darkness descend upon them. Maybe then they would feel even a moment of the agony that I have endured for centuries.

Just as fast as it rose, the anger begins to subside. I want to hate them. I want to hate her, but it's simply not in me. Maybe they will come back if I don't hate them for leaving. I've had that thought before. I've known this pain before. This ends in darkness. So I concede, and let the dark tide wash over me, hoping never to wake again.

My slumber is pierced once more, “This is where they found it?” A warm voice pulls me back to reality. The lid creaks and then the sun pours down upon me in a sudden glorious surge. She stares at me, and tears begin to form in the corners of her eyes. She reaches down and lifts me from the box. The palm of her hand is warm and soft. She traces my heart-shaped curves with her index finger and smiles as she finds my clasp. Slowly she opens me and gazes into the eyes of a young girl that was once my whole world. “A vine and a memory of who we used to be. I couldn't ask for anything more.” She plucks me up and drops me into the waiting hands of a small girl who smiles giddily up at her. “So we don't have to get back in the ships mommy?” She asks as she turns her gaze back to me. “No sweetie, no more ships for you.”

Boots thump into the room, “Ma'am, orders?”. The woman is glowing as she turns to the door to answer. “I've seen all I need to. Get on the horn and tell every last person on the Ark that Earth is ready for Humanity to come home.”