SHORT STORY; AT REALITY’S END
It was happening again. Uel knelt down in agonizing defeat as the beeping sound in his head got louder. It reduced him to a screaming young man, on the tiled floor of his bedroom. He wanted to be scared but there was no reasoning capacity in his brain to allow the thought. All he wanted was for the pain to go away like the pizza delivery guy who had just left. Never to be seen or heard from again: till the next time he wants to eat. But unlike the nice ‘soda plate’ worker who stood at his doors and rushed downstairs immediately uel paid: the beeping sound did not bill uel. It only wanted to be as it always has, in his life forever and ever.
The beeping has always been there. It started from the age when uel was conscious enough to experience anything. Matter of fact, it was one of the first self-discoveries he’d made about himself, whiles growing. Then; it was mild and even adorable. It made him feel special since no one heard nothing when he heard it. He stopped asking people if they heard any beep and their constant, “no” told him that he was different. “Out of the ordinary”, he described the beeping inside his head. As he grew with the passing years, he felt less privileged because of the headaches that plagued him with the onset of the indiscriminate sound. This morning as the beeping subsided, he concluded still on the floor that this was nothing, ‘but a curse’.
As the result of the progressive intensity of the beep and what it did to him, he dreaded aging. The message was clear, the more the years the more the pain. Once, he told his mum ‘he’ll rather die than live to meet another birthday’. He was skeptical of living to certain ages anyway, He was only 18 years.
Doctors?! They all concluded, that there was nothing wrong with him. Who wouldn’t say so? Series of brain scans at different hospitals all through his life, displayed a very healthy brain functioning in all respects. They checked his ears, any growth? No! His head as a matter of fact proved to be one of the best everywhere. He had no problem acing his tests in school and the doctors soon wrote him off as a strange case. Because the boy claimed to hear a sound that was losing the beauty in its notes. This was after he had been placed under different medications. From their expert viewpoints, Uel was a healthy boy.
Like what happened to the stars during the afternoons, what no one knew, and what he did not notice was the ominous fact that the beeping was not in his brain. What he was hearing was timer that was around his head. There was no noise producing device or chip anywhere inside his skull.
Aside the torture that the noise inflicted upon his being, here was a young man that had a lot of things going for him.
Things made sense on the day that was his last. The irony lay in the row of bizarre activities that carried the answer he had asked himself all these years. It was the 13th of December, 5039. It was a Tuesday like any other, a precise week after the last serious attack in his head. His aura exuded confidence, for he wasn’t expecting to hear the beeping sound for a month. After suffering for years, it was only natural that his mind had narrowed down when the beeping sound came. There was no pattern at first, but with the teens, he’d found what he was looking for without searching. Uel was certain of when to expect the next beeping, based on these close observations.
Night had fallen and he was on his way back from a party where the entire school could have been present, for all the faces he saw. He attended because his heart trusted all was well with his health. He didn’t want to miss out on the fun, and most interesting; an opportunity to see Angel. They spent their time at the party in each other’s company, like the only two humans in a place and culture they couldn’t relate. In this dark alley, he reminisced the queer happening at the party. The chills went down his back smoothly, he looked about and he remembered the number of times he has been cautioned to do away with his love for the dark. Obviously, no one understands him he thought. ‘Look at this place’, he was thinking to convince Angel the next time he would bring her. ‘There’s no better place to clear one’s mind and relax’. He gave up the taxi ride every single time he got here and went on foot. He would have given up the next ride tomorrow also, if he had survived that night.
It was a reverberating gong he heard at the party grounds. It was so silent, as though it wasn’t there but uel knew what he heard.
“What’s wrong?” angel had asked when he stirred slightly at the onset
“Nothing” he was quick “thought I heard something”
“Like what?” she probed
“A sound….” He said looking down “a gong” again he was quick.
Hoping he wasn’t acting out he quickly called out to his friend Beck who stood some distance away, “hey men ….did you hear that?”
“All I’m hearing is this music….dude”, Beck flew back at him
Uel realized he was being silly. It dawned that everyone must’ve heard it, after all, loud music was blurring from the sound systems set up at the party. Must have been an effect in the track that just ended. Maybe he paid much attention to it because of his hearing tendencies. That was the kind of explanation he wasn’t going to let go off. He relaxed inwardly and caught Angel, starring, smiling at him affectionately.
“You must have really impeccable hearing” she followed.
She had wanted to say that before Uel tried to confirm his observation from Beck. He smiled back, only one sound threatened him, ‘if it wasn’t a beep, it was as good a treat as a spider at this feet’.
“It must have been an outstanding instrument in the song” he convinced himself more than he convinced her.
“My hearing is a whole new story for another day” he wasn’t joking but Angel laughed obliviously. His smile broadened.
A rat run across his stride or he strode across the rats run. Either way, they failed to undo each other’s state in the universe. There was clanking and scuttling some seconds later to the right of the alley in the darkness. Uel smiled and pulled back the sleeve of his shirt to take a look at the time. This action ended up leaving him frozen with a new sort of fear. And it was only blight moments ago he had smiled at his fearlessness. For in that split second that his mind registered the time as exactly 12:00am midnight, the loud bong rang through his head repeatedly. His eyes widened and starred about him frantically. Every jerk of his neck, caused his hair to bounce flexing its hinds and in every bounce, fearlessness spurted into the night. There were no speakers, no music and though a replica of what he heard at the party, this one was louder. It caused him no pain, no screaming, NO!!! It was mild but it left him more scared than the beep ever had and ever will. His heart raced carelessly in his chest, as he looked to see if anything in his environment, could better inform him of what was going on. He paid no attention to the fact that, he was already sweating profusely. He only wanted answers to the questions that plagued him. The urge to run was one percent away from total dominance of his being. He hung to the single percent and stood his ground. The darkness was his, to own and he would not, because of this new sound run from it. He heard no more, saw no more but felt his heart beat slow down, his pulse evened with it and his feet weakened. He struggled to stand afraid of what harm would befall him if whoever drugged him, found him out here sprawled on the ground. He wasn’t even sure if someone drugged him, or why. For that one fear, and the mystery of the bong, he had heard two times already that night, Uel kept his feet tightly stiff, and his eyes wide open. In that moment, he choked terribly on his brain, not his neck. Though he rushed his hands to his neck when he felt the choking sensation coming, he realized, they were at the wrong place, but it was too late. His hands could not reach his head, before all consciousness fled. He crushed into the floor hard, but felt nothing. Uel was gone. He lay there, in a victory sprawl, where his one wish had just become a reality. He, did not see his next birthday.
Original work by me, @bwoy-Idea. That is an excerpt from my novel which I have not titled yet. Everyday I try to add up to it and by the time I am done the whole picture would make sense. or maybe not :). I hope.
Tell me what you think guys, it is really important to me and I would be grateful.
