Title 9

Your whisper in my ear is nothing more than a light breeze, dispelled long before it reaches my eardrum. I drift deeper into unconsciousness with a strong sense of conviction. The continuum stretches all around me, light and color swirling, stretching, contorting infinitely in every direction. I can feel the contraction and release of the space around me resonating in my body, though I'm not quite sure that my body is my own. I feel internally, but I have no physical feeling whatsoever. A spectrum of blues and indigos shoots across space to my right and in unity with the movement, I feel a spreading sensation in my right arm and rib cage. I experience this melting sensation continuously all over my body as the lights stretch and span the universe. Unexpectedly, my right shoulder seems to come to a halt, while the rest of my body continues to be overwhelmed by the sensational waves. With a flick of my eyes, I see a shadowy figure clinging to my shoulder. I am in a state of utter confusion and absolute contentment as I come to realize that you somehow followed me down the rabbit hole. I can't comprehend how you followed me into nonordinary reality, but I am terribly pleased to have the companionship. As I shuffle through the thoughts in my mind, I become aware of an ominous darkness overtaking us. Panicked, I instantly stretch my form to cover yours, to protect you from the shadows. I melt to create a durable film over top of you. As I stretch to cover your entire being, I become horrified by the realization that I am not enough. I do not contain enough matter to cover you, to protect you, to save you. With every last ounce of my being, I reach to wrap you safely in my embrace. Darkness creeps toward your figure and I race to barricade it. Time slows as I watch the darkness reach out and touch you. In an instant, you are devoured from beneath me. Losing ground, I begin free fall through the shadows. Losing everything, I fall into the empty, black depths.