When I opened my eyes, I was surprised. I was standing on a road, paved with small rectangular shaped gray bricks. I did not recognize my surroundings, however I was not worried. At the edge of the road where I’d expect to see the sidewalk, was water. Only water. Water as far as I could see. The surface calm and flat. No ripples, no waves. A motionless mirror.
I moved my gaze a little upwards to find the water meeting the horizon in the distance. A sharp intersection between the cloudless sky and the seemingly endless reservoir. Slowly I turned around, to find the road stretching out in the far distance. I looked left and right. The road seemed to blend in with the horizon in both directions. There were no points of recognition, no way-marks of any kind. The only thing precluding my location from merging with its surroundings, was me standing there. It seemed silly to stick around. If distant eyes were watching, me leaving the place I had opened my eyes, would make the location in-distinguishable from its surroundings. In a way, the place would cease to exist. There’d be nothing left but bricks, water, air. For some reason this did not feel right. I considered this place to be the start of something.
Intuitively I reached into my pockets. In the left one, I felt the round metal shape of a coin. I looked at the silver piece in the palm of my hand. A thought arose. I placed the coin on my right hands thumb and tip of the index finger. In my mind I counted down from three and flicked the coin up in the air.
Tails, I’d turn right, Heads, I’d turn left.
My eyes followed the coins flight as it accelerated towards the sky, briefly paused at its point of zero velocity and started tumbling down towards the gray paved road. When it collided with the rectangular bricks, a metallic sound echoed over the water in every direction. I took a step forward and knelt on the the road to take a closer look at the piece of silver. I was facing the vast waters. I bend down to inspect the outcome.
Heads.
I slowly turned my gaze to the left. In the direction I would soon be heading. I decided to leave the coin there on the middle of the road. As a landmark.
Then I started walking.
I still was not worried. The gray bricks felt smooth to the soles of my shoeless feet, neither cold or warm. I could not make out if the road altered its course in the far distance. From my point of view it seemed, I’d be walking in a straight line.
As I determinedly paced on, hoping to eventually encounter a change in my surroundings, the tiniest feeling of unease slowly ignited in my chest. I told myself I would certainly arrive somewhere soon and that there was no reason to believe otherwise.
Just place one foot in front of the other.
Left, right, left, right.
I let my breathing coincide with my footsteps. Four steps for each in-breath and four steps for each out-breath.
Seconds became minutes. Minutes became hours. Still my surroundings remained ever the same. Bricks, water, air. My feet started hurting and I grew hungry. I grew thirsty. I grew tired.
Yet I felt there was no choice but to keep walking.
The spark of worry had long grew larger. Fear was now rushing through my body like a wave of adrenaline. And it would not subside. Fleeting thoughts of turning back shooting through my weary mind. Accepting to trace my own steps, the way back from whence I came, however I deemed unbearable.
Hours became days. Days became weeks. Weeks became months. I do not recall when or why, but at some point I could no longer bear to look out at the unchangeable horizon. I bent my head in desperate exhaustion. The sight presented to me I abruptly I stopped dead in my tracks. It felt as if the road that had supported me for so long, suddenly had dropped out from under me. In the middle of one of the bricks lay a piece of silver.
Heads.
Panic raged through fiber of my core. I did not longer think. I started running towards one of the edge of the road. I leapt. Then I inhaled sharply and looked out over the vast endless water. The moment my feet broke through the surface, everything went dark.
I was swallowed by emptiness and I heard nothing. I felt nothing. I saw nothing. I remembered nothing.
When I opened my eyes, I was surprised. I was standing on a road, paved with small rectangular shaped gray bricks. I did not recognize my surroundings, however I was not worried.
All I need is you, come please, I’m callin’
And, oh, I scream for you
Hurry, I’m fallin’, I’m fallin’
Show me what it’s like
To be the last one standing
And teach me wrong from right
And I’ll show you what I can be
Say it for me, say it to me
And I’ll leave this life behind me
Say it if it’s worth savin’ me
Savin’ Me – Nickelback
