-osh…… tss-tchk……
Noga walked into her room, shoulders hunched, cheeks wet with fresh tears, icy blue eyes scanning her room.
Beep.
She closed her eyes, listening to the rain outside, and navigated to the desk through her memory of the room.
She shrugged off her jacket and hung it on the backrest. Thunder rumbled in the distance, a long and low vibration that eclipsed the pitter-patter of the rain on her window.
Fwoooosh…… tss-tchk….
She was at the foot of the bed again, watching the tubes violating-
Her eyes snapped open, as she tried to shake away the image.
“It’s not fair.” She muttered as she lay on her bed, hugging her giant lion plush as her eyes started to sting again.
“Nog, watch me take that next jump!” Her brother said, his helmet muffling his words.
“Sure!” she shouted back.
Tss-tchk…..
Her brother took the jump and cleared the small gap, but as she watched him land, she heard something break.
Beep.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
“You were supposed to watch me do it too…” she breathed into the lion’s mane.
Her father was on the phone and she could hear the worry in his voice, but he made sure to keep his words short and clear for the operator.
She crouched down and covered her ears, rocking back and forth on her heels, the smell of copper filling her nose.
Fwoo- She started humming a song, trying to forget the sounds.
“You have to wake up.” She whispered, as the rain outside grew slower.
She drew in a shaky breath, trying to steady herself. Thunder rumbled overhead, shaking the windows and walls, and she looked up when she heard something drop.
She rushed to pick up the picture frame, and when she turned it over, she realized the glass broke.
She was seven years old again and tripped as she was chasing Mickey.
Her knee stung, and when her brother rushed over to look at it.
He turned to her and put on a smile. “Come on. If you smile, it won’t hurt as bad.”
She tried to smile for him as she took the picture out of the broken frame.
“Come back.” She whispered softly as she glanced at her brother’s face before locking the picture in her desk, then returned to her bed, still trying to hum and smile while fresh tears stained her cheeks.
She hugged her Lion again. “Please.” She whispered, burying her face in his mane.
Beep.
“No… You can’t.” Noga muttered.
“Nog-“ Lital started.
“No! You’re just going to murder him!” Noga shouted, and ran up the stairs, feet tapping to the rhythm of Cassie’s barks.
She slammed the door to her room, and fought with the door lock for a moment, before something pinged inside, and the door locked.
“You can’t…” she muttered, the fake smile she fought to keep on her face, to try and appear strong, melting away.
She enjoyed the cool air for a moment, but as she closed her eyes, the scent of her sweat and the cool air combined to create a familiar coppery scent.
A helicopter flew overhead.
Her father watched as the helicopter rose and slowly disappeared in the distance. Her mother approached and placed a hand on his shoulder.
One of the soldiers had stayed behind, and he approached her with a confident step.
“Noga, right?” He asked, placing a hand on her head, “Don’t worry about him. He’s going to be fine. We got to him just in time. I've got friends who survived worse.” He smiled down at her when she turned-.
BEEP
The sound of the AC switching to a different program pulled her back to her room, and she looked around in a panic, trying to understand why the scent of blood had grown stronger.
She looked down at her hands, and realized her fists were clenched hard enough for her nails to break the skin.
She unclenched her fists with effort and stared down at her bloody hands.
No… She thought, her breath catching in her throat.
The lights inside the helicopter made the door look like an open maw, waiting to swallow her brother.
“Hey Nog,” The soldier said, his smiling face shrouded in shadow, except for the eyes, which were the same as her brother’s, “You should smile, it won’t hur-“
Her hands tingled with pain as the sweat from her hair seeped into her wounds.
“SHUT UP!” Noga screwed her eyes shut, “YOU LIED TO ME!”
“Y-you lied t-to me…” she sobbed.
“You… lied…” she hiccupped as she grabbed her Lion.
The smell of copper was now growing stronger, overwhelming.
“Hey Nog! Watch this!” her brother called out to her, and she turned around to see her brother on top of the hill, but her eyes opened wide in shock as she realized that he wasn’t standing next to his bike, but pieces of the frame were piercing his torso.
“No. Don’t do it.” She tried to say, but her mouth wouldn’t move, as her brother turned his head slightly, and frowned as he stared at something in the distance.
“Sorry Nog, I need to go.” He said, and she blinked once, only to find that he had vanished, the bike was now whole and new.
“No. Nonono. Please… don’t.” she whispered and clutched her Lion, his fur clinging to her hands.
“You can’t leave me alone.” She whispered, the soft mane swallowing her voice and tears.
“Come back. Please.”
“Please.”
BEEP
“Please.” She sobbed.
….Fwoo….. oosh… ts…….s-tc…..h…..k….
It floated through the darkness for untold eons. Images, smells, sounds, floated past it, but it remained oblivious to everything, unable to even comprehend.
“-se.” a shaky whisper pierced through the darkness like a bolt of lightning, bringing change after an eternity of sameness.
Fwo… oo.. osh…
It became aware of a strange sensation, one he could not name.
It tried to tilt his head, but there was no body for him to move.
…p…
Light appeared, or maybe it was always there? He wasn’t sure.
Weariness flooded into and through him, giving weight and Truth to his existence. He was sure that he was alive, though he did not know what any of those words meant.
All he knew now was that he existed, and he was alive.
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And the Light was coming closer.
And the Light was Danger.
He tried to get away, but something bound him in place.
“No you don’t.” a voice whispered. Or shouted. It didn’t matter. It was wrong. “Am I, now?”
…..ts….
“Look.” The Voice demanded, “Remember.” The order rumbled like a thunderstorm, and his perspective shifted.
He relished in the sense of freedom as the updraft beneath his wings pushed him upwards. Then he looked down and saw the spreading shadow in the north.
He folded his wings and entered a dive, rushing to alert his town.
A multicolored Galaxy of lights winked into existence, each carrying a swirl of memories.
He Saw.
He tried to pull back.
He Broke.
It was shattered.
The sword came down. A head tumbled into the sand. The crowd cheered.
….e….
The sheer satisfaction and glee made him recoil.
He crouched down and wiped the tears and blood off the boy’s cheeks; the liquid staining his black scales blue. “I’m sorry we arrived so late.” He said and whistled a sad tune as his own eyes prickled with unshed tears at the carnage.
He felt a stab of pain in his chest, and tried to clutch it with his hand, only to remember he had neither.
The rattle of chains confirmed he had both.
“Ahh. There you are.” The Voice echoed as Michael remembered while the chains tightened around him, as a sphere of eye-searing blackness appeared nearby.
“What’s going on?” Michael asked, trying not to panic.
“A gift, for your efforts.” The Voice said, as the ball approached his body.
Michael tried to flinch away.
The sphere melted into his body, and he calmed down when he realized what it was.
The Chains slipped off and rattled as they fell to the floor.
….tc… hk…. Ee….. p….
He tried to speak, to ask what the meaning of this was, but when he opened his mouth, he realized his throat was blocked.
Something forced air into his lungs as he tried to exhale, but realized that despite the absence of the Chains, he was now bound tighter than he ever had been before.
Something’s wrong! He thought and felt a tugging sensation pulling him sideways and inwards.
“Nothing is wrong, little one.”
…..sh…. bee….
He tried to fight the paralysis, but no matter how many times he tried to muster his power, it would not respond.
Beep.
“Relax.” The Voice demanded, and Michael’s body went slack, while the falling sensation seemed to grow faster.
“Our bargain is concluded.” His Patron said, his voice rapidly growing fainter.
Beep.
The world shifted, and he was no longer falling, but held up by something soft.
Beep.
Fwoooosh… tss-tchk…
There was something lodged in his throat, forcing him to breathe.
Beep. Beep.
Fwoooosh… tss-tchk…
Something was forcing him to breathe wrong.
BeepBeepBeep.
Fwoooosh… tss-tchk…
My eyes fluttered open, and I realized that something was in my throat, breathing for me.
The heart monitor was beeping rapidly, and I tried lifting my hand to my mouth, pull out the wrong, but my body felt sluggish and unresponsive.
Something clattered, then a woman gasped.
The sound of footsteps.
Will she help me? I thought, as the wrongness pushed more air into my chest.
Memories rushed in.
I was trying to show off for Noga, and something broke.
Blackness. Him.
“Hello!” She said with a smile, “shh, don’t fight the ventilator. Breath with it.” She said with a soothing voice, “You’ll be okay. You’re in the hospital,” she said and rubbed my shoulder, the contact forcing reality and memory to reassert themselves.
Right… Hospital. The… accident…
Earth.
My eyes widened, Home!
I focused on her face and forced myself to blink twice, but my eyes barely closed.
“Your eyes are lovely-it’s great to see them open,” she said as she held my hand, “Can you try squeezing your hand for me, please?”
I tried to squeeze my hand but all I got were a pair of anemic twitches and smiled mentally with satisfaction at the sharp intake of breath I heard, then I saw her smile returning.
“Great job, Mickey, I felt that! I’m Sarah-it’s really nice to meet you. Do you think you can calm down for me? Just breathe with the ventilator, if you can.”
I tried to focus on the pace set by the machine, ignoring how wrong it felt.
“That’s right Mickey; inn, and oouutt. Inn, and oouutt.”
It was far too uniform. The Aether just didn’t stick.
Wait. Aether? Here?!
Not now. I needed to calm down.
In. Out. In. Out.
The ventilator wasn’t forcing me to breathe wrong. It was trying to help me breathe Normal.
The pace may have felt natural for someone who never ignited their Soul, but for me, the mechanical, repetitive precision would be torture. I need this thing out.
It just felt so wrong.
“That’s okay for now, Mickey,” she said with that same warm smile, even though I failed this minor task.
“This will help you to calm down.” She gently squeezed my hand.
The beeping of the heart monitor slowed as I stopped fighting.
“That’s good.” The nurse praised and patted me on the shoulder, “That’s very good. You worked hard, rest now. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Her soothing voice carried me back down into soft nothingness.
Andrey stepped out of the elevator and saw Sarah marching over.
“O2 sat 94%, mild tachycardia, got 1mg Midazolam IV,” she glanced at her watch, “15 minutes ago. Eyes tracking, trying to communicate, responding to commands.” She rattled off.
He flipped through the chart at the nurse station and checked the communication section.
Notify family immediately of any change in condition.
And his eyes went wide with the next line.
Plan: Terminal extubation following family goodbye period.
Half a year in PVS with flat affect, no command following… and now this – right after they decided to let go? Heck of a timing, kid. He thought with grim humor “…Page Radiology for a stat head CT.” He said and clicked his tongue, “And Esther – once we have him stable for transport, call the family. But only after we’ve confirmed no acute bleed."
He turned to Sarah, “Alright – let’s go say hello to our new best friend.”
As they entered the room, Andrey approached the monitors to get a readout.
“96% O2 sat, EtCO2 is 39 mmHg… Heart rate at 85 bpm,” He paused and glanced at the chart, “Elevated earlier, but not concerning for now,” He glanced at Sarah, “1mg Midazolam wouldn't have worn off yet, but he should still respond. Alright, let's wake him up and explain what’s coming.”
“Mickey? You with us?” she muttered softly, causing the boy’s eyelids to flutter open.
Okay… E is at least three.
His gaze found Sarah. A slow deliberate wink, and a slight crease at the corners of his mouth.
Scratch that. E and M both tentative four.
“Hello, Michael. I’m Dr. Andrey. Good to meet you,” He paused and let the boy’s mismatched eyes settle on him. “Did you just wink at Sarah?”
Michael’s gaze held steady.
Definitely E four. M tentative 5.
“Blink twice for yes. Once for no.”
The boy’s eyes seemed to sharpen, drilling into him. Andrey felt something catch his chest.
Blink.
His heart skipped a beat.
Blink.
Motor tenta- scratch that. Sedated and still this sharp. Definite six. But just in case…
“Alright…” He said and placed his hand in the boy’s, “Squeeze twice if you were answering my question.”
The boy’s hand twitched twice, and when he glanced at his face, he saw him trying to smile.
“Okay,” he muttered under his breath, “Michael, we’re going to take you in for a CT to make sure everything’s okay.” He saw the boy’s fingers twitch, and he turned his head to Sarah, “Tracking, following commands, clearly communicating. That’s 10T.”
He exhaled a breath, “At this point I’m not worried these are random. He’s here.”
“Let’s get him ready to transport. Sarah - Once we’re moving to radiology, call the parents.-“
Meir was forced out of blissful unconsciousness, and he tried looking around through the throbbing in his head.
The room was dark and quiet, and he tried to swallow through a throat full of sand.
His hand brushed a plastic bottle next to his chair. He mentally thanked Lital as he unscrewed the cap and drank half of the water while his mind slowly caught up with his body.
Why’d you have to say it like that? Do you think it was easy to make that- He screwed his eyes shut and tried to shake his head, though the first movement sent the world spinning around him.
Stop blaming her. She’ll understand why we had to do that when she’s older.
He levered himself out of his armchair as his eyes scanned the clock on the wall.
3:30… Something woke me up… He thought, fighting to maintain his balance.
Something… His eyes widened, The phone! He thought and wobbled on shaky legs to the desk.
One missed call.
His heartbeat quickened. He could count the number of things that would require calling him on one hand, and not even one of them was good.
He reached for the phone with shaking hands, trying to remember how to check the caller ID when it started ringing again.
He panicked and nearly dropped it, but somehow, somehow his brain regained just enough control to catch it. He pressed the button and the handset beeped as he pressed it to his ear.
“Hello?” He slurred.
“Good evening, may I speak with Meir or Lital Bar-David?” the voice on the other side spoke. There’s only one reason someone would call looking for either of them at this time of night, and he could feel his heart starting to hammer in his ears.
He tried to swallow, his throat immediately drying again.
“S-Suh-speaking.”
“Hello Meir, this is Esther, calling from the Loewenstein rehab center. I’m calling to update about your so-“ His ears started ringing, he leaned on the wall and slid down as his knees gave out.
Wait… “W-wh-“ He paused and forced himself to focus, “What did you just say?” He tried swallowing past the lump in his throat, refusing to let hope take hold.
I must have misheard…
“I understand that this might be overwhelming to hear. I’m calling to update you that your son regained consciousness. His vitals are stable, and he is communicating. Dr. Abramovich is escorting him for a CT scan. We should have the results ready within the hour, but the preliminary tests were promising enough that he felt you should be notified now.”
Meir tried to focus his eyes, but everything seemed so blurry, and he realized his breathing was becoming ragged and shaky.
“Is… This isn’t a prank, is it?” He asked, refusing to believe her words, “It’s extremely cruel if it is.”
“Absolutely not, sir. Should we let him know that you’ll come and see him soon?”
It took a few heartbeats for Meir to process what she just said.
He’s awake. He thought.
Then the guilt caught up with him, and the phone clattered to the floor and out of his grip.
“Meir…?” he barely heard the voice on the handset through the ringing in his ears.
I almost murdered my son. He shook his head, No-not almost. I already signed the order to cut off life support next week, after we’ve all said our last goodbyes.
“Meir…? Can you hear me?” The voice on the other end sounded worried now. He shook his head, Not now. Focus. He reached for the phone again and cleared his throat.
“I’m sorry. It’s just… You s-“ He paused. Swallowed. Took a steadying breath. “It’s just… We lost all hope at this poi-“ He choked again.
A pause, and he heard the rustle of paper, “I understand,” she said, her tone warm and soothing, and Meir felt anger building in the pit of his stomach.
She understands?! He thought angrily, then closed his eyes and concentrated on the now.
“C-Can we come see him?” He asked with a shaky whisper.
“Of course, Meir. Once he’s back from his scan, I’ll let him know you’re on your way. Can you tell me who’ll be coming, so I can let security know?”
Meir swallowed, “Lital and I, his parents, and Noga, his sister.”
“Very well. I’ll call the mobile number we have on file with any updates.” She said, “I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you.”
“Th-thank y-y-you.” He said, the words barely clearing his throat, “We’ll co-“ He clenched his jaw, forced himself to calm down, “We’ll be th-there soon.” He said and hung up.
He placed the headset back in its cradle with shaking hands.
His knees buckled, and he fell on the floor, face wet with tears.
I almost murdered my son. He thought, his chest heaving with quiet sobs.
I've been hemming and hawing over this story for the past 5 years or so, though I started writing the story itself about a year ago.
What have I been doing for the preceding 4 years?
World building.
lot to make this world feel lived in and real.
This story does not take place on our Earth.
Sure, you might notice some places share the same names.
