Boredom

Boredom

My eyes hurt. I can't close them. Not completely. I lie on my back, and I can not move. My clothes are damp. They are slowly stealing away the water the grass wants. The sky is bright.

A lattice of clouds drift, and my gaze follows. Why can't I move like they do? Why is it only my eyes that hurt, and nothing else?

The clouds form a castle. At first, it is an outline. I concentrate, and it hurts my eyes some more. The castle resolves itself in the clouds, now a three dimensional sculpture, however many kilometres above.

I watch the castle drift across the sky. It starts to lose its shape, as the currents assault it. A kingdom come, a kingdom gone, before I even got a chance to blink my eyes.

Why can't I blink my eyes? Panic. Adrenaline. Paralysed terror, like an injection at the dentist. The castle is gone. My eyes are open. They still hurt.

The ground quakes gently as some, something - approaches. It walks by. Just a person.

They walk beyond my transfixed gaze. They vanish out of it. They return, looking down at me. "Why are you lying on the footpath?" I don't blink. Am I even breathing?

They kneel down. A hand touches my face. I see the concern in their face. I can't speak. "What's your name?" I can't speak. I watch the indistinct cloud that was a castle pass by behind their head. It is now a horse. Their hand is cold and calloused, yet compassion conducts their action.

They make a phone call. They speak in urgent tones. Unresponsive. Unmoving. An indistinct description of my form.

They return. I gaze at the horse. They click their fingers in front of my eyes. I don't blink. Why are you spoiling the view?

The noise begins. A whining in my ears, getting louder. I can hear. I can see. My eyes hurt. I can't move. The siren is silent no sooner than I could hear it. Two forms emerge, carrying green bags.

If only I could speak, I could tell them, I only took the drugs because I was bored.

Author's Notes

Another prompt from my writing group. Not particularly happy with the output or outcome of this one, but I wanted to try and experiment with the present tense, to make the story feel more "now", and have some different pacing.

I'm not sure how I did, but I'd love to find out.