A FLASH FICTION FANTASY
I awoke in a foreboding realm, not a land of macabre relics, but a dismal palace with a gate that resembled the maw of a grotesque giant. “Bruce,” a voice boomed, shattering the silence. “It’s impolite to linger here.”
My heart racing, I struggled to find my voice. “What?” I finally stammered.
“Step inside,” the voice commanded.
Should I refuse? “No, wait…” I screamed, but my protest was cut short as I found myself seated in a plush chair.
I pinched myself hard, trying to shake off the feeling of dread. The sight before me was unsettling – spiders scurrying across ancient tomes that lay scattered about. “Come on, Bruce,” a voice whispered, making me jump.
I nearly soiled myself, but the woman seated across from me gazed at me with an unnerving elegance and beauty. Her dead eyes fixed on a large, creepy red book. “Bruce, you are no longer alive. Absorb that truth before we proceed.”
“No!” I bit my hand, trying to shake off the reality. “It can’t be! I must wake up from this nightmare!”
I could have sworn the lady opposite me giggled dryly, her expression unreadable. “This is the Gate of Souls,” she replied, her voice dripping with an otherworldly tone.
Her sharp turn to the red book seemed significant, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. “Ah, you’re not in the red book,” she ended with a smirk, her canine-long nails clicking against the cover.
The painful cacophony that followed was like an eerie minor chord, making my skin crawl. “Is that a good thing?” I asked, my expression twisted in a mixture of fear and desperation, like a suckling who hadn’t tasted milk in hours.
“Yes and no,” she replied, picking up another book. The black cover seemed worn, with yellow, half-torn pages. “Not in this one either,” she said, dropping the book with a dismissive gesture.
My eyes widened with excitement, and I thought to myself, Does this mean I could finally escape this place?
But she then stared at me with utmost pity, her lips curling into a small, downturned “n”. The gesture seemed to say, Not so fast, Bruce. Your fate is far from sealed.
“Say something!” I begged, fear breaking my voice. “You creepy…”
“Stop,” she commanded, rising from her chair. Her height seemed to increase, making me cower. “Maybe you forget who you sit with.”
I tried to flee, but my body felt heavy, as if glued to the chair. “Wait, am I…?”
“Sorry,” I amended, trying to compose myself. I thought, This is the end for me, a malnourished CEO who ruled with arrogance.
“Impudent!” she hissed, kissing her teeth. The deafening silence that followed made me more suicidal than nervous.
I thought, I shouldn’t speak; a creature covered in plant roots wouldn’t be a good conversationalist. But I cleared my throat, “Uhmm…”
Her eyes lingered on me like a rotten entity before returning to the creepy book. “Sorry,” I said again, adjusting myself. She almost growled, but another gargantuan book appeared.
“Finally,” I thought, my heart sinking. She shook her head, scanning each page with a cold gaze, searching for my name. “Br-uce…” she stopped suddenly. “Gate unknown.”
“Wait! What?” I wanted to check the book myself, but my chair sank into the sand, trapping me. “Wait, there’s a mistake?” I cried, but the reality was inescapable – I was already dead.
