Short Story Saturday: Untitled

Short Story Saturday submission by Michael Kelly

The water of the pond was a deep green in color but ran clear through your fingers. It was his turn on the rope swing. He backed up to get the best advantage he could and then ran with all his might until his feet left the ground. Out over the pond he waited as long as he could wait and not begin to swing back. He let go of the rope and found himself weightless as he waited to enter the water. The moment he hit the water everything went dark. The moon was shining just enough for him to see he was in his bedroom. He sat up in bed and reached to turn on a light. He was in his room but somehow it just felt different. Had he dreamed of being with his friends at the pond having fun? Morning came and he went to the bathroom and as he looked into the mirror only to be horrified by what he saw. The person he saw was not him or at least did not look like him. Quickly he ran to the kitchen to see his mother cooking breakfast. She turned and said “good morning honey”. Confused he asked her if he looked alright and she replied handsome as always. The day continued to be a one of discovery as he found himself different and everything else the same. In time he came to accept it without understanding. It was like he was a totally different person thrown into an unchanged world. He went on to graduate high school, get married and raise a family, and grew old. His life happened just as it was supposed to but he always felt deep within that it was not the life the person before the rope swing would have lived. He tried to talk about it when he was younger but no one believed or understood so he just learned to hide it away. The day came when his time was done in this human existence. The final sound of this life was the squeal of the machine he was hooked up to. The sound of the machine went silent and all went dark. SUDDENLY he found himself submerged in water and fighting to find the surface. As he reached the surface he felt the sun on his face and so bright that he could not see clearly. He swam to the edge of the water and was greeted by others as he arrived. Confused and weary from the plunge and swim he found himself looking to understand. He could still hear the scream of the machine and he wondered how this could be. As he sat there he put his head into his hands and as he slowly opened his eyes. In the reflection in the water was the person he was long ago. He looked up and around in amazement and then silently laughed to himself. “What a dream”. Or was it?

Editor’s Note: The Gallia Hometown Herald does not edit or change short story submissions in any way except for correcting spelling.