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Friday, October 5, 2018

"Untitled" by Skylir F



The urge to throw up increases as I approach the impending doors. The forsaken doors
that lay just before an even more forsaken abyss. The inauspicious black doors, surrounded by a smoky mist, that await me as I start to walk slower. My breath catches, and I seem to forget how to walk. I try to control my breathing and straighten my walk, however it only seems to worsen as suddenly I can’t breathe and I even feel myself start to limp. I try to tell myself to relax , breathe , I am only walking towards my impending doom, what is there to fear? This self-talk allows for a quick distraction, until I again become aware of where I am walking towards. Suddenly, a force knocks me back, and I again have to control my breathing. What was that? I look around to find nothing there. I turn back around and continue attempting to walk. What is wrong with me? I cannot even focus on the thought because I am too busy trying to learn how to walk, although it is pretty difficult as my legs feel like jelly and my feet begin to drag across the pavement. 

A flicker.

My eyes sweep across the view in front of me, and quickly I learn of my mistake, as I bring my head back down.
Oh god. The pressure in my chest begins to expand, and soon I feel like I can’t breathe. My chest literally feels as if it is about to break apart due to the incessant, bulging weight of my fast-beating heart. It has to be right under my collarbone now, this t-this thing .

“Just keep your head down, and move,” I mutter to myself.
But it is so hard.

There are so many flickers, all of which seem to have no regard for my passing by. And yet, it feels like they are all looking at me. All of the flickers, shoving past me and streaking across my vision and flashing brightly and clumping together are all moving so fast and I feel as though I am interrupting something; something I am once again not a part of.


As the doors get closer and closer and the flickers continue to judge me I squeeze my eyes shut and wish and pray and cry on the inside that someone is watching me, someone is looking out for me and won’t let this be the end. I wish I could just leave, leave this place forever and stay hidden from anything and everything that is out to hurt me. With this thought in mind I enter the abyss.

There’s a thrumming in my ears, and I cannot tell where it is coming from. In a panic, I begin to feel around where I am, but I can’t see, and worse I can’t move my arms. Where are my arms! My breathing becomes more shallow as I realize that I can’t move anything: my hands, my legs, my head; everything is distorted and loud and there’s a rushing in my ears that I can’t stop either and before I know it hot trails of salt are running down my face. I can’t even wipe them away. The tears keep coming and then I am gasping, gasping aloud and crying and then my nose gets plugged and then I am sniffling and crying and the images are coming back and my chest hurts so bad that I wish I never came here. I wish I never came to this place and the thought makes my chest hurt so bad because I realize...

Slowly, ever so slowly, the rushing in my ears begins to descend, as if a disastrous impending wave had decided against wreaking havoc and instead decides to return to its tranquil state. Yet, I am anything but tranquil; with the absence of the rush in my ears, I am able to make everything out with a despairing quality, and what I find almost makes me wish that I was still paralyzed.
I am deep within the abyss, and awaiting me are all of the things that I thought I had left behind. There is a flickering up ahead, and I subconsciously begin to back away. However, this is a different type of flicker. With a hesitant air I slowly get up, and the most surprising thing happens,
My heart is silent.
No heavy weight in my throat, no incessant fast beating that makes me feel as if I am about to die, nothing-but silence. Oh, how lucky my heart is to leave as it pleases! All is silent, and so I silently begin to walk towards the flickering light.


And yet,
I made it.
If only that was the worst part.

It is a green light, and such images are showcased through an array of pretty light. The images aren’t as pretty, though, and slowly I begin to remember what had happened before I woke to a thrumming in my ears. My heart begins to crawl in my throat once again and my eyes begin to widen as I watch- 

I am on stage right, behind the curtain, listening to the innocent chatter that will soon begin to cease at my arrival
I am getting up from my seat, approaching the man at the front of the room, aware of the numerous pairs of eyes on my back as the heat enters my face
I am looking down at my paper, asking whoever is out there to just give me the right words, the foreign words so that they will stop looking at me
I am reading about a beach-a figurative? literal? who cares?-beach, and I think I understand it, and I want to understand it, but I realize it doesn’t matter


My heart awakens, and, as if nothing happened at all, I begin to walk again towards a set of black doors.

13 comments:

  1. Great job Skylir, this piece was well written. I love how descriptive you were describing these intense feelings that were felt throughout the piece. Also, the suspense and imagery in this piece made me as the reader drawn in and able to easily imagine this situation.

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  2. Amazing! Your story drew me in so much. Your use of diction and how well you described the emotions you were conveying were so powerful that I could feel the anxiety and fear. Also, the cliffhanger at the end of the story was great. The start of the last sentence made it feel like the story was over, but then when you say "I began to walk again towards a set of black doors" gives the anticipation of the story continuing. The imagery you used in the story was so vivid, that I could relate to what you were saying and feeling and it drew me, making me want to read more.

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  3. This was amazing! Skylir I love your use of Imagery and how compelling it made your story and how vivid it made everything seem. I also liked your use of situational irony with how the situation of the story and how it appeared in your head. Well done Skylir!

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  4. Leena, your work really speaks to me, as a fellow Asian American who attended another religious private school in their youth. I felt myself relating to the aching feeling of fear and confusion that comes with switching from a familiar environment to one that is completely different than what we grew up with. I especially liked your use of juxtaposition in the final paragraph, in which you compared the nostalgic and familiar past to the distant and unfamiliar present. Overall, your personal reflection is one that represents you as well as the experiences of many other people who have felt like a "fish out of water".
    ~Lance Anthony Aquino, Period 1

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  5. Wow, Skylir! This is such a descriptive and detailed narrative. I really admire how you set up a story and pulled me in with such specific word choice! There were times when the sentences would become increasing shortly and tense, making me feel as if my chest had a large weight upon it as well. What I find the most interesting is that this may not even be solely a horror story: you mentioned being on "stage right" and "behind the curtain", and I love that I can relate so much to the nerves that take one over when they are set to perform! Thank you for presenting us with such an intricate tale of horror!

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  6. Spectacular! Skylir, you narrative story attracted me to know more about the fear of the flicker. Not only that but you also used tons of close reading imagery such as "incessant, fast-beating heart", to further carry on your traumatizing emotion. I love the use of foreshadow and how you talked about distracting yourself by manipulating your fear, but inevitably walking towards your fear.

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  7. Awesome Sky! This piece really speaks to me especially after dealing with moments of anxiety. I can specifically feel every emotion that you described so thoroughly. Your descriptive skills are fire and especially useful to convey the mysterious aspect of the work. Your highly descriptive skill also helps me connect to you as a person, because I can see how much emotion was poured into the piece. I feel as if I have comprehended a part of you that not everyone has, making this work extremely intimate in a way that simultaneously expresses your purpose. -Milena Codling

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  8. This was really hardcore. It is very obvious that you are a strong writer from your inclusion of detail, use of sensory imagery, and inclusion of imagery overall. It really took me to a place full of heavy thoughts and anxiety and was incredibly effective overall. I aspire to be as strong of a writer as you! This was amazing!

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  9. I could not get my eyes off the screen! I was pulled right in within the first few sentences. I genuinely feel like I was experiencing the same emotions throughout thenarrative considering how I have felt that way before however not on that level. Your use of imagery is extremely captivating and kept the whole story alive. I was fearful of what was going to happen in the sentence. This piece is compeletly different from anything I have ever read and I appreiacte how you shined a light on a feeling that usually is suppressed and not talked about enough.Thank you for your creativity Skylir!

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  10. You really have a way of capturing an audience, I was hooked from the very beginning! I could literally feel my heart beating, your descriptive imagery really made the story more intense.
    -Deanna Ortega

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  11. Your use of detail and imagery really helped to capture the tone and emotion of your writing. You grabbed my attention with the very first sentence and you kept me engaged through your fantastic use odf descriptive detail. Good job!
    - Camryn Greer Period 6

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  12. I liked the almost rapid-pace type of descriptions and emphasis you had throughout your piece. The repetition you used with certain words like black door and flickering, as well as the short bursts of sentences made me feel the tension and anxiety you were describing. The way you wrote this really fits the context of the piece; it wouldn't fit with other types of narratives but it really lends itself to the ominous kind of sensation your piece has throughout. I really enjoyed it Skylir it felt like I was right there with you.

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  13. There is nothing I enjoy more than a well written piece of literature, and this is exactly it. Your organization and structure really stood out to me as you seemed to intentionally separate specific lines from each other making them stand alone and strengthen the voice and emotion behind each word. I can relate all too well with this piece and I thank you for not shying away from unconventional topics such as this one. Beautiful work, Skylir!
    -Jennifer Flores

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