Pristine/Lily tears
by Kaitlin McKinnon (Photo: Kyle Chong)
White. Pure, some would say, although Talia didn't subscribe to that theory. What it was, was nothing, the shining diamonds and pearl not beautiful, but pathetic and small. A failed attempt at making this place seem better than it was. That is, cold, stark, and completely empty.
White. Pure, some would say, although Talia didn't subscribe to that theory. What it was, was nothing, the shining diamonds and pearl not beautiful, but pathetic and small. A failed attempt at making this place seem better than it was. That is, cold, stark, and completely empty. The entire landscape seemed alien, and she felt like she didn’t belong here.
Everything was strange. Even her usual clothes had been replaced by a long, flowing, silk robe, which was beautiful, but anonymous. It wasn't hers, and it wasn't her. Talia had always believed in expression through clothing, and although she liked loose shirts and wore skirts often (almost always accompanied by ripped up tights), this garment just felt wrong. It was like she was in a production of The Odyssey, the silk making her feel elegant, yes, but the absence of her lover was making her draw uncomfortable parallels between herself and Penelope. But, unlike the Greek woman, she would not sit idly while she waited for her beloved to return. No, she would find him, even if she had to wander through this non-place for the rest of eternity.
She set her chin and began walking like the she knew where she was going, glaring at the white walls and the thin fog starting to snake around her feet, daring it to try and stop her.
Although she was surprised by the dark figure that seemed to have suddenly risen out of the fog, she took it in stride. "You! Guy with proper clothes."
The man walked toward her, an amused smile on his face. "What can I do for you?"
Talia rolled her eyes. “Oh God, you're not like an angel or some crap like that, are you? Please don't tell me you're about to pull a harp out of your ass and sing a song to welcome me to Heaven."
He looked confused. "Why would you think you're in Heaven?"
"Well I'm dead, right? I know I was in a car crash, and absolutely everything around me is white."
He nodded understandingly. "You're in purgatory, dear. After all, you were drinking." He held up a hand to stop her next question. "Hush, there's something you're going to want to see."
He knelt on the ground, and as he got on his knees, the fog around them dissipated, revealing a clear, still pool of water ringed by white marble.
"I don't see any-"
"Look."
She knelt next to him to get better view, and an image appeared in the water.
Gabe, her sweetheart, rubbed his eyes as he assessed his own environment, just as white and sterile looking as her own surroundings, although in a completely different way. He must have realized that rubbing his eyes while attempting to look around would only blur his vision more, because he stopped moving, closed his eyes, rubbed the sleep out of them once more and finally looked around again. That was Gabe, slow, but he always figured things out eventually.
Now, as he looked around, he must have seen what Talia had noticed from the start. He was in a hospital, hooked up to a single IV and sporting a couple of bandages, but otherwise not looking too worse for wear. There was also a young nurse, golden-haired and with legs almost as tall as Talia's full body, looking over a clipboard next to Gabe's bed.
She looked up when she noticed him stirring, and smiled down at him, those gorgeous locks falling over her shoulders as she said, "Oh good, you're awake! You know, I was talking to Doctor Goodman and he said he thought you were comatose, but I said no, he's just getting his beauty sleep, he'll be up soon. And look, two days later, here you are, proving me right! Although of course, I don't think you actually need any beauty sleep." Her giggle was like the infuriating tinkle of a thousand perfect little bells.
But Gabe would never fall for that. He could be shallow sometimes, but his girlfriend had just died for God's sake! Talia shook her head to clear it and continued to watch.
The nurse was now flipping through her clipboard – medical notes, Talia presumed – then she began talking again. "You know, you were in quite a bad car crash. There was glass and blood everywhere, although both airbags deployed, so you were safe from too much harm. A bit of head trauma and some minor wounds, but if everything goes well, you should be out within the week."
"And Talia? The girl driving the car?"
The nurse's smile fell for a moment. "Oh, right. I'm sorry your sister didn't make it."
Talia silently fumed. Sister? Really? They had different last names.
Her boyfriend looked upset, but he didn't correct her. After a moment, the nurse scribbled something on the corner of one of the papers in the clipboard before ripping it off and handing it to Gabe.
"That's my number. If you have any questions about your treatment, or if you're ever missing your sister a lot, give me a call." Her half-hearted facade of remorse crumbled when she gave him a wink, and with a flip of her hair, disappeared.
Gabe, left alone, looked at the number, and smiled to himself. Talia's hands tightened on the marble surrounding the pool.
"I will kill him, and then when he gets up here, I will kill him again. I will pull both of his arms off and watch as his bright crimson blood paints this godforsaken colorless desert, and then I'll-"
She was cut off by a warm hand on her shoulder. She wilted under the boy's touch. "Men are pigs," she muttered.
