Eternal Recurrence: The Calendar Conundrum

CHAPTER 06 : Trapped in a Nightmare

Faith, still shocked by her sudden appearance, remained motionless on the ground, without a word. The man standing before her, addressing her again, seemed to taunt: "Well, Faith, have you lost your tongue? It's a pity, especially when you had several questions to ask me."

After a prolonged silence, Faith stood up on her own, casting a gaze that was both threatening and confused. "I haven't lost my tongue, and know that I haven't forgiven you for the last time," she yelled at him. The stranger, in a voice tinged with sarcasm, replied, "Come on, my dear, it was just a misunderstanding. You're not going to hold a grudge against me for a simple altercation, are you? And to think I was starting to like you."

Faith then decided to speak: "Strangling someone until they faint means nothing to you? You're truly unbelievable... Now that you're here, i want you to answer to all my questions," she said with a slight anger in her voice. The young man looked at her with a big smile, his eyes gradually darkening. "I would love to, but patience, Faith... Your answers will come soon, but for now, I will only answer one question."

Faith remained speechless, thousands of questions swirling in her head. "Tick-tock, tick-tock, I don't have all day, you know. So hurry up," the stranger added to make her panic. It was obvious that he enjoyed the mental torture. "Wait! I've chosen my question," Faith declared. "Who are you... Who are you really?"

A heavy atmosphere settled between them, but the man approached her and placed his hands on her face. Faith tried to move away, but remained frozen in place, unable to speak. "Faith... I am him, I am her, I am them, I am me, and I am..." Before finishing his sentence, something strange happened. His body began to take different forms, leaving Faith petrified, watching without being able to act until the stranger chose his final form. And there, the shock, it was her form "I am you," he completed. "You and I, we are one. You must get it into your head, Faith," he added before snapping his fingers.

Faith woke up abruptly, disoriented, but realized that she was not in her bed. "Good Lord... tell me I'm dreaming again..." And yes, Faith finds herself in the place where it all began: the calendar store.

Faith finds herself in the calendar store, the enigmatic place where her strange journey began. Around her, the shelves are filled with calendars of all kinds, but there is something different in the air this time. There is an atmosphere charged with mystery and revelation around her as she tries to understand what is happening.

She remembers the words of the mysterious man, this troubling revelation that she and him are one. It resonates in her mind as she finds herself confronted once again with this enigmatic place. What does it all mean? What connection exists between her and this stranger?

Lost in her thoughts, Faith tries to recall the events that led her here. Memories flash through her mind, but they are blurry, like fragments of an incomplete puzzle. She remembers being drawn to this store, almost as if she was destined to go there. But why?

As she struggles to find answers, Faith slowly explores the aisles of the store, letting her instinct guide her. Each calendar seems to hold a secret, each page could reveal a missing piece of this strange puzzle that is her life right now.

As she explored the mysterious corners of the place, a door opened before Faith, fueling her insatiable curiosity. Without hesitation, she crossed the threshold, but as soon as her footsteps echoed in the room, the door closed behind her, leaving the young woman in a semi-darkness that was unsettling. A shiver of apprehension ran down her spine, but her thirst for adventure overcame any fear.

Finding herself in a space that resembled stairs but seemed to stretch into infinity, Faith couldn't help but murmur to herself: "Indeed... this place is full of mysteries much deeper than I imagined." Each step she descended seemed to draw her further into the unknown, awakening in her a curiosity tinged with anxiety.

As she continued her exploration, Faith noticed that each floor was marked by a calendar with a name above it, each associated with a specific year. This strange discovery only increased her discomfort, and she wondered if she was still dreaming. Yet, the cold reality of the endless staircase reminded her that she was indeed awake.

Faith paused for a moment to try to analyze the connection between these calendars, but the only observation she could make was the 25-year gap between them. "25 years... the names of the people... 25 years apart..." she articulated, disbelief evident on her face. A sense of horror began to grip her as she slowly realized the significance of this discovery.

Panic-stricken, Faith hurriedly ascended the stairs, but horror engulfed her when she discovered her own name inscribed on the calendar who was given by "The Nobody" on the first floor. Her heart raced as the reality of the situation hit her full force. Cold shivers ran down her spine as she realized the impending unspeakable danger.

Suddenly, the stairs began to disappear one by one, leaving Faith trapped in this endless nightmare. She desperately tried to escape, but her efforts were in vain. In a final moment of terror, she plummeted into the abyss.

"Never forget the day, Faith... it is near," murmured an indistinct voice as complete darkness enveloped her tormented mind.

Faith opened her eyes abruptly, feeling as though she had just fallen from a great height. She found herself in her room, bathed in the soft morning sunlight. Relief washed over her as she realized she was back home, but a lingering sense of unease remained, as if a shadow still loomed over her.

Jumping up from her bed, Faith searched frantically, hoping to find something to confirm the reality of her strange journey. Her gaze fell upon the calendar she had been holding tightly in her hands before, but it had mysteriously disappeared. A shiver ran down her spine as she realized that the tangible evidence of her experience seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Rubbing her eyes, she wondered if it had all been a dream, but the vivid sensations and terror she had experienced seemed too real to be mere imagination. The absence of the calendar left her with a lingering sense of unease, as if a part of her reality had been erased, leaving behind a troubling void.

But one question lingered in her tormented mind: what did the disappearance of this calendar mean, and what did it portend for her?