Beneath a Drowning Sea [On Hold]

A sighing heart, a lonely plea.

A.N. Ok, the story can be perceived as quite complex so, just for now, I'm going to explain the set-up. The fantasy element has a non-linear plot due to the bizarre nature of time. However, the romance element (which will be introduced in the next chapter) is linear and will be a lot easier, hopefully, to understand. I wanted this to come through naturally but people have been asking so I thought I'd let you all know :)

II

It was difficult to keep track of the days in this place and sometimes, when the insanity took me, I could almost believe that time did not exist. I allowed the cold waves to wash lazily over my shoulders. What other stimulation was there? The water kissed my neck, I began to dream.

Somewhere, in the dark, the cool rasp of surf mixed flawlessly with a ticking clock. In a place where time ran uneven, this was a rare and beautiful thing.

Awareness hit me with the shock of cold water and I gasped, clawing my way back into the world. The sheets slipped from my shoulders as smooth as silk but, for a couple of seconds, it was the remains of delusion that clutched at my limbs instead. I gulped in air, unable to concentrate on anything other than the panic as it slowly ebbed from my blood.

Orange lamplight seeped into my tiny room with a gentle glow and, though the night was chill, it implied a comforting warmth that had become unfamiliar to me. My fingers curled in the soft cotton but otherwise I did not move. I took in another breath, calmer this time, and blinked. In a world with as little reality as this one, a single dream could send you under.

I was drowning, everybody was drowning, but not that fast.

My bare feet hit the floor boards with a dull thump and I revelled in the sensation of wood that did not roll in the waves. Everything about this moment moved slowly, softly, and I did not wish to break the night.

As I stood, the darkness segregated around my shoulders. This was not the simple dawdling of Lady time, whose fickle lethargy had become all too familiar, but the kind of revered silence that dimmed the mind. I blinked blearily as the tendrils of night coiled slowly down my arms, pooling in my palms and dripping through my fingers.

Light beckoned to my groggy consciousness. Reacting to a primal instinct as natural as the desire to be loved, I followed the glow. Floorboards strained beneath my intrepid toes but I continued to walk through a house that was not mine; a house that was not mine in a world that was not mine.

I had not been here long but already I was sick of dying.

The last wings of reverie continued to swirl about my shoulders as I let the door swing slowly shut behind me. It was then that I noticed  the creaking that was not from my feet.

The dream dissipated further, memories of day returned. This thin corridor, with its driftwood walls and faded pictures, was familiar. I stared at the faces in the frames as I walked and could not help but wonder what their reasons were.

The end of the corridor. Another door. I placed a delicate hand on the handle and let my body go still. The encouraging glimmer of orange was stronger here, as it ebbed through the cracks, and for a second I bathed in little more than the memory of warmth.

I tightened my fingers, opened the door.

I did not expect anything. And so I was not surprised.

"In a world without time, why must we sleep in the night?"

I smiled.

"Good evening, Loreena."

Her eyes remained unfocused as I stepped forward to join her. She rocked, and drowned, and saw nothing.