NOTHING

When we are alone, are we ever truly alone?

                                                                                        

There was nothing. No sound to be heard. No sight to be seen. No perception. Just complete and total emptiness. A dark void of non-existence. Spanning the entire universe or enclosed in one woman's tiny bedroom, where was to be found the quiet glimmer of small light from the device she held in her hands, as her eyes explored the vast expanses of humanity. 

She studied pictures of people in all forms of merriment, past and present. Images declared to be viral, that everyone must see, was wanting to see. All the important people. And there she was, lying in her bed under a blanket, joining in with so many others to partake of the observation. She was one with them. 

She scrolled some more to learn of tragedies from firearms to automobiles to domestic conflict. She paused on the image of the couple being led to an ambulance or appearing in handcuffs. She looked at them, people who jointly went into the union and now how they were emerging. Her mind wandered. She didn't look about, but she was in the darkness of her room, of her world. In silence. Was she better off? Did she truly wish to have someone in her life? 

She scrolled. 

Nice car, but she knew it wouldn't brighten up her life. 

Famous people. She didn't know who any of them were. Recognized that one. Remembered that one from tv. Who watches tv nowadays? 

She stopped on a video to watch the young people dance. She was allowing only the smallest amount of volume and listened to the music and the singing. Could barely hear any of it over the pandemonium of the cheering crowd. They were loved by so many people. She didn't go to many dances anymore. Too much commotion and didn't see the point to just say she saw someone in concert when she was too far away to see them or hear them. Just so she could tell others she saw the celebrity and the whole show was fantastic. 

Recipes. 

She watched the video, the hands tossing around the ingredients. Spices. Now more vegetable slices. How do they plan to make anything edible from that? She didn't see it happening. Then they brought in dough, rolled flat. She watched some more, practically enthralled. More sprinkling, more garnish. That's an interesting combination, she thought. 

Now while it is baking, we'll prepare the topping. 

A bowl. More mixing of ingredients. Eventually, it all began to take on a very pleasantly impressive appearance. The previous article was finished cooking, so now the adornment was to being, with the topping. She watched, unblinking at the visual. Then it was complete. The video ended. She wasn't sure it was something she would have enjoyed, but it definitely seemed more suitable for gatherings or banquets, and she didn't go to many things like that. She didn't hesitate again to ponder her life, but scrolled once more. 

She saw a picture of one very nice looking man. He was very fit, in shape, his muscles showing through his shirt. Handsome man with dark brown skin, styling hair cut real short. She checked to see who he was and became startled at reading the angry barrage beneath the picture of the attractive fellow. 

"Thinks he's so wonderful! I've seen those private texts he's been getting! He's gonna learn I'm not somebody he wants to mess with! And as for that . . . . " 

She read the insults applied by this woman called Dovemay2, always the same angry terms a woman had when she felt betrayed by her man.  

"Do you know who she is?" a friend asked Dovemay about 'the other woman.'

"I've seen her before, . . . " Dovemay replied. 

There was the image of the other woman. She looked at this unknown person a bit, then back to the guy. 

Oh, baby, she thought to herself, you can do better than that. 

Then she decided to look at Dovemay2, see if she could find what she looked like. She scrolled a bit, read angry responses. Dovemay2 seemed to be a dancer, or was it she danced at the clubs. Well, that seemed to imply she was healthy and a bold little woman. She couldn't find a picture yet. Other people Dovemay2 spoke to and responded with all seemed to have pictures of themselves up, being young pretty women with very flattering figures, tight dresses, mini-skirts, long weaves. Very beautiful. So many beautiful women and here she was, lying in bed alone, reading about that fine man any woman would give her eyeteeth for. Any woman. 

If she knew how to get in touch with him, she'd go after him herself. She checked their location. Too far away, but somebody was going to get lucky if Dovemay2 tossed this man aside. 

A bit more scrolling, then she saw his pic show up, with the name Shark9roar. So handsome. 

He didn't back away, telling Dovemay2 she was making it up, believing the wrong people. This caused Dovemay2 in turn to lash back at Shark9roar with endless insults. Cruel names. How could Dovemay talk to a man like that, for anybody to see? She must think she's coming across bold, standing up to him like this. 

Shark9roar just came back with another slam against Dovemay, telling her if she didn't want what he had to offer anymore, then she could find someone else, but they won't be as good as him, and Dovemay knew it.  

In the absolute silent darkness, her face lit up by the phone's glow, she smiled, almost laughing to herself, at Shark9roar's comeback. She smiled for quite a bit, then brought her other hand forward, a finger extended and tapped 'like' giving thumbs up. 

"Dovemay2, you see that?" 

"What?" 

"Someone named DeLight043 liked Jerondo telling you off." 

"What? Where is she? Who is she? Who does she think she is?" 

Her eyes widened in the bright glow as anger emojis followed. 

"She better just go . . . " 

"Look at her picture." 

Dovejoy2 had many friends it seemed, as comment after comment was followed with LOL and an amazing barrage of berating putdowns because she liked Shark9roar's rebuttal to Dovemay. 

It was when she saw Shark9roar make an LOL at one threat toward her she immediately scrolled up, removed the like and left the conversation. 

She reclined back on the pillow and stared up into the darkness. She brought her hand up to her forehead. It seemed like it was always like this. She ran her hand down her face to try to compose her senses and she took a deep breath. She looked back to the phone and entered another site. Now she was looking at pictures of beautiful far-away lands with bright blue skies and plenty of sunshine. There were people on beaches and driving in magnificent vehicles. Beautiful women in stylish clothes with such handsome men. 

Handsome men. Like Jerondo. Yes, she remembered the name. She wished she had saved his picture before she fled, even tho he laughed at her being made fun of. Slowly she imagined herself as the beautiful woman in the beautiful dress and Jerondo as the handsome man smiling at her. She wanted to be happy with him, but he did laugh at the others calling her ugly names. 

A private message came to her, from Dovemay's friend. She immediately hit block, knowing it was going to be threats. She thought to herself, this was why she was alone. She just couldn't handle the fighting and anger in today's world. She moved around on the pillow to get more comfortable and held the phone up. 

She clicked on a video to watch a movie clip. The image played of fast cars, explosions, gunfire. Then there was music, more gunfire and explosions and people dancing. She watched it all. The movie came out last year, but she didn't go see it. She realized if she held the phone up and away a fairly decent distance, in the dark room, it almost appeared as if she was in the theatre, watching the movie. Totally the same effect. She watched the scenes unfold more from the movie trailer. 

Just like being in the theatre. 

She almost dropped the phone, which would ruin the illusion, and quickly maneuvered it back up so she could see it again. Then the phone slipped again. Her arm wasn't tired. The phone seemed to tug in her hand and she brought it down closer to her, but then the phone left her fingertips, the light getting dimmer in the darkness until it completely disappeared. She heard the jingle of it being turned off. She stared wide-eyed into the black, observing nothing, but wanting to know what or who was there. She didn't drop the phone. She knew that. 

Someone in the dark had removed it from her hand. 

She slammed against the far wall to get away from whatever it was. She couldn't see a thing. Did she want to see it? She pulled the blanket up to her and snatched a second pillow to put across her. Still she stared wide-eyed into the dark with nary a shape nor a sound to be heard. She brought the pillow up to her mouth to conceal any sound she may make. Still she watched, waiting to see the phone give a faint glint of activity, to hear a ding, a jingle, anything that it and whoever possessed it now might be doing. 

And there was nothing. 

She pulled the blanket up more to cover her. She couldn't dial 911. She didn't know what time it was. Still she watched and listened. Should she try to get up? What if they were still there? What if they stood between her and the lightswitch? Her eyes darted around in the black as she tried so desperately to hear the shuffling of feet, any kind of breathing, a hint of who the intruder was. She wanted so badly to make a run for it. Slowly she pulled the pillow more in front of her, curling up her knees, getting as much into a ball in the corner of the bed against the wall as she could. 

The blankets made the fabric sound of being pulled together and she was wondering if the stranger might react to that, but there was nothing. No one seemed to want to grab the blankets as she pulled them to her. It was only the phone they took. Her whole connection to an outside world. 

She was now in a virtual cocoon on the bed, the air in the containment of pillows and blankets getting hot and stuffy, but she didn't care. She didn't want to be with whoever or whatever was out there. She felt her hands. They seemed warm as terrified as she was. Maybe she should try to run. Slowly she raised her head up. Her neck was crimping anyway. Should she try? Should she just hurl the pillows and blankets and move as fast as she could? 

There was not a single sound to be heard in the room. Was the stranger still there? She didn't know. Maybe she did drop the phone and it was on the floor. Her mind was starting to tell her things occurred differently. She was growing tired and uncomfortable. Why was she in this position again? She waited to hear or see something, the light from the phone or the ding of it opening to a site, but none of this happened. It seemed she should have gotten an annoying courtesy call eventually, letting her know the phone was there, like it usually did, but still that didn't happen. Then maybe it wasn't there. Maybe it was gone with the stranger. All her online information as well. She should try to get help. She really needed to move. Slowly she was forgetting even why she was in this position. The phone switched off. She didn't see anybody take it. She should just try to get up and see where the phone had fallen. That's what she needed to do. 

She wondered what time it was. What if they was still standing there? She lowered her face to the pillow in front of her. What if they were still there, just waiting for her to move? She breathed slowly, deeply. Somebody in the darkness took the phone from her hand. She was certain she didn't drop the phone. Slowly she dropped her head to the pillow. 

Suddenly she gave with a start and sat up, striking the wall behind her. She had been asleep. No, she couldn't have been. How did she know? What time was it when she was looking at the pictures and videos? She tried to remember. About 11 at night? Maybe 12? If she had just dropped off, which she knew she hadn't, then it might be about 1 in the morning. She just took a catnap. Just got herself forty winks if she did anything. 

And still no sound emerged from the dark room. She saw no hint of any light or reflection. There was no sound of anything. 

But now she saw there was the faintest glimmer of light, coming in through the window. It was the hazy beginning of dawn. If it was dawn, she must have dropped off for quite some time, if she had the time correct. Gradually the light outside seemed to grow brighter, slowly filling all the openings to make the shape of the window, casting reflections across whatever was in its path. She wondered if now she should try to get up and move. She pondered trying to get up and turn on the light, or maybe she should just wait for the rising sun to illuminate if anyone else was there. In the time it took her to consider what she should do, the room became even brighter. Silhouettes of objects she knew to be in her room began to appear, until gradually their appearance gave way as well. 

She saw no one in the room. 

She lowered the pillow and blanket and moved up to leave the bed. As she did, she looked down to the floor to see absolutely nothing out of place. Maybe she dropped the phone and it fell under the bed. She looked around the room more as the light filled the space even more. Everything was as it should be. She brought one foot down to the floor, then the other. Now taking on a stance of total normalcy, she crossed the room very easily to the light switch and turned the light on. 

She looked around the room to see everything as she had left it. Nothing was out of place. No book. Her purse where she left it. Everything was where it should be. 

Then she remembered the phone. She scanned across the edge of underneath the bed to see if it was visible. It was nowhere to be seen on the floor. She looked some more. If she had dropped it, maybe it was resting on the bed and she didn't know. Sat there terrified all night long and the phone was in arm's length. 

The phone wasn't there. She had no idea where it could be. She searched across the floor once more, going further from the bed. Maybe it bounced further away. She knew this not to be the case as she never heard any sound of it falling to the floor. 

As she turned to see if the phone was about, she stopped. She had found it. She stared at it. 

It was on the dresser. Seemingly placed on the dresser. 

She stepped forward to retrieve the phone and switched it on. It was fully charged. She knew it shouldn't have been as long as she stayed on it last night, plus the charger was beside her bed. She looked at the phone and decided to check its history. She didn't get a chance to. She had a message. 

From Jerondo.