Abigail Keller

"Kate was one of my students.  She became involved with all this because I recruited her.  She had a gift and I pushed her to fulfill her potential.  From the moment she joined, we knew everything about her life and that includes you and it goes without saying... Roger."  She stood, her attention riveted on the horizon.

"How?  How could you?" I barked.

"We were a loose group of intellectuals.  We called ourselves the Coalition... a group of brilliant minds assembled for the advancement of mankind.  Eventually, as we developed new tools, new technologies, and visions for the future... we began to see things differently.  Utopia for mankind began to mean different things to different people in the group.  After years of fighting, some broke off to join those at Warwick.  The rest of us formed a watchdog group to keep an eye on the others."

"And that brings you to me?"

"Yes, Mr. Harris.  You are the key to Roger's project.  He realized it early on. The electricity you produce is the jumping point; a make it or break it kind of a thing.  Without you his project dies on the drawing board and the future is safe for the time being," she said, now trying to divide her attention between me and whatever she was drawn to.

Only half aware, I followed her gaze as she spoke.

The clouds that sat on the edge of the sky when I first arrived had now moved closer to us.  Slow, white, fluffy clouds in the beginning, they had grown darker, more gray and foreboding.  Small arcs of lightning began to jump between them as they slid closer, bringing with it the low rumble of thunder.

"Mr. Harris.  Please, you don't understand.  You must calm down," she said, waving me toward the chair.  Her attention now divided between me and the horizon.

At that moment, the two men that accompanied her in the beginning reappeared.  They stood behind her, pulling her to her feet.

"You have to calm down.  Look around. Look at what you're doing.  All this is coming from you.  You're no good to us or yourself in this condition... we can't help you like this," she shouted over the sound of the growing wind.

"So, you're trying to tell me you're here to save the world," I said with sarcasm.  I was ticked.  I had reached the point of disbelief.  I had become tired of being manipulated, of being lied to.  Everyone had an agenda, a reason of their own to pull me in one direction or the other. 

What struck me deepest was her saying nine.  Nine times someone had been in my head.  Nine times someone fucked with me to get what they wanted. 

"You, or someone like you, climbs uninvited into my head anytime you want and I'm suppose to do or don't do whatever it is you say?  Well, that's bullshit," I shouted, jumping to my feet.

A loud clap of thunder exploded overhead, vibrating to the very core of me.  The gentle breeze had now become a rush of air that preceded the gathering storm.  The sky had darkened, covered with a swirling, angry mass of gloom.  Bright flashes of lightning jumped from one end of the sky to the other, accompanied by the roar of thunder.  Clap after clap boomed overhead.

"Mr. Harris, listen to me, please," she screamed, reaching out toward me as the two men struggled to pull her to safety, knocking over the table and chairs.  The gale force wind grew more powerful than before, blowing the sand everywhere.  Now nearly dark, save for the flashes of lightning, the air was full of debris.  It was difficult to see anything at all. 

The beautiful sky, the incredible surroundings from but a few minutes before were gone, as were the others.  The only certainty now... I was alone.  I stood in the center of what I can only describe as a small hurricane.  The dark walls of spinning wreckage reached far above me, wobbling wildly, threatening to crash down upon me.

The patio had begun to break up, becoming increasingly smaller.  Torn from beneath my feet, shattered pieces flew through the air to join the rubble racing in the walls surrounding me.  Lightning exploded with greater force and regularity as the walls drew closer and closer.  My heart pounded like never before... I couldn't breathe... I couldn't move.

At that moment, a bolt as thick as my arm drove itself into my chest.  It burned beyond words, filling me, racing down my body to erupt through my feet and I screamed.  I screamed as if my lungs were on fire and the flames rushed from my mouth. 

The sound of it woke me.  I drew a deep, cool breath... sitting up.  I was still in bed, still in my room, covered in a cold sweat and a walloping headache.

Slowly, I made my way to the bedroom door.  My heart still pounded as I gripped the knob.  After a moment, I pulled it open to find my living room filled only with the things that belonged there.  No wind, no beach, no sand, no Abigail Keller.

I stood alone in the dark.

Reviews

[Author Gus]

"It was just a dream"

There are stories that this works well with, and then there a those that it doesn't. You went through so much expositional dialog to build this fictional world, and then completely removed the stakes at the end. It undercuts the entire story arch.

I do like the story, otherwise it wouldn't be a bad ending, it would just be a bad piece. You had created a mysterious world of undercover organizations and an uncertainty as to who was on what side. My suggestion would be to make it longer, give us a more natural resolution, something that completes the story instead of dismissing it.

[Zoe Kaufhold]

Thank you for submitting, In my opinion it was very detailed but I ended up getting lost multiple times trying to understand the setting and the past behind it.

[Ace St. Jean]

Great, amazing story! Really enjoyed it!

[Christopher Stephenson ..]

I like it. It is a nice story. I like the project of Roger. In fact, What has become of him. What is going on there. I like where your going with this story.

[Skywise]

Wonderful, definitely left me with wanting more I would love to hear that it was actually a dream of what was to come. I also like the idea of coming into the middle of it, because it leaves you with wanting to know what happened before to make him this angry, will this dream become a reality, and will the anger become so much that he cant control what happens next...

[Aries1984]

Very full of action. I love how you wrapped it up in the end how you stood alone in the dark. It shows, in writing, just how powerful the mind really is.

[Emily]

Inception or X-Men? Nice write, full of action and intrigue!

[Sesame]

Hello Tegon,

Much has been said already. I think this is a very well-written story, with a lot of excitement. Some hints of X-Men in here, and a bit of David Mitchell's Ghostwritten. I must go ahead and agree with Justin Robben here: there is more to this story. And without wanting to be harsh, please allow me to use a metaphor: with every sentence air was pumped into the balloon, unable to escape, the ballon was about to burst untill it turned out to be a dream: in my opinion an unnecessary and very cliché ending. The balloon deflated and flew harmlessly through the empty room, where it could otherwise have made a loud bang.

Regards,

Sesame

@followsesame on Twitter
www.themagiccave.com

[The Brazilian Poet]

I am very happy to read your text! I think you have really talent! Keep it up! Congratulations!

[Solitaireman]

Whoa. What a beginning? I hope this is an intro for a much larger piece. I found myself asking a lot of questions. I would love to know about these characters and the situation they are in. Thank you for sharing this. I would love to read it when it is complete.