The Awakening

A woman finds her inner knowledge by listening to an omniscient presence.

“What is it that you seek?” a voice asked.

A young woman cowered in the darkness. She dare not step into the light.

“Your silence speaks for itself,” it said. “You desire a guide.”

Its accuracy validated its potency.

“I seek answers,” she said.

“Listen to your breathing,” it commanded. “What does it tell you?”

The woman felt the rhythm rolling in her chest. There was no calmness in her inhalations�"her heart pattered, causing her breaths to come in short gasps.

“I am afraid,” she said finally.

“Fear is the oldest emotion,” it said. “And death is the closest friend.”

“It is not my mortality I fear,” the woman whispered. “I fear for my humanity.”

With this new self-awareness, the woman’s breathing slowed itself to a normal rate. She fixed her bent posture, and stood waiting for an answer.

“Your humanity is not lost,” the voice said. “But it grows dim. The world is riddled with fawning parasites who seek every morsel of distraction and desensitization.”

The brewery of despair bubbled in her pit. Is all hope lost?

“Do not submit,” it advised. “Time still exists. The masses grow hungry, but it is not bread they need. Do not forsake your inner knowledge�"“

She involuntarily shuddered.

“For if you do,” it continued. “Death might as well be your answer.”

The woman buckled to the ground, the dawn of realization stunning her frame. Like a clumsy child, she crawled on her hands and knees, desperately seeking the light she earlier abandoned.

The brilliant rays inched across her skin, warming her body with a new sensation. A smile formed on her lips for the first time in ages. She lifted her hands toward the blinding radiance and announced:

“I am ready.”