Splitting Image – 2: Purple

This is one of the part 2s (!) of my new short story, “Splitting Image”. You can read part 1 here. I hope you’ll like it!

Splitting Image – 2: Purple

I step in.

This is strange. The tunnel is much brighter than it seemed from outside. It looks very sleek, and bends so you can’t see how far it goes.

I tug at my hair, wondering where I am and what is happening. I feel very warm, so I remove one of my jackets.

Wait… Are these people over there? I walk in the tunnel, and they flicker in and out, like ghosts, or more probably holograms, since this place was supposed to be high tech. It is strange that they still work that well, though. I should do an experiment, talk to them and see if they react. But they become transparent when I approach them, and yelling doesn’t seem to startle them. I think super fast here, I’m happy my thoughts aren’t cluttered by panic given that I’m in such a strange place, and that some of my things disappeared. I feel… different. I feel like I’m more dynamic than before, like I’m razor sharp. I feel like I should do sports, parkour on these walls and do backflips. I really should. I should set some clear goals while I’m here and stick to them. I also feel sexy, I bet I could seduce all these holographic ghosts if they could see me.

I start to do some jumps and rolls, then rest a bit near the wall, thinking I should remove my platform shoes and run barefoot.

I feel so powerful, I don’t want to leave this place. Maybe if I stay here, I can finally get as strong as I want, more quickly than I would otherwise, and finally get things done. Why would I want to go back when I have a future here, so many things I could do, when I could see how far this tunnel goes? The past me would have thought of a short story to write about this, and I feel… weird. I would love to set myself an objective, for instance, fill ten pages of my notebook with a short story, but I don’t know if I feel that happy. That’s a shame. I should be able to think better, but truthfully, why bother if I am the only one here? I could commit to all my goals, but it feels a bit empty. It’s very addictive to feel so clear headed and dynamic, yet I’m not sure I’m fully whole. Is a part of me missing? Should I go outside to find out? I’m not sure I’d be able to come in again, and finally have the opportunity to be good at everything I attempt.

While I’m rid of the most anxious parts of me, I also feel lonely, devoid of joy and true inspiration, which make my ambitions a bit pointless.

It’s time to decide. The entrance shifts out of focus, but the tunnel now boasts a clear way out. Let’s see it as an experiment, see if I will be the same when I come back.