Hope you enjoy it. Feedback appreciated as always!!
There was no illumination within the room save for the dull,
flickering ambience of the humming computer monitor and the few strands of
sunlight defiantly invading through the gaps of the heavy curtains that
illuminated the flecks of dust lingering and dancing in the air.
Anthony heaved a sigh as he stared absently at the screen in
front of him. Several short beeps interrupted each other as he received
messages from various people who the social networking websites referred to as ‘friends’.
With his usual hazy nonchalance he raised his glass and
sipped at the beer that had long since acclimatised to room temperature, not
that he noticed or cared. He flicked through the message windows and clicked
his fingers across the keyboard with an effortless glide.
Tedium. That was all Anthony found his life had become as of
late; tedium and stagnation. He ran a hand through his mop of chestnut hair and
across the stubble forming across his cheeks. Idly he pondered when the last
time he’d shaved had been as he opened the last message window.
Anthony blinked as he looked closer at the screen. There was
just a series of squares instead of a username, like when a computer tries to
read a font or language that it doesn’t have installed and the profile picture
was a blurred silhouetted head of neutral gender. He squinted as he read the
message;
“Traveller. You are
not satisfied with this existence – with this world in which you are alive. Do
you call yourself alive; can you call yourself truly ‘alive’?
There is a world,
contrary to your own. There is a world in which your existence, your life can
be renewed with purpose and vigour…”
Anthony took another sip of his beer, now noticing its
disappointing warmth. He grimaced as he set his glass down and continued to
read.
“Join us. Join the New
World. Become your true self, your new self. Embrace purpose. Embrace life.”
The message was signed with a hyperlink in the same
unreadable squares. Anthony shrugged and closed the message under the
assumption that this was just another invite to just another online game that
he would no doubt play, find entertaining for the first week and then grow as inevitably
bored as he’d done with the countless previous games he’d played.
The shafts of light through his curtains had faded and the
glow of the streetlights had taken their place in adding the dreary ambience
within Anthony’s room. With a laboured heave he stood and shut down his
computer. He fell into his bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. He didn’t
take notice of the clock and had no knowledge of the time he actually fell
asleep. All that circled his mind was that one question: Could he call himself
alive?
I really want to see where this goes, so hopefully I'll have some more for you soon, maybe even tomorrow as I definitely want to get back into a writing routine!
Peace out for now!
Craiggy.
