2100 words

 

"Hey mom, I am going outside to hang out with my friends."

 

"Come back before 10."

 

"Ok!"

Little did I know that this would be the last time I would see my mom...

That black-haired plain-looking guy was me. I was just going by my daily business, I had just finished my daily studies and was eager to go spend some time with my friends to have a little break from academics.

After taking some money and my jacket, I left the house and headed to our meeting location. I arrived before long without any issues, but I would be wrong to assume that it would stay the same.

 

"Hey Elliott, what took you so long man?"

 

"Yeah, I almost thought ya ditched us"

 

"Sorry about that, I had to study bit more."

 

"Oh, right. Anyways, the rest of the crew is in the café. I told them that we should wait for you but like John said they thought you weren't coming and we decided to wait for you bit more."

 

"Well, thanks for waiting, Sam. You said  that they are in the café right? Let's go then."

 

"Yeah."

 

So we have arrived at the café and sat down next to the others.

 

"Is that Elliot?"

 

"'Sup, Jerry."

 

"Dude, sorry for not waiting for you. We like thought that you weren't coming since the SAT is just 4 days away."

 

"Tim, it's cool man. I already finished up all the textbooks. I am just studying out of habit."

 

"Is that so? Well, you had really become nerdy after your father, you know-"

 

John hit Tim in the stomach with an elbow to make him unable to finish his sentence.

 

"Nah it's fine. I am over it already. It has been years since we lost him to cancer. I learned this later on but when he went to the hospital for his symptoms it seems that he was beyond saving anyway. Due to misdiagnosis at least I am happy that we spent some good time without the care for the inevitable until his passing."

 

We received a hefty compensation too but it is not the important thing and should not be when people's relatives pass away.

 

The table became quiet and cold until-

 

"Anyhow, let's all celebrate when your exam results arrive. The drinks are on me!" John said.

 

"Dude, what are you even saying. None of us are old enough to drink." Tim pointed out the obvious.

 

"Then, the smoothies are on me!"

 

"Haha! Why not" I said.

 

I wanted to study both medicine and computer engineering. I have decided to pursue such a path after learning that there were many people affected by misdiagnosis and that AI could soothe if not solve the problem. And there is the case of my personal feelings to what happened to my father as well, nonetheless, I would be helping a lot of people. Furthermore, the jobs of the doctors wouldn't be in too much jeopardy since real human judgment will still be the deciding factor in diagnosis. AI would just give statistical suggestions depending on the symptoms. Whatever, let's get on back to the track.

 

"Hey, we had some coffee already so let us order you guys some desserts, on us." Jerry offered.

 

"Yeah but..."

 

"Oh c'mon, it was rude of us to assume you ditched us even though you would have called if something came up." Tim supported.

 

"Exactly, let us make up for it."

 

"Okay then, thanks!"

 

We talked about daily affairs and whatnot for a while until the refreshments and desserts came.

 

I loved caramel so I ordered some specialty of the café that was full of the stuff. Ah, it was delicious as always. But came the rose with its thorns...

 

"Thanks again, man!"

 

"Sure, no problem."

 

"Elliot, how much do you like that thing to order it almost every time we come here..."

 

"I like it a lot ok. And you have no right to criticize me. Every time we go to a restaurant you recommend, every single food and drink are spicy as hell!"

 

"To me, both of you are weirdos when it comes to food"

 

"Exactly."

 

"I agree."

 

...We continued to mess around with each other. After I ate 3 portions of the caramel dessert, for some unexplainable, unfathomable reason I had the urge to go to the bathroom. I excused my self, with the parting laughs of my "friends", to the WC.

I entered the WC, and started to feel more nauseous.

At that point, I had a feeling that I had something more than just diarrhea from overeating but being the idiot I am, I put it to the back burner. That would be the leading cause to bring me to the current predicament I am in.

I pulled my pants, sat down on the toilet, and started to get down to business. With each passing second I started to feel weaker, at that point I wanted to scream for help but the sound didn't come out, I felt too tired. I felt like the body was no more mine, I felt the unbearable pain down there but my muscles wouldn't budge an inch by will.

It was hopeless. But the weak human mind tends to resort to rationalizations whenever something goes south.

 

«I couldn't die like this right? Dying for eating just a few portions more of a dessert than it is intended to, and dying from shitting too fiercely. What the fuck kind of joke is that?!!?≥

 

"You are right, it is a very tragic joke. Though one you have unintentionally brought upon yourself. What a shame, you were going to be a great man that would be remembered for his brilliancy and charities for many generations to come."

 

«That voice... It was inside my head and there were no words. Only the meaning itself.

Am I having hallucinations? Who knew the gases and the stench that comes from shit would be a hallucinogen. Weird.»

 

"How rude of you, and here I was going to help you out."

 

«Help me out? Are you my heroin-induced brain's interpretation of my saviors?»

 

"I, wouldn't say that. Since this is a contract with a give and take relationship."

 

«Oh? Is it for the operation, do you want money? We are not filthy rich but we can compensate you for that.»

 

"Cut it out already. Why do you think a medical professional would ask for money to a half-dead, unconscious person that is covered in his own feçes to cover the operation fees."

 

«Huh, you are right. Who are you then?»

 

"I am known by many names."

 

«What a cliché line... C'mon, brain be more creative... I, am known by many names. My mom calls me sweetie and others Elliot, this joke leaves a better impression...»

 

"No, listen I think you've gotten the wrong idea. When people start hearing voices inside their heads at death's door, they tend to assume it is divinity."

 

«Yade yade yada... What proof do you have anyways? You are making me have a monologue, you are just a hallucination from the high concentration of gases the shit have emitted to this confined space.»

 

"Oh? Why do you so strongly believe that."

 

«It is a lot more convenient than to give every small thing a divine meaning. So yeah, basically it is easier on my mind and body.»

 

"I like you, we rarely ever do this but. Do you want to enter a reincarnation contract with me? Since I am just your imagination's doing, it won't matter, right?

 

«Wait. Are you saying that I died or something?»

 

"That would be the case yes. But if you sign this contract with me I'll give you another chance with life, being conscious. I will give you some divine protection as well. You just sign it and you'll be reborn."

 

«Divine protection and reincarnation huh? HAHAHAHAHAHA! Whatever this is hilarious, sign me up! Wait... How do I sign the contract again?»

 

"Just a moment"

 

 The horrible sight and stench of the WC suddenly disappeared. 

«Oh no... Have I gone to the after-life after all?»

 

"Fear not. I was keeping your body alive in a fixed time, only covering the room you were in, I now temporarily transported your soul here so we can sign the contract."

 

«Holy shit, I've read that some people had very realistic hallucinations with death and the afterlife but. THIS IS HILARIOUS!!»

 

"Are you done with your goofing around?"

 

«Give me a minute HAHAHA! I am ok now, but where is this place, nay what is this place.»

 

"This is the Astral Plane where some of the lesser beings such as yourself, gets confined to, and where higher beings such as my self could enter and leave at will. There are some of us who conduct "experiments" on the lesser beings here, some for research, others for... Well, entertainment. The time lock I created was getting weakened at the location on the so-called Earth of yours. If I were not to teleport you. You would have died soon for real."

 

 «I would've died huh... Anyways, it really is something for real. I would have expected it all to be white and stuff but this place is like a spa set up at the hanging gardens of Babylon.»

 

"It's made as such that unless set-up differently, the observer sees the place as what they think it should be like on the subconscious level."

 

«Hm... Interesting. If I sign this contract or whatever, will I wake up in the real world?»

 

"You could phrase it that way yes."

 

«I am in then!»

 

"Very well. Here's your contract. Imagine to prick your thumb's tip with this knife and press your thumb to parchment while thinking of saying 'I am signing this contract of own _volition_'.

 

«Urgh... Cliché stuff again. A floating contract parchment with some nonsensical symbols and a knife... I have so many questions but would rather just wake up to the real world. I am signing this contract of my own volition, or whatever. Ok, I did as you told, now deliver your end of the bargain.»

 

I couldn't see my self since coming here thus my "body" has been either transparent or very small. It had then happened.

«What is this chill down my spine?!? I branded all these as just hallucinations before death or because of the "gases". But this feeling is too intense, even more than how I felt when experiencing intense pain and the terrible stench back there.»

 

"Contract has been signed!"

 

  A creature appeared right in front of me. It or I presume he; wore a classy black dress, had a 2 meters(6'6") long humanoid, slim but relatively muscular body with short gray hair and a face of a gentleman in his 40s, but it had two features that would make the assumption that he was a human invalid. It had two black horns lengthed 10 centimeters(4") on his forehead. I thought I shit my self. But a screen appeared in front of me. I have seen, an amorphous black rock with about 5 cm(2") diameter.

 

 For some reason, I had a feeling that this rock was me somehow. I started panicking what if all these were real?!?

 

«Who the hell are you?!!?»

 

"I am known by many names."

 

*Gulp*(imaginary of course, since I can't really feel my throat)

 

"You can call me, Diablo."

 

After that, my vision got blurry, aand all this brings us to the present.

 

I slowly woke up, my memory kind of messed up. Great, I think I may really be a fucking rock now. I can still see, I am in the middle of a forest, just sitting there. And unlike before I can see almost 360° somehow. And even though I don't feel my limbs and can't move, I am strangely calm and serene for some reason.

 There are a lot of unique animals. There are birds with 4 wings, two on the torso, two at the back. I don't even know how its aerodynamics work... There are wolves with horns around a very specific and private part of their bodies, I wonder if they mate with that thing... Deers or kangaroos with two human or monkey-like limbs with 4 fingers, at their upper torso, and two deer limbs as feet at their lower torso, furthermore they are bipedal and wield some kind of spear with holes at the part where you hold it, I think to make it easier to hold since they only have 3 fingers and a thumb. So it is I think safe to assume that I am at an experiment facility or a world of fantasy. 

Since I can't move, like at all. I don't have much of a way to test if it is the former, how outrageous it may be, the smartest thing to do would be to test for the latter I guess.