2 minute read
Reality
from Ink Issue 2
by Ink Magazine
stream from my heart to my fingertips. Then to the rest of my body. Then out into the air and earth. The feeling was my soul.
As easily as I would hold my breath or close my eyes, I caught the raindrops in the air — locking them in place and out of gravity's reach. The wolves didn't seem startled by the supernatural occurrence; they simply prowled away and gathered beneath an overhanging tree. I could barely feel their paws against my earth, but I surely feltheir soaked, grey fur against my winds.
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I had depleted all seven endowments of mine and bled my soul into the world around me — a technique that allowed me to move my surroundings with my soul. I could not move, for I had no Movement; I could not see, for I had no Sight; I could not breathe, for I had no Breath.
It was easy for me — what else had I to lose?
The withersmoke pup laid limply upon one of my cliffside stones, heaving its breaths and sputtering whimpers.
With every last bit of strength in my soul, I willed the cliffside stone to rise, and it was as if attempting to stand up on my own two feet. Vines and flora stretched and snapped as the stone crept into the air. I felt the need to breathe in my physical body, but I couldn't stop. Not yet. Pushing my chances, I hauled the massive stone onto the grass, settling it safely.
The pup was still breathing.
Then the rain fell once more, and my soul collapsed into my body. “Olivia! Olivia!” a lady snaps.
Olivia jolts awake. Everyone is staring at her. Embarrassed, she sinks further into her hoodie.
“Nice of you to join us,” the sponsor says sharply.
Olivia rubs her eyes awake and sits up straight in her chair. She looks down at the piece of paper in front of her. At the top, it reads, “Alcoholics Anonymous, Meeting #208,” and a few lines down, a note that she wrote to herself says, “today is the 1,456th day of you being in this hellhole, and you fell asleep. Good job.”
The meeting ends shortly after that with a message to not give in to one’s desires, and Olivia quickly removes her Virtual Reality goggles that she uses to “go to” her AA meetings. The table she is sitting at has all of her supposed sobriety chips scattered across the table, and behind her, half a bag of chips and empty beer bottles lay on her undone bed. Olivia looks around, finds three unopened beer bottles, and inhales them.
“What’s on your mind?” her sponsor asks her later the next day.
“I don’t know, you were the one that scheduled this meeting,” Olivia quips.
“Fair enough. I’ve noticed lately that you have been showing up late to the meetings and not paying much attention.”
“Yeah well, I’ve been sober for four years now, I don’t think I need to be hearing the same old lecture on how not to be an addict.”
“Well, an AA meeting for long term sobriety can be arranged. If I do this it means you’ll show up on time and pay attention.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Great, I’ll see you then.”
The meeting ends, Olivia removes her goggles, takes another three bottles, and gulps them down.
