Elias was an unusual man. His fondness for shadow, darkness, and melancholy had made him deeply reserved. He lived in his apartment, where he felt truly at peace.
The apartment’s aesthetic reflected his preferences: dark walls and paintings with a somber atmosphere. Elias was accustomed to remaining in the dark. He liked to let his mind orbit itself and claimed that, through this practice, he could soothe his turbulent thoughts.
It was Friday night. Elias had the night off work and was lying on the couch, where he usually slept. He lay in the dark when, suddenly, he heard something that made him feel his soul leave his body and return.
“Son, it’s Mom! I’ve missed you so much!”
Elias frowned. It was his mother’s voice. But she was gone. How could this be possible?
“Son, I understand this is difficult for you. But Mom is here. I needed to see you, darling.”
“Mom!” Elias’s voice came out quieter than usual, laden with vulnerability.
“I know this seems strange, and it is, but Mom found a way. Relax!”
“Mom, I… I need to see you. I miss you so much!”
Elias picked up his phone and switched on its light. A disturbing silence flooded the room at that instant.
“Mom… where are you?”
Nothing. It was as though nothing had happened.
Elias switched off the phone’s light, and at that very instant…
“Son, it’s best if you don’t turn on the light. Put that phone away from you, please.”
“Yes, Mom. Forgive me?”
Elias pushed the phone away, into the darkness. Then he felt something weigh down the couch beneath his feet. A weight. Something solid, making the experience stranger still.
Confused, he tried not to move. Despite everything, he decided to engage.
“Mom, how are the others?”
“They’re all here, my love, happy with the man you’ve become. And they insisted I come and warn you.”
“Warn me? What are you talking about, Mom?”
“A catastrophe. Electricity will no longer be something you can count on. And think… no cooktop, none of those lovely hot showers you love so much! No refrigerator… and no broadband.”
She continued:
“I don’t know if you could bear it, son.”
“Son, wouldn’t you like to come down with Mommy?”
At those words, Elias felt as though something had torn in reality itself. Broadband was certainly not a word his mother would have used.
A heavy sweat covered his body. He felt the urge to get up and turn on the lights.
But the instant he tried to rise, he felt hands—icy hands—close around his neck.
Be careful. Things can pass themselves off as those who are gone.
Deixe um comentário