The World's the Freakshow

The most common cries I heard from the door were "Hey, Lexila, do you know what's happening?" and "Where's everyone, what happened?"

LA had always been dramatic but this Oscar -deserving screams and chaos wasn't anything like I could explain.

I closed my eyes as I hugged Tinkerbell and could feel her warmth hugging me tightly too.

"Mum?" I said that out for some reason I couldn't identify, but I really wanted to see her, to hold her and to tell her that I loved her.

"All stars are out tonight and the moon likes a party too" I quoted this poem I grew up hearing from my mum when she'd read me bedtime stories.

We really did have chemistry and I loved it. I never forgave her for letting that all go when she decided to pursue politics. Having a father who I hardly saw because was crazily "Einsteined" about work was bad enough, now my mum was leaving me, too? I grew up feeling unloved and technology couldn't soothe me in any way humanly possible. Lexila must have hated me for the many times I cursed her for not being able to give an embrace.

The only thing that ever embraced me as I was was Cynicism. I guess when everyone gets too busy with life and fleeting technological happiness to care about your existence, you stop caring that you do, too. Cynicism was warm, the only reminder of what mum's hug felt like.

Here I was, at the end of the world, embracing the loves of my life; cynicism and Tinkerbell.

I've never been one to believe in heaven or Nirvana or whatever it was that any religion called the afterlife, but I knew what I believed, and that was that man was doomed at one point or the other. I just couldn't have imagined I'd be alive to see it happen.

I feared that man would one day forget that life was liveable without the cuffs of the internet or the newly enthroned religion of the AIs.

I was drowning in thoughts I'd not had the courage to think of in a long time until someone hit the door which my back was up against and made me lose balance.

The hits on the door continued as this female cried and I slowly got up from the ground to leave the door for her to come in.

"Thank you" she said as she entered the door sniffling and holding back her tears.

I held Tinkerbell in my arms as I looked at her.

"Lexila doesn't happen to hand out tissues, right? Cos that face wouldn't win you an Oscar" I said without any intention of humour but it appeared I was funnier than I gave myself credit for as she laughed and sniffled with the back of her palms wiping her tears.

"You should wipe your tears, too" She said to me as she laughed again.

All along, I had tears in my face too and I didn't know that.

"You stay here alone?" She asked with a voice that could have been mistaken for Marilyn Monroe's.

"No. I stay with Tinkerbell" I replied uneasily as I shook Tinkerbell hoping that she'd get the message.

"Hi, Tinkerbell, thank you for the company" she said with a voice that was enveloped by tears and I felt empathy. Come on. The world was ending and I felt empathy? Where was this feeling all my life?

"I'm Dyeo, umm… you have a name, too?" I said uncollectedly, sounding more like a freak show than a person.

"Yeah. I'm Amifel.." she replied as she slowly fell on to the ground.

That was weird. Is this where Beauty passes out in the presence of the Beast?

I held on tightly to Tinkerbell and let her down from my hand slowly as I got to the ground to pay close attention to this beautiful girl that looked dead.

I placed my hand over her nostrils and she was still breathing. I didn't take my hands away from over her nostrils for some reason I couldn't place. I drew Tinkerbell closer to her face and her eyes were twitching slowly.

She opened her eyes and was not scared but calm for some weird reason.

"I have a thing; zero tolerance for dust..I pass out whenever my body can't take more of it" Amifel said slowly.

"Ohhh!" My brain couldn't restructure a better sentence as I took my hands away from her face and brought out a cloth that I had in my back pocket and extended it to her.

As she tried to rise up from the floor, it dawned on me that I hadn't paid attention to the odour that my body must have been giving off. This was embarrassing to even think about as I retreated from her slowly and kept a distance.

She smiled like a twelve year old as if she'd read my mind and I felt less ashamed.

I tried not to believe that this was all happening, but it was real. All of it was. All lights were out and this was 2099.