The imagination is a wild and wonderful place. It helps you envision the world in a beautiful array of colors, sounds, tastes, textures, and smells. It helps you see the world like no one else. Even if there is no one else. The imagination keeps you happy and content...most of the time. Sometimes, it wanders to dark and dangerous places, places where nobody should go. But the imagination is like a child, curious and wandering. Wandering to a horrible place called reality.
...
Kat watched the rain drip on the window, the fresh smell of the thunderstorm still lingering in the air. She loved the smell of rain, the gray blanket of clouds was soothing to her. Her mother loved the rain as well. She smiled as she remembered all the sun soaked days by the beach, smiling and laughing with her family. Her dad always had a beer in one hand and a book in the other, most of the time, it was a murder mystery. He was always so paranoid about everything and her mother always complained when he would tell the boys. Her brothers were some of the most gullible people out there, and she could always prank them. A tear rolled down her face as she remembered them. It had been a year now, with no human contact. No animal contact. No contact at all.
That day was still fresh and vivid in her mind. She woke up, the Ohio sun pouring in through her window. She walked downstairs to the smell of bacon, but nobody was there. There was no noise, no nothing. No road, no yard, no people. Nothing but her house, and miles and miles of land. For all she knew, she was the last person on Earth. Kat had started keeping a diary, journaling all the things she had done throughout the day. Sometimes she would see people in the distance, their figures standing on the horizon. The first time, she ran. And ran. And ran, but to no prevail. The figure just remained on the horizon, still as far as before. It was just her mind playing tricks on her. But the lack of the need to eat? And drink? Was that her mind playing tricks on her?
Maybe all those years with her family, with the rest of the 7 billion people on Earth weren't real. Maybe they were just a figment of her imagination? You always saw people saying “pinch me, is this a dream?” on television, but did anyone ever bother to ask that in real life? Much less actually perform the action? Kat contemplated this for what seemed like hours. She cried and screamed, but unlike the other times, there was no one to comfort her. It was like the end of the world. After about 6 months her mind started to deteriorate. She jumped from conclusion to conclusion. Am I in a coma? Am I dead? She knew without human contact she was slowly going crazy, but there was really nothing she could do.
Kat hated thinking about the past. About the first 6 months. She pounded the rain-streaked window with her fist and sobbed, tears falling from her eyes like rain from the sky. Her violent sobs slowly faded into mild whimpering. Crying was useless, but it's all she could do. The TV didn't work, and there weren't any other buildings to explore. Only her house, and miles of land. But no matter how far it seemed like she walked, she stayed in the same place. Kat began to slip into a depressed state as she thought about the past again. The world was silent except for her sobs until she heard the faint sound of the TV downstairs. She stopped cold, listening. No doubt about it, that was the TV. She ran down the stairs, taking them two steps at a time, and sat in front of the TV. Static. But static was better than nothing. She sat watching it, waiting for something for hours. Still nothing. She was about to give up and slip back into that depressed state when the TV changed. It now showed a picture of a girl sitting on the ground, eyes glued to a TV. The girl was her. She stuck out her hand, but nothing on the screen changed. Suddenly, the girl on the screen turned around and walked till she was facing Kat. “Hello,” said the screen girl. “H-hi,” “What are you doing?” said the screen girl again, slowly twirling her hair around her finger. “I-I’m watching you,” said Kat. She didn't know whether to be scared or ecstatic. She must be going crazy. “I’m not talking about what you're doing now idiot. I'm talking about what you are doing with your life. I've been watching you and you’ve spent a year crying. Because of what? Your mommy disappeared? Cry me a river.” Kat was hysterical. Was she really lecturing herself? From a TV screen? She slammed her fists on the screen, “7 billion people! I am the last person alive! Maybe the only person ever alive! What am I supposed to do?!” The wind was howling outside and rain was pounding against the windows. She burst into tears. “Oh stop crying coward. Your whole life may have been all in your head, but this isn't. Grow up and rebuild.” the screen girl said. “What do you mean rebuild?!” Kat screamed. This wasn't real. She grabbed the sculpture her mother kept on the table and smashed the TV. The screen shattered and the girl vanished.
Kat broke down into a heap on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. The screen girls words echoed in her head “Your whole life may have been all in your head, but this isn't”. She screamed and threw the sculpture. It shattered against the wall. What did she mean? All she wanted to do was die. Die. She wiped her tears as this new word worked its way through her mind. Die. Maybe she would do just that. She crept up the stairs to her parent's old room and grabbed the gun out from underneath her parents' bed. She cocked it and slowly lifted it to her head. The tears rolled down her face freely now, it would all be over soon, it didn't matter. The cold metal of the gun pressed against her temple was soothing. It would all be over soon. She placed her finger on the trigger and squeezed, saying her final goodbyes to this decrepit place. 3. 2. 1. Boom. White flashed before her eyes as she gasped. She was in a white room with bright lights. Nothing but silence filled the space. Voices started to fade in, louder and louder. And then she saw them. Her mother, her father, her brothers, and some strangers. She began to cry, but this time they were happy tears. She was finally free. Her imagination had taken her back to a happy place. That's when it all became clear. Everything was just in her imagination. She created the 7 billion people so she wouldn't be lonely. There was no such thing as God. There was no such thing as Earth. There was only imagination, and the places it took her. She was finally free.
...
Kat watched the rain drip on the window, the fresh smell of the thunderstorm still lingering in the air. She loved the smell of rain, the gray blanket of clouds was soothing to her. Her mother loved the rain as well. She smiled as she remembered all the sun soaked days by the beach, smiling and laughing with her family. Her dad always had a beer in one hand and a book in the other, most of the time, it was a murder mystery. He was always so paranoid about everything and her mother always complained when he would tell the boys. Her brothers were some of the most gullible people out there, and she could always prank them. A tear rolled down her face as she remembered them. It had been a year now, with no human contact. No animal contact. No contact at all.
That day was still fresh and vivid in her mind. She woke up, the Ohio sun pouring in through her window. She walked downstairs to the smell of bacon, but nobody was there. There was no noise, no nothing. No road, no yard, no people. Nothing but her house, and miles and miles of land. For all she knew, she was the last person on Earth. Kat had started keeping a diary, journaling all the things she had done throughout the day. Sometimes she would see people in the distance, their figures standing on the horizon. The first time, she ran. And ran. And ran, but to no prevail. The figure just remained on the horizon, still as far as before. It was just her mind playing tricks on her. But the lack of the need to eat? And drink? Was that her mind playing tricks on her?
Maybe all those years with her family, with the rest of the 7 billion people on Earth weren't real. Maybe they were just a figment of her imagination? You always saw people saying “pinch me, is this a dream?” on television, but did anyone ever bother to ask that in real life? Much less actually perform the action? Kat contemplated this for what seemed like hours. She cried and screamed, but unlike the other times, there was no one to comfort her. It was like the end of the world. After about 6 months her mind started to deteriorate. She jumped from conclusion to conclusion. Am I in a coma? Am I dead? She knew without human contact she was slowly going crazy, but there was really nothing she could do.
Kat hated thinking about the past. About the first 6 months. She pounded the rain-streaked window with her fist and sobbed, tears falling from her eyes like rain from the sky. Her violent sobs slowly faded into mild whimpering. Crying was useless, but it's all she could do. The TV didn't work, and there weren't any other buildings to explore. Only her house, and miles of land. But no matter how far it seemed like she walked, she stayed in the same place. Kat began to slip into a depressed state as she thought about the past again. The world was silent except for her sobs until she heard the faint sound of the TV downstairs. She stopped cold, listening. No doubt about it, that was the TV. She ran down the stairs, taking them two steps at a time, and sat in front of the TV. Static. But static was better than nothing. She sat watching it, waiting for something for hours. Still nothing. She was about to give up and slip back into that depressed state when the TV changed. It now showed a picture of a girl sitting on the ground, eyes glued to a TV. The girl was her. She stuck out her hand, but nothing on the screen changed. Suddenly, the girl on the screen turned around and walked till she was facing Kat. “Hello,” said the screen girl. “H-hi,” “What are you doing?” said the screen girl again, slowly twirling her hair around her finger. “I-I’m watching you,” said Kat. She didn't know whether to be scared or ecstatic. She must be going crazy. “I’m not talking about what you're doing now idiot. I'm talking about what you are doing with your life. I've been watching you and you’ve spent a year crying. Because of what? Your mommy disappeared? Cry me a river.” Kat was hysterical. Was she really lecturing herself? From a TV screen? She slammed her fists on the screen, “7 billion people! I am the last person alive! Maybe the only person ever alive! What am I supposed to do?!” The wind was howling outside and rain was pounding against the windows. She burst into tears. “Oh stop crying coward. Your whole life may have been all in your head, but this isn't. Grow up and rebuild.” the screen girl said. “What do you mean rebuild?!” Kat screamed. This wasn't real. She grabbed the sculpture her mother kept on the table and smashed the TV. The screen shattered and the girl vanished.
Kat broke down into a heap on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. The screen girls words echoed in her head “Your whole life may have been all in your head, but this isn't”. She screamed and threw the sculpture. It shattered against the wall. What did she mean? All she wanted to do was die. Die. She wiped her tears as this new word worked its way through her mind. Die. Maybe she would do just that. She crept up the stairs to her parent's old room and grabbed the gun out from underneath her parents' bed. She cocked it and slowly lifted it to her head. The tears rolled down her face freely now, it would all be over soon, it didn't matter. The cold metal of the gun pressed against her temple was soothing. It would all be over soon. She placed her finger on the trigger and squeezed, saying her final goodbyes to this decrepit place. 3. 2. 1. Boom. White flashed before her eyes as she gasped. She was in a white room with bright lights. Nothing but silence filled the space. Voices started to fade in, louder and louder. And then she saw them. Her mother, her father, her brothers, and some strangers. She began to cry, but this time they were happy tears. She was finally free. Her imagination had taken her back to a happy place. That's when it all became clear. Everything was just in her imagination. She created the 7 billion people so she wouldn't be lonely. There was no such thing as God. There was no such thing as Earth. There was only imagination, and the places it took her. She was finally free.