He stopped halfway down the stairs to yawn and stretch.
Down in the kitchen, his wife was already sitting at the table. Her hands were folded in front of a mug of tea.
"Hey," he said, scratching the back of his head. "You're up early."
"I didn't feel well," she said quietly.
She seemed very far away.
"Still now?" he said.
Her attention snapped to him. Something wild was in her eyes. It startled him.
"Does anything seem strange to you?" she said.
"Strange?" He glanced around the room. "Um, no.... Not especially."
Did he forgot to put the dishes in the dishwater?
Her hand flashed toward the window. It was shaking.
"The sun!"
He nodded. "Looks like is going to be a beautiful day."
"THE SUN!"
He backed away. "Jesus. Okay. Calm down. What's wrong?"
Now her voice trembled too. "At first, I doubted myself," she said, "but no, it's true. It's obvious. Everything is wrong. The light is wrong. The sun is in my face. It's glaring in my eyes when I'm making breakfast."
"I'm sorry," he said, now really worried. "I don't understand."
"Don't you SEE IT? For fuck's sake! The sun is rising in the WEST!"
He peered out.
"And when I looked outside, I saw the neighbors. It's trash day. And...." She was sobbing. "They're not right either. When they turned I saw they had, almost like they were, one kind of person in the front and another in the back."
Still curious about the sun, he spun around to get a better look with his sharper set of set of eyes. His male side was more of a morning person, but now his female half was finally chasing away the cobwebs. He cleared his female throat to continue the conversation.
She screamed.
9 comments:
That was full of creepy visuals. The disorientation of the sun, neighbors following routine like everything is the same, but that last paragraph really clinches it.
the world must be turning topsy turvy!
Ooh freaky XD I've read it 3-4 times and I don't think I still get it completely, but entertaining nevertheless.
The chills won't go away. And its a week before Christmas in New England. I'm wearing a sweater but it's sunny and warm outside, yet the chills...
(Sorry, your story inspired that.)
Yeah, my wife thinks it's creepy when I try to show my feminine side, too.
Excellent story, Jason.
Oh, I freaking love it, Jason!
Very well done! :)
Laurel, very cool! In a way, I feel like I'm getting out of practice with writing. Glad my instincts on building a scene are still sound!
Mona, indeed! That must have been one heck of a night's sleep.
Atrisa, I view it as if she slipped into another quantum reality or parallel universe. It seemed more unusual to tell it from the perspective of the freaky other-dimension human.
Michael, very cool! I wanted to really show her growing terror, not just lay out a sci-fi moment.
Nate, better keep that side well dressed and tied down. ;)
Raine, great to see you! And glad you liked this one. :)
wow, this one's creepy!
your comment to Atrisa made it clear for me, but still it is creepy - that the world is turned upside or one side another down...
it kind of reminded me of one of your late stories about a husband, i guess it was about a husband who was detached in one creepy way, too.
great job.
Szelsofa, I know it wasn't all entirely laid out in the piece. Glad it was still enjoyable!
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