The Boyfriend

“Untitled” by Aitana Gaudenzi

The Boyfriend by Juliette Leeth

It is three o'clock in the afternoon and I am crying on my last day of junior year. I’m crying because at exactly 2:07 my boyfriend, now ex-boyfriend, broke up with me. I stand, gobsmacked in the hallway of my school for ten minutes until my friend ushered me home. I immediately rush upstairs into my room, lock the door and flop onto my bed. The waterworks start shortly after that. 

I’d been crying for a good forty minutes when a strange crackling sound forces me to sit up and look around my room. In the middle of my room, there is a gold shimmery light which grows wider and larger. The shape forms an elongated oval and I stare in shock as some sort of portal appears in my room. I jump out of my bed and inch towards the portal. The outside is a shiny gold hue and the inside is a swirl of hundreds of different colors, dizzying my brain. I gingerly stick my hand towards it and gasp when it goes into the portal, disappearing from my sight. 

Come, it calls. And like an obedient dog, I listen. 

The moment I stepped in my bare feet shiver from the contact of a cold marble-like floor. I step the rest of the way in and my eyes widen as I take in the scenery in front of me. I don’t notice the portal dissipating from my sight. The room I step into is cylindrical with walls that seemed to go on forever. The walls are a dark black that look purple when I squint. But what really captivates me are the stars. Shining silver stars that dotted the walls of the room. There has to be billions of them. 

I’m pulled out of my dazed daydream by a voice. I turn to see what I think is a human hybrid sitting behind an elegant desk made of the same material as the walls tapping away on some sort of computer. 

“I am Xers, Keeper of Eogila.” the creature says. “You have entered the Realm of Lost Souls. Do you wish to continue?” 

Xers’ eyes locked onto mine. Their eyes are completely black, devoid of an iris or sclera. They captivate me. I cannot look away. 

“Yes,” I say without hesitation. 

Xers smiles at this, seeming to glow even brighter at my confession. Xers has bright silver hair and a skin that continues to fluctuate several colors. My eyes hurt trying to keep up with the ever-changing skin. But I focus on the eyes. Such beautiful eyes. 

“There are rules you must follow if you want to continue to the Realm of Lost Souls,” a holographic screen appeared in front of me as Xers continues on, “The Realm of Lost Souls is open only between 3:13 and 3:43.” The holographic screen flashed the time. It’s 3:11. “You must exit the realm or you will be stuck. Time in there is different from time in your world. We advise you to wear a watch provided by us.” A silver platter materializes out of thin air, hovering in front of me with a simple wristwatch. I clip it on. 

“Do not be so trusting about what you see here. Appearances can be deceiving,” Xers warns. “The Realm of the Lost Souls shows its true colors if you stay too long. We are giving you your physical copy of your soul,” One of the stars floats down from the walls, swirling prettily in the air. I hold out my hand to catch it. It lands perfectly, unmoving in the center of my palm like a lost piece waiting to be snapped in. “May it always remind you to never lose your way,” Xers says. 

The holographic screen went away and Xers smiles down at me. “It is now 3:13, you are entering the Realm of the Lost Souls,” 

“Wait, Xers how do I get ou-” 

And then the ground below me disappears. 

There’s a weightless feeling in my gut similar to when I get to the peak of a roller coaster and it starts going down. A shriek leaves my body as I keep falling. The walls around me are various hues of pinks and blues and yellows. My body keeps spinning and twisting as I hope desperately for the end of the tunnel. Then suddenly my body hits a solid point. I wait for the feelings of pain but none come. I sluggishly open my eyes and my jaw drops as I take in my surroundings. 

I’ve landed on a fluffy pink cloud that cushions my fall. Small wisps of clouds move as I clamber to my feet to take in the view. There’s a long swirling white ramp from the top of the cloud down to the ground. As I walk down I take notice of the sky. It’s a bright orange with swirls of blues and pinks. I look to my right and my left. There’s several other clouds with people walking down the ramps, too. In the distance there are rolling green hills dotted with various planets and a large dark planet with craters peaking over the horizon. A minuscule starship travels in the atmosphere, somehow visible to the human eye.  Bubbles laze around, twinkling prettily. 

Eagerly I run down the ramp wanting to explore. My feet touch the soft ground of the realm and instantly I feel better. For a second, I can’t even remember that my boyfriend broke up with me. The air I breathe in smells sweet and warm and it distracts me. I rush through the bright fields letting my hand run through the flowers. I let out a giggle and rush forward. The scenery shifts quicker than I can see and suddenly I’m in a desert-like area. The sand is rough between my feet but surprisingly the air seems cooler. In the distance there’s an exact replica of the sphinx statue, except it’s floating, and the body is actually a lion with fur and sharp talons and her face is made of skin. I gasp in vivid wonder as her tail flicks and she smiles warmly down on me. The scene changes as delirium slowly creeps in. There’s a field of mushrooms that are as tall as skyscrapers. Little creatures that pop off the warts of mushrooms and fly around your head making soft trilling noises. Time is slowly slipping away and I don’t notice. I’m unaware that my eyes are slowly becoming clouded with the sights and creatures of the Realm of the Lost Souls. My ignorance allows me to blissfully move to another place. 

The other place is a large garden with flowers bigger than my face and butterflies flitting around. One of the flowers is large and inviting with pretty pink pale petals. They look so soft. My hand slowly reaches out to touch the petals. My eyes widen and my irises slowly start to shift to pink to match the petals. A crazed look overtakes my face but I don’t notice. I’m too trapped in a trance to notice the flower start to shift. The petals turn sharp and old blood stains become visible but my brain doesn’t register it as a threat. I’m just about to touch it when I notice a faint glowing on my hand. My brow furrows in annoyance as it disturbs my vision but another side of me can't ignore it. 

What’s that glowing thing? Ignore it. Touch the flower. Touch… the… flow - but why is it glowing like that? Touch the flower. TOUCH THE FLOWER! 

I close my eyes and shake my head from the throbbing pain. I look back down at the glowing thing. Stare at it harder now. Then everything starts coming back to me. Xers, the rules, my soul! I look back at it again, it’s glowing much brighter than before. My eyes widen and I check my wrist for the time. 3:37. I turn back to the flower and I still see it’s sharp and bloody petals. I let out a horrified gasp and stumble backwards. The butterflies that were flying around have antenne that are sharp and menacing. Their friendly facade is tarnished by their menacing appendages. I rush out of the garden and start running. I check the time again, 3:39. I have to get back! 

I rush through the mushroom forest and the little creatures chase after me, nipping at my bare arms and head. I wildly wave my arms around trying to protect myself. The mushrooms have lifted the ground with their huge roots and I stumble and trip trying to make my way back. I pass through the desert area and the cool air is sharp and unforgiving as it nips at my skin and kicks the sand up in my face and eyes. Pathetically, I begin to cry, tear tracks staining my face. The sphinx creature chases me through the air, growling after me. Its sharp tail tries to wrap around me and pull me back. I’m rushing through the rolling fields and I can see the clouds in the distance and people rushing to get up on top of them. The once soft grass twists around my feet pulling me down and back. 

“No, no, no. I need to go back.” I cry out to no one. 

The bubbles stick to my arms as I try to run up the ramp, dragging me down. I’m crawling on my feet now as I try to resist the pull of the Realm of the Lost Souls. Those mushroom creatures are back, nipping at my hair. The pink petal flowers have surrounded me; growing rapidly; their pointed ends trying to lure me in. Even the air which seemed so fresh is making it hard to breathe. I’m coughing and choking as my shirt gets ripped and I stumble and trip. I’m nearly to the top of the ramp now, I can see the cloud wisps moving. But then they start vanishing. A quick glance at my wrist covered in bubbles confirms it's 3:43. I shake off the bubbles and rush towards the cloud. I can see the tunnel that takes you back to the starting point, some people are still going up. Just a second later I get one foot on the cloud, it fades completely from sight. 

All the air leaves my lungs; my screams die on my lips, floating away into the atmosphere of the Realm of the Lost Souls as I begin falling, my hands outstretched towards my only way home. 

“Glen Echo” by Ryan Wise