3 AM

A short dark story

‘MY GOD, IT is dark; where is my watch?' I thumped the mattress under my pillow and scrabbled under the duvet. 'Where has it gone?'

I was alone; not only had my old Casio disappeared, but so had my girlfriend.

'Was our row that bad?'

Her clothes were on the floor. There was no sound from the bathroom, and her toothbrush and makeup were scattered on the ceramic.

'Where is she?'

Dogs were barking, upset by the moonlight.

I clicked on the bedside lamp. I could see more, but no girl or watch. I popped my head around the bathroom door. No light, no girlfriend. I plodded downstairs to the living room, clicking light switches as I dodged the debris of last night's meal.

'Who left the front door open?'

Suddenly, there was silence, no dogs, no traffic.

I ducked for no reason. It was only light but brilliant, eye-scorchingly painful. It was so powerful that the outside world could see nothing through it.

I was floating. So was the hallway; behind me, the sofa, the coffee table, and even the sixty-nine-inch TV appeared unattached to the floor and the wall as if swimming in the air.

I grabbed at the wall; my hands went through the brickwork.

'I must sit,' I slumped to nothing: no floor, walls, house.

Covering my eyes from the glare, I tried to focus on something, anything. Nothing moved except me. It was as if floating in invisible soup, warm and soft.

The brightness dimmed, and a grey mistiness covered me. Then the noise, a buzzing, a bleep, rising and falling in time with the darkening grey.

Then I spotted a shadow moving, then another, and another. Slowly, the visions became clearer. They were white creatures with arms, legs, and a head. They were studying me. Was it someone's homework or a medical experiment?

'What do you want?'

A series of muffled bleeps answered me.

The nearest shadow gained form and moved towards me. It was naked and hairless, or was it? On the contrary, it was smooth, clean, and white, with blinking black eyes. It had no mouth; why did I feel it was smiling?

Its outstretched hands touched me, gently probing. I didn't flinch.

Two hands were placed on my shoulders, leaning me backwards. I could see a giant screen projected on the greyness. Dinosaurs raced past. Early man, stooped and bearded, came and went. People talked and then read books. Battles raged and stormed. The history of humanity flickered on a giant Movietone screen.

'Thank you, but why?' I asked.

'Your race will soon cease to exist. So you need to learn to progress.'

The words bounced around my brain.

'Why me?' I asked again.

'You have a choice, either live on earth for the little time it has. Or, you can come with us.'

'Am I dreaming?'

'No, we don't dream.'

'But where are we going?'

'That is the choice, the earth you know, or the unknown. What is it to be? Now is the time to make your decision.'

'Take me home, please.'

The END

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