《Emotional Shorts》 Shock Blank, emotionless eyes stared back at me. They would haunt my waking moments and torment me in sleep. The faces and circumstances in my dreams would vary, but the eyes would forever be the same. The same soft gray color would always drain of the light of life as I watch. The same tears of pain would gather, but never fall, as the one who felt such pain died in my arms. Tiny wrinkles at the corner of each eye would smooth out as the muscles relaxed. Then, at that moment, all I can see are the blank, emotionless eyes staring back at me. The emotional shock is too great for my system. I cannot grieve what I cannot understand. This body, these eyes, don¡¯t have a meaning. They must mean something, must have some connection to me. But the pain - the shock is too great. My mind shudders and shies away from the scene. I go blind and see only darkness. Sometime later, an eon or a moment, I am being addressed. I can hear the motors running of the ambulances, the police cars, and the news vans. I can hear meaningless murmurs from a crowd. The voice talking to me is also meaningless. I cannot understand the words; they are just another kind of sound. Hands clasp upon my shoulders. Other hands try to take the body from me. Instinctively I hold on tighter. My mind numbly asks why. Why hold onto this? What does this have to do with you? How did you come to hold it in the first place?Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. At the last question, I gasp. My body, my hands, release their hold and give up their prize. More words are spoken to me; and then louder when I do not respond. I notice an ache, a burning pain, course from my heart and through my blood, to be released from my eyes and drip down my face. My body mourns what I cannot see; what my mind has hidden from me. Faintly, a logic I do not recognize the source of, tells me that something very important to me is now gone and my life will forever be changed. Time begins its flowing motion once again. My numbed body is placed into the ambulance and taken to the hospital. A bed in a room is assigned to me for the night. Tubes protrude from my arm; allowing a sweet liquid to fill my veins. At last, my body rests. Then the dreams begin. I remember only the eyes upon waking. I wake in fear, in sweat, and with screams. Usually, there is a doctor and two nurses in my room. They keep me in the bed. They keep me from running away from the room. Words come at me again, and I am almost able to understand them. But part of me recognizes the words as questions, and I do not wish to answer questions. To answer them, I would have to look at the pain and go through the shock again. Instead, I wonder at my sight. That it returned is not a surprise; it was never really gone. But my sight tells me that I am not in a hospital. This is a place I have never been. And much time may have passed. I think I am in the crazy place; the asylum. Soon, I will have to face the pain. Soon, I will have to think and live again. But not today. The doctor says words to me again. I decide that I am not ready. The healing has begun, but I am not yet ready to join the world. Tomorrow will be different. I let the words wash over me. I close my eyes and go back to sleep. Suspense Her balance was perfect, as always. She had practiced this maneuver a thousand times. She could do it blindfolded or in her sleep. But today, something had felt wrong. Shea¡¯s instincts screamed at some unknown fear. She should have said no. She should have put off the performance for another day. Her coach said it was just nerves; ¡°The first big performance in a while, you know.¡± So, Shea¡¯s marvelous act was added to the schedule. Her balance was perfect, as always. High in the air, the tightrope wire under her feet felt strong. But something was off. She couldn¡¯t put her finger on it. The uneasy feeling not only persisted, but also grew stronger as her performance proceeded. Was the ending part of the wrongness? Shea concentrated on her breathing and making her motions slow and fluid. In trying to prolong her movements and delay the inevitable ending, Shea never noticed that she was giving the best performance of her career. Her instincts kept screeching at her. As her body worked through the maneuvers, Shea¡¯s mind searched for options. What about the end of the show would cause a problem? Her balance was perfect; the wire taut and strong. The platforms at either end seemed empty. Lack of a net to catch her never bothered her before; nor did it now. Would something fall from above? Shea glanced up as a spot in her performance allowed her to search the rafters. Such was the pose she held that many photographers in the audience gasped and tried desperately to capture the moment. Her body continued the slow, graceful maneuvers. Above was safe, but her gut continued its apprehensive dance. It was about the ending. She was sure of it. Halfway through the routine, Shea¡¯s body contorted upon the wire. Her act seemed impossible and fearless to the spectators. Continuous practice for months allowed her to make the move flawlessly. It looked almost easy for all its impossibility. Now, Shea¡¯s performance speed would increase. It must increase in order to achieve the feats involved. But still, her mind was frantically searching for escape.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Maybe if she had a different ending? Shea almost stumbled at the thought. There was a section of her current ending that made her vulnerable. If trouble came at the right moment¡­ And then she knew. The danger came not from above or below. The danger lay within the act itself¡­ and with the one person who knew the act as well as she did. But only if it was performed flawlessly. If Shea made a mistake, she could save her life. However, she could also lose any future in this career. She would have to fall, and without a net, she may never walk the wire again. That choice was so unfair! Shea loved performing on the tightrope wire and her heart constricted to think of losing it. No! She would not choose that path. There had to be an alternative. Shea¡¯s mind grasped for ideas. She decided to change the ending for her routine. Without any prior practice and without giving any warning to her murderer, she would have to perform it perfectly. To make a mistake would be death. As a consolation, if she died making that mistake, the world would know the identity of her killer. However, a flawless maneuver on her part would both save her life and catch the culprit in the act; in front of an audience. It was worth the risk. Quickly now, in a few moments her routine would call for the ending. Shea ran through the new movements in her mind. She focused on success and imagined her body performing. Some of her new maneuvers would coincide with the original ending. This would give her killer less time to adjust his strategy. It would force him into the place she desired him to be. Now! It was time. Her balance was perfect, as always. Shea tucked and rolled her body along the strong wire. Where she would originally have risen to her feet, instead she grasped a nearly invisible, razor sharp wire in her hands. The killer, on the other side of the wire, was unprepared as she yanked and pulled him into view on the platform. Her hands, bleeding, didn¡¯t even sting at this point. She was focused. Shea ran for the platform on the opposite side from her killer; mentally marking the spot where she would have to jump. Her coach, already in the spotlight, had nothing to lose. He unclasped the wire from the platform; in the eyes of a thousand witnesses. Shea reached her mark just as the wire was unhooked. She counted on it! She needed the wire to give a little slack or her jump would not succeed. Her timing was perfect. Her balance was perfect, as always. Shea leapt for the platform. Frustration and Liberation Amy was sick of it all! Sick of work, sick of people, and just sick of the world in general. ¡°Amy, can you handle this?¡± ¡°Amy, can you talk to this customer for me?¡± ¡°What do you mean I can¡¯t get a refund?¡± Were people just being born stupid these days?!? Oh! These customers just didn¡¯t seem to have an original thought of their own! Each one had the same problems and made the same arguments. Day after day. Amy just wanted to strangle them all. Vacation may be the answer. But Amy also understood that once she left work, even for just a week or two, she would probably not return. She didn¡¯t have a backup plan or another job lined up, so she put the vacation off. Then it happened: the last straw on the camel¡¯s back. A customer walked into her retail department, dismissed all of her employees as ¡°incompetent¡±, tried to make a purchase with an expired credit card, didn¡¯t have any photo identification, and ultimately screeched the dreaded words: ¡°I¡¯d like to speak to your manager.¡± The customer yelled, ranted, and raved against Amy. On any other occasion, Amy would stand there, unassailable. Eventually, waiting for the customer to quiet down, Amy would be able to talk sense into the person and successfully resolve the situation. However, this particular customer had come into Amy¡¯s store causing trouble and was looking for conflict rather than a ¡°resolution to a perceived injustice.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Amy waited as long as she could. When the woman wouldn¡¯t stop the infernal screeching, cursing, and degradation, Amy¡¯s patience evaporated. ¡°I am sorry ma¡¯am. But if you will not calm down, I will be forced to call the authorities.¡± Of course, in this situation, the customer felt threatened and was getting the conflict (or attention) that was desired. Amy did call security, and the woman was escorted from the store without any merchandise. When the woman was gone, Amy put the assistant manager in charge for the next month and just left. Just. Like. That. It was the most liberating feeling! She was out in the daylight and without any paperwork hanging over her head. Amy took a big breath of the fresh air. No recycled air conditioning! No spirited customers! And no disgruntled employees! It was just her and fresh air and sunshine. Where would she go? Amy had a whole month to reset her life and put herself on a more desirable path. Canc¨²n? Bermuda? Greece? Why not? It had been ten years since her last vacation. She had the funds. She had the time. She could do what she wanted! Pressure Space, with its vast distances and uncharted territories, must resemble the uncharted oceanic expanse that existed prior to voyages by sea. Christopher Columbus must have felt a similar thrill of awaiting adventures as we do now. This day shall be remembered as humanity¡¯s first space exploration to discover the other side of the universe. In times past, the secret to space travel was right in front of us, yet beyond our grasp. ¡°Dark Matter¡±, ¡°ether¡±, and the simple ¡°vacuum¡± of space were the words humanity used to describe the vastness of the universe outside the safe atmosphere of Earth. Then¡­some 200 years ago, we discovered our first clue. We had been training our space explorers and scientists for years using specialized pools of water and even the ocean. But the day we discovered the Hydrogen River, we truly began to understand why such water exercises worked so well. Today, we launch our first long-voyage space ship to sail the Space Rivers. We search for new worlds, adventure, unimaginable discoveries, and the Source of the Space Rivers. We hope to return with proof, as did Christopher Columbus, that Space Sailing is feasible and discovery¡­ and discovery¡­ Music began blaring throughout the house. ¡°Laurie!! Turn that off! I can¡¯t think with your noise blasting my eardrums!¡± Presently, the volume lessened, but the train of thought had been lost. Lance shook his head and rubbed at his temples. This speech was due in a week. He had time to work on it again later. Lance tapped his stylus against his chin as his thoughts drifted. Space Sailing was still a hotly debated concept with the public. The world governments had traded and argued and fought to monopolize the technology; and somewhat succeeded. But they had also held each other in check; preventing those accomplishments that the public now demanded.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. The Earth was becoming uninhabitable. Various religious factions refused to have each other as neighbors without war. Global warming had melted the polar ice caps and slightly adjusted the tilt of the Earth on its axis. So, it was hot. Fertile lands were becoming arid desert. Humanity kept growing. The Earth was overpopulated. Less food plus more people plus hot climates created bad tempers. The public learned of the Space Sailing projects and demanded the governments work together for a solution. Initially, the governments assumed that a new Earth to settle and live in would satisfy the masses. But the public had higher goals. Each religious faction wanted their own world. Everyone wanted the comforts of home, such as technology, to take to their new planet. And absolutely no one wanted to volunteer several years of their life to discover and settle a planet for someone else. In compromise, the governments made promises and released the data of previous exploration attempts. The genius mind of Raphael Nambkin stepped in to create the first engine that could harness energy from the Hydrogen River. Other engines were created. Commercial ships were built. Eventually, with the collaboration between the governments and the commercial sector, the Foray was built. The Foray was Earth¡¯s ultra-scientific, state-of-the-art, long-voyage space sailing ship. It stood empty for a decade. No one knew what it would take to follow the Hydrogen River to the Source. Then another milestone was breached. During that decade, other Space Rivers were discovered. The discoveries amped up the public¡¯s enthusiasm for adventure. The governments used the opportunity to create competitions and fuel the fire. Now the volunteers came pouring in! A crew was chosen and trained. The Foray was updated. The Earth held its collective breath for the day of launch. One week, Lance thought. It would all finally climax in one week. And the speech was a necessary formality to keep up the public¡¯s support. Lance rubbed at his temples again. It was getting late. He would work on the speech some more tomorrow. Overwhelmed She felt as if all the eyes in the world were watching her. Becky had parked her car off to the side of the road; hazard lights blinking. Struggling to breathe. Focusing on calm thoughts. The panic attack was pretty bad. Inhale, 2, 3, 4, 5. Pause, 2, 3, 4, 5. Exhale, 2, 3, 4, 5. Oh gosh, how on earth could she manage this! Everything was so overwhelming! House electrical bills: $5k. Vet appointment: $2k. Car trouble: $2k. Becky¡¯s mind whirled through the past month of ¡°emergency¡± incidents. Main breakers on houses are not supposed to fail, but somehow two of the four output lines on hers had rusted and shorted out. The electrician had given her the option to replace just the main breaker at a mere $700. The risk - the other circuit breakers in her panel were also rusting out and her panel wasn¡¯t up to the current electrical safety codes. The best option was to install a whole new panel for the house. Cost: $5k. Reluctantly, Becky had agreed. They had it fixed three days later. That was two weeks ago. The cat began acting strange last week: drinking a lot of water, meowing at the litter box, ignoring food and playtime. Becky knew when cats stopped eating, they could starve themselves to death in less than three days. She scheduled an ¡°emergency¡± veterinarian visit. Her cat was only 9 years old and hadn¡¯t had any medical problems up to this point. Her Russian Blue was beautiful, calm, friendly and apparently prone to kidney problems based on breed and age. He needed bloodwork, an IV to rehydrate, antibiotics, and some new medicated food. Cost: $2k. At least he was feeling better now. Then Monday, the car started acting up. Acceleration wasn¡¯t working right¡­the car would sort-of shudder before catching the right signals and speeding up. Becky was terrified she would get stuck in an intersection or be rammed by a bigger vehicle from behind. So, she took it to the shop. Diagnosis: bad alternator. Cost: $2k. They fixed it yesterday ¨C Wednesday.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. And now, today¡­. It was just too much. Inhale, 2, 3, 4. Pause, 2, 3, 4. Exhale, 2, 3, 4. Becky¡¯s mind replayed the phone conversation from an hour ago. ¡°Hi Mom! How¡¯s it going?¡± ¡°Hey honey. Do you have a few minutes? I need to have a chat with you about something important.¡± ¡°Sure! I was just about to head out for some groceries, but I can do that after we chat.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good. I was worried I wouldn¡¯t be able to catch you.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s this about? You sound awfully serious. Is everything okay with you and Dad?¡± ¡°Well, no. Not exactly. You know, you might need to sit down for this. It might come as a shock.¡± ¡°Okay Mom, I¡¯m sitting down. You should just tell me what¡¯s going on. You¡¯re starting to scare me.¡± Inhale, 2, 3. ¡°Your Father and I were in a car accident earlier today. Your Father, he¡¯s in the hospital right now.¡± Her voice wavered a bit and then steadied. ¡°They think he¡¯ll pull through but it will be a bad night.¡± Pause, 2, 3. ¡°Oh Mom! Are you okay? Is anyone there with you? Which hospital are you at? I¡¯ll get my keys and come right away!¡± Exhale, 2, 3. Becky had jotted down the hospital name and address before jumping into the car. She used the hands-free option to call her sister. The chat was brief. ¡°Oh no! No, she called you first. I¡¯m on my way.¡± Inhale. Pause. Exhale. Inhale. Pause. Exhale. Inhale. Pause. Exhale. She was at an intersection less than a mile from the hospital. Waiting with other traffic at the red light, worry gnawing at her gut, and trying not to think of all the worst-case scenarios. When the light turned green, she proceeded through the intersection as any other normal person would. If she had been at the front of the line of cars, it might have been expected to see someone running the red light and zipping toward her. Three cars were in front of her. So, she wasn¡¯t looking; watching out, for someone to come at her from the side. Inhale. Exhale. Becky¡¯s car had a dent in the driver-side front door. Inhale-exhale. The motorcyclist was in bad shape. Becky had seen him FLY into the rest of traffic. Inhale-exhale...inhale-exhale...inhale...inhale She couldn¡¯t look to see what happened to him. She felt as if all the eyes in the world were watching her. Becky had parked her car off to the side of the road; hazard lights blinking. Struggling to breathe. The panic attack was pretty bad.