The Fall

This is it. To have lived thirty years with a disease such as this particular one, to have gone through all the challenges that it and life had presented... It is truly a miracle. But even after all of that, the time has come. Time to rest. The early morning sun rises just beyond the horizon, tainting the sky with light purples, blues, and oranges, making glister the dew-covered grass of the valley. This is a nice place, always has been. Energy sips out of the body slowly, trickling away with the last couple breaths that can be mustered. Will Tink ever forgive him? The tip of the limbs become numb and the eyes grow heavy. There was nothing that could stop this from happening, nothing. The hearts slow to a halt and after a few moments, the vision fades. But no curtain rolled back to reveal white shores and far away green countries under soft sunrise. There was nothing. Just silent darkness. The muscles are unresponsive, it was as if something was locking them in place. Move, move, move, MOVE!... The mind tries to fight it back, but it becomes sluggish on its own. And then it vanishes. All thoughts and memories are consumed by the void. It was done. - - - A heartbeat. - Another heartbeat, this time followed by the retraction of the diaphragm. Fresh air flooded the deadened lungs, oxygen quickly permeating into the blood. The three hearts start to pump together at once, forcing the thickened blood through the vessels. The mind awoke from its deathly slumber, confused and disoriented. It's as if not a single moment had passed... Was this some kind of afterlife? New energy flows into each cell of the body, and in response, all of them flare up in paralyzing pain. The muscles are still not responding, trying to scream was leading nowhere. Minutes passed, but they felt like an eternity. The pain still hadn't lowered, but finally, the eyes! With all the mental strength one could muster, the eyes managed to open. But what for? Darkness, it's as if nothing had changed. Blindness. Oh, good Khas... Oh wait, there's light! Silvery moonlight that crosses through the leaves and branches from above, faintly illuminating the area. And then, as if breaking out of sleep paralysis, all of the muscles decide to act at once in a single strong spasm. Shaking, confused, partially blinded, numbed... But alive.