The Extraordinary Mr. Richardson - Part 2 (My Original Short Stories)

The last embers of light disappeared into the evening sky on this hot summer night. 

The air was still enough to allow for the humidity to works its way into every pore of the skin. The uncomfortable heat caused Ray to grab a handkerchief and wipe away the droplets of sweat from his brow. This was the perfect time to carry out what needed to be done. Which he had planned for what seemed to be an eternity. This world and everything it had to offer, had now run its course. The secondary life must become the primary. Permanently.

He peered down and squinted at his bed, the chosen location for his final earthly resting place. Where the transformation from caterpillar into butterfly would take place. The few shreds of fear left within him were quickly dispensed as excitement began to build and take control. In his left hand, he clutched tightly onto the key into this new realm. A full bottle of crushed sleeping tablets. In the other, a scrawl on a piece of paper detailing what the gift is and how he would like to donate his soon-to-be discarded body to any research facility ready to accept him. Could he be the technological breakthrough mankind was waiting for? He would not be around to find out but whether or not anybody would even pay heed to his letter was another matter altogether.

Still, this was all part of his carefully orchestrated plan and stick to it he must. He stared at the paper in his hand. One big blur of smudges set against a pale background. He just had to trust his judgement that the letter was even legible. He laid the note carefully on the side table and prepared himself for this one, final mental projection. Maybe the most important moment of his entire life lay just a short while ahead. For it made complete sense to him. He was very near the end of his human life cycle and time had effectively run out. In his dreams however, he could see clearly and be young again. The freedom from the shackles of daily life gone, he could experience the pleasures of existence all over again. Reunite with loved ones, know and appreciate the feelings of unfiltered, pure happiness. Most importantly, though, be with Margaret again. 

Would this work? Could he create one final ultimate creation of bliss for himself when given the sweet kiss of death? Can his dreams whilst presently grounded in the physical space be extended into the gaping abyss waiting before him? For Ray, there wasn’t even a choice. The withered, rotting form he now possessed was an unbearable burden on himself and society in general. Nobody could help him and shouldn’t do, given the laws governing our country. No, this was a task to be carried out by himself and himself only. His entire legacy left in but a simple letter addressed to the world at large.

He sat down on the bed with a grimace as the agony of his joints kicked up a fuss. Not for long now, he thought, smiling. He brought the bottle up in front of him and unscrewed the lid. That moment gave way for small amount of fear to creep into his thoughts. What if it doesn’t work? What if I imprison myself in a reality that I can’t break free from and am trapped in forever? He shut his eyes tightly to regain concentration. He realised that any relapse of focus now could condemn him to a fate worse than mortal death. That was another possibility. He just had to hang in there long enough to see his plan through to the end to reap the ultimate reward.

The bottle rattled silently in his hand. He was shaking. Was it his aged body complaining again or just plain old nervousness? He had placed two glasses of water on the side table a few hours back which by now must have collected a film of dust on its surface. He had also taken time to crush all the tablets into a powdered form so it would be easier to dissolve and swallow. Even the muscles in his gullet weren’t what they used to be. Ray picked up the glass of water and poured the contents of the bottle into it. Not too long now, he kept repeating to himself. The constant ticking of the clock on the wall was now a stark reminder that he was preparing to leave this world behind for good. Time would be meaningless for Ray where he was headed. 

He held his nose tightly, took in a deep inhalation of breath and downed the cloudy mixture. Only halfway done, he was running out of air fast and was forced to stop. An instant bitter taste swept through his mouth which almost caused him to dry heave but before he had time to think, quickly glugged the rest in one go. Some particles of powder had gathered on his hard upper palate which felt like they were burning a hole through his mouth. He clumsily grabbed at the other glass of water on the table and also gulped it down. The instant relief from that horrible feeling a few seconds ago was extremely gratifying. 

The deed was done and now the wheels were set in motion. The hardest and most important part of Ray’s plan was yet to come. He had but a few minutes to be fully prepared for the journey ahead. The doctor had mentioned a few months ago that his biological system was very sensitive at his age and liable to pack up given half a chance if not taken care of properly. The amount of sleeping pills he had just ingested should prove to be the final blow to his feeble state, he thought. But what if it wasn’t enough to provide for his trip into the next dimension? What if he would wake up in a hospital somewhere, suffering in pain from the after effects of his failed plan? Did he make sure enough pills were crushed or should he have used some more? He snapped out of this trance in terror. He was contemplating these variables now? Was he going mad? He would soon sleep his last sleep and time was running out fast.

He used as much will power as he could muster to focus on his final projection. “A glorious summer’s days. A cottage near the woods. The one I…” 

Suddenly, a knock at the front door. A train of thoughts came flooding back into his mind. He had forgotten this was the time the nurse was scheduled to arrive. No, he thought, as he fought back to finish the half completed mental sequence he was constructing. A second loud bang in the background. All types of message were now popping into his head like letters falling through a post box. How long will she wait there until she realizes something is amiss? What if she calls the paramedics and they try to revive him? But he was only partially through that last question when he rapidly drifted off and everything faded out to…

Darkness…

He hit the ground running. Glancing down at his clothes, he saw it was the same outfit as the army uniform he wore on an almost daily basis whilst on military service in Germany. The grassy area where he appeared was exactly as he had imagined it, lush and green with fresh air that filled him with a burst of renewed energy. Directly in front of him was the cottage, just like he projected. He was a young man in the prime of his life and that is how he would remain, frozen in time, forever. This was it! Or was it? Was he still asleep or had he really crossed over? This was uncharted territory for him as he assumed this place would be where he would reside till the ends of time. Ray didn’t dwell on such matters now. All he knew is at this precise moment, he couldn’t be happier.

Just as he arrived at the front door, he stopped abruptly and nearly fell to his knees. Had he forgotten about the most important aspect of all? Margaret? The physical world now a distant memory had proved an annoying distraction to him to the very end. How glad he was to be rid of it. The nurse and her damned timing! He was scared witless. There was no going back and he had to assume that he would never leave this place now. The old biological materials he had to work with while forming this construct were untrustworthy and decrepit. Just how big of a mistake had he actually made? The door stood ominously before him. His earthly end was such a blur, he thought to himself. Did he have time to recreate that one final vision, the one at the heart of this whole plan all along? Part of him just didn’t want to know, couldn’t bear opening that door at all for fear of what lay behind it. Right now, it was literally all or nothing, the consequences unfathomable. Here he stood at the point of no return.

He took a deep breath, turned the handle of the door and disappeared inside…      

The End

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Hope you enjoyed this short story, please look out for more on the way... (author: @ezzy) 

The Extraordinary Mr. Richardson - Part 1