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Awaken!

by E.M Bancroft

I awoke from a long and restful hibernation, only to find all I’d ever known had changed. Winter had changed to Spring, and instead of snow, I lay in a field of tall grass, underneath a tall tree I swore wasn’t there before. Immediately upon awakening, I could tell the world was different. The sounds were different, and the lights of the distant city were different too; they were brighter, warped, and more painful to look at. The sky was different, too. The blue was faded, the clouds had disappeared, and the Sun was angrier than I remembered.

When I fell asleep, the Sun was soft on my skin but still warmed, like a blanket or a cup of tea. It still warmed now, but too much, too violently, so that it had melted my skin away, and left only bones.

I can’t feel the soft blades of grass around me. Are they even soft? Was that an assumption? I always assumed things were softer than they were, which is why I chose to hibernate under a soft Sun.

Because I have no skin or muscles, I cannot move. I must wait for someone to find me–if there’s anyone around.

It’s strange. I have no skin, yet I know the Sun is harsher. I have no eyes, yet I know everything is brighter. I have no ears, yet I know that birds aren’t singing anymore. I have no mouth, yet I must scream. I have no nose, yet I can smell the rot. I am dead, yet I know I am awake. Is this Hell, or Purgatory, or did we get Heaven completely wrong? How many Winters did I sleep through? How many Springs did I miss?

E.M Bancroft is featured in our issue 01 print . Get your copy here!

Short Stories

About the Author

E.M. Bancroft is a queer writer, poet, artist and activist based in Meanjin (Brisbane), and is highly influenced by various gothic, absurdist and science-fiction works. Their flash fiction 'Awaken!' and the accompanying collage blends the natural brightness and warmth Spring brings with the natural rotting and decay of Death.