A Narritive Straight From Hell. (literally, and the writing is, too.)

I awoke. I awoke to sulphur and flame, and that was all. I wondered what I did and when I did it, but nothing specific came to mind. Maybe everything was just wrong. It looked right when it happened, yet it must have been wrong.. somehow.1

I remembered that after everything I would have still been there, no matter. I also remembered that I definitely forgot to turn the stove off last night. Still, not even the smell of gas could overpower the odor of sulphur. 2

After about10 minutes of fighting off sleep I decided to go turn the stove off and take a cigarette. 3

My house wasn’t that big, my room being the smallest. It had a bed, a dresser, and a closet with a modest amount of clothes packed into it. The bed was hard as a rock. It seems fit that you can’t escape into a restful night of sleep here. Out of my room and down the hall there was the kitchen, my first destination. It was the second smallest room and included numerous items that had never been touched, the stove, which had by now been slowly filling my house with gas, a very empty refrigerator, and a window. Yes, I hated that window. It reminded me of where I then lived. The scenery was awesome, yet morbid in it’s own way. I opened it and proceeded back down the hall, through the living room, and onto the porch. The other end of the house. 4

I enjoyed the porch a lot. Well, it was better than that damn window and that damn abyss beyond it. The road adjacent to the porch wasn’t traveled very often, but far down it I could see a tower of dirt. A car that I doubted would even slow down to see if anyone was in this dead town, myself being the only occupant. A total population of one. I preferred it this way. I knew sometime soon I would have to figure out how to hot-wire a car, the town’s stores were running out of cigarettes. They only had shitty brands left.  I had a carton of Camels stashed. Oh, and how I miss those Camels. 5

After I took my cigarette I decided it was time to read a bit. That was all there was to do, and it wasn’t bad. The library had lots of great books. I’m one of those people who doesn’t mind reading long boring text books. It passed the time. I particularly enjoyed reading about people’s philosophy of time. For a while I was thinking of writing my own, but I remembered that nobody would read it. 6

It seemed so long ago that I arrived in that state of being, but I knew that it wasn’t relative. When you end up there then you will know that, too. You will know that there is no such thing as time when you’d been alone as long as I had. Everything just happens, no matter. Before I was there it seemed like time mattered, but now, never. People don’t arrive or depart, they just come and go. There is a difference if you have thought about it as much as I have. 7

I went to the living room. The only room I really enjoyed. On the coffee table was the book I had started. Something about a boy and a horse. I don’t remember particularly enjoying the book. Soon I knew that the car in the distance would reach the town, I wondered if I would try and flag the driver down. If I did he might have never left, I couldn’t have that. There was no rent to pay, so I had no need for a roommate, or a townmate for that matter. 8

It had been a long while since I talked to someone though. It might be refreshing. And what if it had been a girl! It has been a long while for that, too. I decided not to let the opportunity pass. What a mistake. 9

I finished the book and stepped out side to take another cigarette. Nothing better to do, right? Also, it would afford me the chance to see how far my visitor had made it since my last look. He seemed to be making fairly good time.10

Speeding out here is OK, but you would never want to do it in a highly populated place. You don’t get tickets here, you get worse. Normally you’re never seen again. Not that you die, you’ve already done that. But there are some things that people can’t handle. You try being stuck in a coffin and shoved in the ground. We all have. 11

It’s good to know I can still laugh. Retelling this tale makes me want to be back there. Don’t worry, this is almost the end. I will fast forward to when my visitor arrives if you wish. You won’t miss much, just a whole bunch of cigarettes.12

When he arrived I flagged him down, just as planned. I was saddened when I found out it was a male. Some people will settle for a guy, but some people are desperate. I was polite, don’t worry. I invited him in and asked if he would like something to eat. I told him to come look, there wasn’t much to choose from. I knew he wasn’t hungry, but eating is a good way to make conversation. You could tell this guy was in the mood for conversation. Maybe he would have something intelligent to say in the midst of his rambling.13

We sat at the kitchen table for ‘dinner.’It was starting to get dark, so we called it dinner. Nothing fancy, of course. The store was running out of more than just cigarettes. And nothing to drink, it has been a while since I had the pleasure of drink. He said that he had some, but drank it on the way. 14

We ate and we talked. It was a merry time. After ‘dinner’ I offered him a smoke. I tossed him a pack that was sitting beside that damn stove before he had time to say no. I said mi casa si casa and explained that it was only temporary. That soon enough he would be filling his car up and leaving, taking what he needed to get to the next town. It was the last words I said to him. In fact, it was the last time I saw him, too. I heard him mumbling something right before I stuck the cigarette in my mouth. I heard him shout incomprehensible words while I raised my flame to light it, all I did was stare. I suppose he hadn’t been round that long, if I had payed attention I would have noticed that. I suppose he wasn’t as used to the smell of sulphur as I am. Somehow he knew I forgot to turn the stove off.15

I hate that damn window, not only because of the view but because that’s what I flew through when the house exploded. If course it didn’t kill me, I’m already dead. 16

There are two good things though. Seeing as how he was on the other side of the room at the time, he flew the other way. I would hate to have to hear him ramble while I fall. I don’t think I ever noticed how much of an abyss my house was next to because I think it’ll be a while before I hit bottom. I’ve already had time to write the story of my day to you. (That was the second good thing, I had a pad and pencil laying in my kitchen.)17

If I ever reach bottom, if anyone ever reads this, remember the moral of this story; in Hell you should never do two things: leave your stove on and live by an abyss believed to be bottomless.18