Burning Desires

Her very veins quivered with desire, throbbing with the energy of yearning coursing through her being. She was yelling, screaming, crying at the object of her dreams, a creation so worthy of her admiration, it must be derived straight from her imagination itself. Unsure exactly of why she let this vivid fantasy torment her so, it was all she could do to sit crunched into a ball and feebly fight the tearing at her being away. 1

The boundaries of the room could not be told, the brightest brilliance of white possible, it could not be measured in any direction. It did not begin, it did not end; it simply was. The room was deserted; stretching in every direction as far as the eyes could see the vast expanse of sheer whiteness. It stretched in front of her, behind her, beside her, above her, below her- never ending. And all of it was empty. Empty except for the figure of perfection before her. 2

He stood before her. His perfection radiated throughout the room, blurring the very fabric of its existence. Surely something of such perfection could not be anything less than a god? Surely something of this stature would not, could not notice her, Ethel, small and inconsequential, in every way ordinary. But she was not ordinary. His voice whispered to her, reverberating in her mind; for it was not her ears hearing, it was her mind absorbing. 3

"Come to me, little one," said the hypnotic voice. "Stand and come to me, face me."4

Though the words were intimidating she couldn't help but be unafraid of the notions he suggested. He layered his voice with more of his persuasive power. 5

"Come to me! Come to me and you will be free! For through me, you can find freedom. The fire that burns in your eyes can ignite your heart, for with me you shall be warm, you will be safe. No harm will befall you whilst in my arms."6

Ethel was paralysed. She sat in the white room, quivering. Every cell in her body screamed for her to move towards him. Towards the warm comfort of safety, of love. And yet she couldn't move, held immobile by some unknown force rivalling that of the man who must surely be all-powerful to affect her so. 7

Deep into his eyes she stared, held riveted, unable to resist. His eyes bored into her, their brilliance was such that their colour could not be told from it. Part of her told her that if she were able to shy away from the tug of his eyes, she would be free of his sway. But she couldn't he held her there as surely as a new mother, exhausted, still clutches her baby close. 8

She dimly thought with the small amount of her will that was not consumed by the being before her, that she could not even make out any distinctive features. All she could see was the brilliant radiation of the white, some unknown instinct or delusion simply assuming that it was something resembling a human figure before her. Certainly not human by nature, but perhaps human by physical status. She yearned to approach this creature, but some otherworldly bonds held her true. 9

A sharp pain coursed through her with such intensity that Ethel suddenly drew in a breath she hadn't realised she was holding. Her lips trembled as everything around turned to complete darkness in an instant. Only the faint glow of the figure remained to beckon weakly to her. No longer did his voice echo through her mind. Tears rolled down her cheeks, not in pain, but in regret at the opportunity she knew she had lost. 10

A new sound called to her as the last traces of the perfect figure disappeared. It was not gentle as the smooth texture of his voice had been, but high and piercing. This new sound caused her to recoil, but the darkness enveloped her, pulling her closer to the heart of its grips. It pained her ears, this foreign noise, but it chained her to her fate, dragged her into the black. 11

The world around her abruptly took on new clarity. No longer was it a picture blurred by radiance, nor was it drowned in dark. Everything was in the sharpest of detail, every noise, every colour, every sensation pulsed about her intensely, overwhelming her with feeling. The sounds were deafening, the colours were blinding and every sensation brought with it an excruciating pang of reality. All she wanted was to be back in the realm of perfection once more. But this relaity had claimed her, and would not let her free of its grips. 12

She groaned.13

"Nice to see that you're back with us, Ethel," said a kind voice. 14

The squally screeching of the creature from her dreams started again. 15

"We thought we'd lost both of you for a moment there, but it looks as though everything will be fine." A man in white attire stepped from corner, holding a bundle out to her. "Congratulations, it's a boy!"