The Quiet

He awoke on The Mound, unsure of how he had come to be there. It was dawn on what felt like it would be a warm summers day although, to the best of his memory, it was supposed to be winter.1

His memory felt hazy. A name, Nathan, that he was sure was his came to his mind, as did a general recognition of his surroundings. Edinburgh. His home.2

The birds sang there songs, and penetrated the eerie silence. A silence which was otherworldly for the city centre, even at this time of day. From his vantage point he could see no traffic, not even parked at the side of the roads, and no other people. 3

He pulled himself to his feet, wincing at the stiffness of his bones and muscles. He stretched out, cracking his joints so as to give them the impetus to move. He brushed the dust and grime from his clothes back to the ground from where it had originated. It occurred to him that he was taller than he felt he should be. 4

A flash of an old joke streaked through his head. Somebody (his mother perhaps?) saying often : "You're awfully tall for a boy of your height."5

He started downhill towards Princes Street. It felt like it was the wrong way for home, but the correct direction to move in nonetheless.6

He slowly carried himself forward, for it seemed pertinent to take care and be deliberate with his movement. It had occurred to him that he could recognise where this wasn't, just as well as he could recognise where it was. This was not the Edinburgh he knew.7

As he reached the bottom of the Mound a body came into focus, lying in the middle of the road. He knew without doubt that it had not been there when he stood at the top looking down but yet, its appearance was not sudden and did not frighten him.8

He stepped towards the mass, and touching the shoulder of the corpse - for he was sure this body was dead - he rolled it over. The dead man's head loosely lulled over and, eyes wide open, stared up through Nathan. The face was his own. 9

He looked sadly down on the body but felt no great emotion, no great shock or fear. He had a sense that this was merely what was in this place. Leaning over, he closed the eyes of the body, of his body. He thought there were words he should say, but he had no recollection of what they might be and so he said nothing. He moved on, never looking back.10

* * *11

He stood in the middle of Princes Street and looked both ways up and down the famous street. There was still no people, no traffic. No noise besides the birds and his own breathing. He stood facing the shops, but they were non-descript and he could not bring there identities into focus. He felt like he knew what they were supposed to be, but this information lay in the dark parts of his mind, somehow out of reach.12

It occurred to him that his surroundings appeared to exist outside of time, all at once having a feel of the ancient and the futuristic.13

Struck by inspiration, he looked to the sky. It was lit by strange colours which seemed to duck and dive and swirl over the landscape. He had never seen the northern lights, but this was how he imagined them. 14

He stood and watched them for what may have been hours, although the time of day did not change, until finally he was distracted by a shape cutting through the air above at great speed. It shot in the direction of the castle, which he noticed for the first time was not there, coming to a halt where the great building normally stood.15

He began to walk towards it. He felt something he knew was urgency, but it never so much as occurred to him to run.16

* * *17

The girl sat crying on the ground. She had dark raven hair which reached all the way down her back and pale delicate skin. Nathan could not see them now, but when he did he would note that her eyes were blue and piercing. There was something almost other-worldly about her he mused. Later, the combination of her looks would remind him strongly of something from his life before. He would not know that it was a doll his grandmother once had.18

She looked up as he approached but did not appear startled by his presence. He looked wild she supposed, his hair and beard were unkempt and messy and his clothes, faded and dusty. But she instinctively knew he would not hurt her, despite his appearance in this place.19

"Is this hell?" she asked.
"Why do you think that?" he replied, surprised by the abruptness of her question.
"My body is over there," she said, indicating behind her, "Have you seen yours?"
"I have."
"So we are dead."
"I guess we must be. But I don't believe this is hell."
"Where is it then?"
"I think it used to be Edinburgh. But not any more. It has changed."20

His responses were as dry and even as hers were scared. She could not understand his ease and apparent acceptance of his death and the situation he found himself in. However, with him here beside her, she began to feel increasingly calm and began to believe she would not be hurt in this place.21

"That is where you were from?" she looked at him quizzically.
"Yes."
"Me too."22

He turned to look at the girl. She had stopped crying and her beauty had started to irradiate out of her. He sensed her charm would soon follow and that if he started to feel again, he would probably fall in love with her.23

"My name was Nathan. What was yours?"
"Sylvia."24

Nathan and Sylvia looked out over the city that used to be Edinburgh and watched the sun rise over it, then disappear behind the lights in the sky. In that moment they realised that their deaths hadn't ended their lives and began to wonder what that could mean for them.25