No Looking Back, You Cheater!

This was perhaps the hardest writing exercise I've ever had to endure, which is surprising, given that it's also one of the most common. My inner editor was screaming and tearing at me. Feel free to post your own efforts in the comments or on your blog - I'd love to see them! :)  

Write for ten to twenty minutes without any planning whatsoever. Complete improv. You're not allowed to change ANYTHING once you write it (except spelling errors). Go!


David shuddered as he gazed down the mountainside. There was nobody out tonight. Not that he expected any different, given the date and the time.

Today was different in many ways, but perhaps the most significant of which was that today, of all days, was the one day that he would remember for a very, very long time.

The last day like today was five years ago, on February 14 of 2430. Always Valentine’s Day – David wondered why. Perhaps it was because memories were so critical to the spirit of the holiday. Memories were what made it a holiday. The loving silences, the hand-holding on a park bench. Apparently, none of the other days mattered as much as that one.

As the bitter wind tore at David’s coat, he tried to remember the day before. He was here, wasn’t he? On this mountain, on this trail. Vestigial wisps of sensation tugged at his thoughts, reminders of the cold he had experienced. It has to be here.

David had been following a trail for as long as he could remember, which happened to be twelve hours, thirty-seven minutes. Not a rabbit-trail or the trail of a lover’s perfume, as he ought to have been. A trail that was lost in his mind. It led him through the physical world, out of the city, past the Coastals, and into the outlying forests. Whenever he crossed his path from a previous day, he experienced a sort of déjà vu. When he did not, he would veer off and eventually find his way again.

But what was I doing up here?

Luckily, David had thought to wear boots. There was no way of knowing where the day’s journey would lead, and so he had decided it was best to be cautious.

Other than the boots, though, he wasn’t exactly prepared. He had neglected to bring food, and now his stomach was pinching in complaint. He had also failed to bring chap-stick, and the cold, dry air was making him regret it.

Four long chirps rang out from somewhere in the forest canopy. Echoing around the mountain, David could have sworn they sounded like the electronic bells the schools always used.

Fifteen miles from the City. What’s ringing?

Yanking his boots out of the deep snow, he trudged toward the noise. The sun had finally summited the mountain and was now sweeping its light down towards him on the other side. An eerie quiet followed the chirping.

Then, suddenly, thunderous noise, like giant rocks falling on rocks, boomed in all directions. David screamed and tripped while trying to locate the source. Sitting at the base of a wet tree, he curled up and waited for it to end. It sounded like the entire mountain had split and was now sliding down it’s massive face.

David didn’t understand what happened next.

Déjà vu.

Where did it come from? Surely, he had never heard such a horrible din which pierced the hands he held against his ears. There was no stopping it, no blocking it. He could only wait.

Wait… wait.

A hand brushed his shoulder – a hand that he did not control. David realized that he had closed his eyes and allowed them to flutter back open, only to witness the strangest thing. A girl, about his height, brown-hair, angel-eyes, and elfin features, was seated right in front of him. Completely, undoubtedly, hovering.

David’s heart jumped into his throat. He didn’t know whether to move, or if he could move anymore. As of that moment, his arms were arrested at his sides, unresponsive to the commands of his brain.

“I have something to tell you,” said the girl, without moving her lips. Her voice came from everywhere, but seemingly from nowhere. The world was crumbling around them. “Do you want to hear it?”

Words floated out of his mouth before he could catch them. “Tell me the words.” With horror, David realized that he had not consciously made an effort to speak. His lips had not moved. And yet, the voice that responded was his own.

Wait. No, who are you? he tried to say, but the air moving through his windpipe made no noise. It was like suffocation, like a cloth had been stuffed in his mouth.

The girl leaned in until her icy breath prickled his ears.

And she spoke the words.

David let his mouth drop open, knowing full well that no sound would come out, even if he tried to speak. What he had just heard was divine, absolutely the most important words anyone had likely heard in the history of the world. He wanted to thank her, to burst out into tears, but it seemed he was incapable of everything but staring.

He now knew why the world forgot, why there was never anything before waking up, except on those few days. He knew why there was no hope, and why people did bad things. Everything came into crystal-clear focus. Death was not an obstacle, not even something to fear, but rather a step, a pinprick in the fabric of existence. David decided that perhaps it was time. Perhaps it was okay to die.

And then, only then, he woke up.