A Quest for Home: Aria's Mystical Journey
·
Published 3/16/2023Detached and emotionally scarred, Aria, a Martian, journeys to 3rd Century BCE France seeking a new identity and home, only to face inner demons and powerful adversaries in a mystical adventure to find a precious artifact.
She was gone. She was gone and it felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest.
In the darkness I stared at the ceiling, the soft whirring of the air-filtration system providing a never-ending metronome to my thoughts. The room was too hot. I hadn’t slept in days, but I couldn’t bring myself to open the window due to the noise from the street; people shouting, laughing, arguing in that strange foreign tongue.
My stomach twisted into knots as I remembered her face when she left me. That look of shame and defeat that told me everything I needed to know about how she saw me.
I could still feel her warm fingers pressing against mine. The way she brushed my hair behind my ear and kissed me on the forehead before stepping into the taxi, vanishing into the bustling city.
She was gone. And there was nothing I could do about it.
There was a soft knock on my door, which caused me to flinch, immediately snapping me out of my maddening reverie.
“What?” I called out in English, pulling myself out of bed and shuffling towards the door while smoothing down the tangled hair that covered most of my face.
The door creaked open slowly and a small voice called out in French: “It’s just me! Can you please turn up your air-conditioning? It’s really hot in here!”
I sighed and walked over to my window, opening it a crack before walking back and sitting down on my bed again. “Ok… what is it? Cut to the chase already!”
My new roommate slowly entered the room after I spoke, shutting the door quietly behind her before looking around for a place to sit down. After assessing my messy living space she picked up a box that contained all of my clothes and placed it on top of my desk so she could sit down on top of it with her legs crossed in front of her. She nervously played with her hair as she looked around at all of my possessions scattered across every surface in the room before finally meeting my gaze once again. “I think you should come downstairs with me… There are some people who would like to talk to you…”
Share this story
Disclaimer
This is a work of fiction, assisted by artificial intelligence. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Content Removal Policy
- Users may report content that may be illegal or violates our Standards.
- All reported complaints will be reviewed and resolved within seven business days.
- Review Process: Our team will assess the reported content against our guidelines.
- Appeals: If you disagree with a decision, you may appeal within 14 days of notification.
- Potential outcomes include: content removal, account warning, or no action if no violation is found.
To report content, email us at [email protected]