Short Story: The Child Turned to Stone
Short Story: The Child Turned to Stone
Something drew me in, an irresistible force. I floated, it was peaceful, and I was inexplicably happy when it all began. I was alone, yet I was with everything. Peaceful, relaxed, and boundless.
At first, I didn't understand what was happening. It was even amusing that I was no longer floating but flying. Fast, at lightning speed. But then I got closer; I still couldn’t see what to, but I felt I was approaching something. And then, I began to condense. My flight slowed, I became cumbersome, yet utterly powerless. It was as if a massive, solid rubber ball was placed in a miniature press, mercilessly compressing it. I protested, I did not want this. From peace, it suddenly became a struggle. I wanted to go back. Back to the unity. If I could have, with every limb, with my whole body, I would've clung to the universe, to stay there, but I couldn't. I had nothing to cling with. Then, I was finally pressed into a tiny cell, or perhaps two. It was a dreadful sensation. I felt nauseous and sobbed. I had boundaries now, became heavy, and peace was over. Silence reigned. I felt nearly nothing except despair, because there was nothing to feel with. I had boundaries, but no organs yet. No hands to touch, no ears to hear, no eyes to see, no tongue to feel something. Only my soul ached like an animal trapped, which for long-long years had managed to avoid being caught. There was no way back.
Silence reigned. The body I was pressed into began to grow. Over time, it became a slightly more spacious home for the aching soul. Although it grew a bit every day, I knew that no matter how much it grew, it would never be large enough for me to comfortably stretch out.
Then, I started hearing sounds. A rhythmic thumping. A strong one, and a softer one too. I began getting used to my new life. I was still floating, but now I sensed the boundaries of my body and the surrounding something. The fluid I floated in was a pleasant environment; occasionally, I drank a bit from it. I couldn't move, I just helplessly spun, exposed to gravity. It was a peculiar sensation. And then I heard another sound. A rhythm similar to mine. I couldn't see, but I sensed someone else was here besides me. This greatly disturbed me. No matter how much I tried to figure out where the sound came from, I couldn't turn, and I saw nothing. I just listened to the sounds.
Thump.... thump.... thump. - went the stronger one, to which two quicker, softer thump...thump...thump. replied. In a few days, I got accustomed to the new situation. I felt that whoever the newcomer was, I didn't need to fear them. I was certain we were on the same team, though I had no idea how we would fit in this already tight space. Days passed in the semi-darkness, silently, monotonously. Thump.…thump.…thump., thump...thump...thump., thump...thump...thump.…
I began sensing more things around me. Now, I saw lights and shadows, though faintly, through the fluid and the wall that separated me from the "unknown beyond." I was glad to be at peace inside. I heard more and more sounds, but I hated the noise. I loved when I could only listen to rhythmic thumping. I also got used to the presence of the other being. It filled me with security that it was beside me. I felt when it wriggled because the waves reached me. It was curious. It was interested in the “unknown beyond," because whenever we heard noise from outside, it tried to turn towards it.
Thus, we floated together. When a lot of light flooded in from outside, I also perceived its contours in a blurred manner. Its shape was peculiar, like that of a bean, and it comically and helplessly dangled on a string. This sight always brought a spark of joy amidst the monotonous days. One day, as it was again moving towards the noise, it turned so that we were face to face. It was an ethereal moment. I knew that it knew I was there too. Now it wasn’t just me observing it. We connected. For the first time. I felt peace and happiness I hadn't known before. We were together in this vast bubble, we were one. Our experiences, feelings were the same. Even our heartbeats. I was happy again!
After a little while, we began to stir. We swam towards each other, then away from each other. It was as if we had become one body and one soul, sensing every twitch of the other. We were in infinite unity. Though we were in a confined space, I felt the same feeling as before. It was wonderful. The bodies we were entwined in were still undeveloped, only capable of the smallest movements, but still, somehow, we played. Those were happy weeks. I believed it would always be this way. We would grow side by side, capable of doing more and more, and no matter what happened, we would always be together.
One day, I felt it move slower. It didn’t want to play. The noise didn't interest it. I fought my way to its side. Tightly. I tried to nudge it playfully, but it turned away from me. I continued to pester it, trying to pique its interest. It curled up even more. When it got tired of me not leaving it alone, it slowly turned to me. Desperation was in its eyes. It was clear something was wrong, but it didn’t know what. I snuggled close, trying to help. Together, we floated through the day, almost motionless. I tolerated the "big noise" up close because it liked being by the wall. By evening, it became even sadder, barely moving. Sleep overcame me, but I never moved away. When I woke, it was still dark. In the pitch-black, I sensed its gaze on me. I knew something was different, but I couldn't discern what. I listened intently for minutes, and then I heard it. Thump....thump....thump., thump...thump...thump., th..u..mp……...th..u..mp, t...h...u...m...p. I waited for the rhythm to resume. I didn't even swallow, not wanting to miss a beat. Then I heard nothing but the intense thudding and my own heartbeat. I couldn’t see anything. I tried to reach out to it, nudging it again, but there was no response. I waited for hours...floating beside it. If the walls shifted and swept me aside, I fought my way back to its side. My despair deepened. I wanted to scream, but no sound came out due to the liquid. I choked several times, then some strange spasms shook my body occasionally. That's when the walls moved, and there was light. I saw it. Its eyes were open, gazing at me, but they were lifeless and glassy. Its body was rigid and cold. I was petrified. The spasms stopped, then everything went pitch black again. I was drained, and sleep overcame me. When I woke, it was floating right in front of me. It was so terrifying that I choked on the liquid again. It was bitter. Incredibly bitter. I felt nauseous and tried to get away from it. I began to retch, not wanting to swallow the bitter water. I was disgusted by the taste, but there was nothing to be done; I couldn’t escape it. I was paralyzed, alone, my soul frozen. I didn't know how to go on. What would I do here alone, without it? Half of my soul was lost...all my energy was gone. I don't know how much time passed without me moving at all. Several times I felt the front wall press in and some intense light illuminate. The loud thumping would then speed up, then slow down again. But I no longer cared whether it was light or dark, cold or warm. To me, everything seemed infinitely dark and cold.
I lost my connection to everything. I automatically swallowed the bitter water, expelled what needed to be expelled, tried to avoid the hardened, cold body beside me, and waited for it all to end. I didn't care that I could move now, that I saw more clearly, or even that I barely fit anymore.
Then suddenly, the walls began to compress. Tighter and tighter, stronger and stronger. I became angry and decided that no matter what they did to me, I would endure. I passively tolerated the pressures. For a long time. But then I reached my breaking point. I feared the “loud one,” because over time, I learned that in this place, where I was taken against my will, things were bitter and painful. I was familiar with this pain and bitterness and had no intention of exchanging it for something even more painful. The pressure became unbearable, so I started moving in the direction of least resistance, but I couldn't break through. My anger intensified. I tried over and over, thinking I might suffocate. I struggled helplessly for a long, long time until exhaustion set in. I wanted to give up. I had had enough. The absence of the other hit me. Whatever this horror leads to, I would have to face it alone. The other was gone. I grabbed the tiny stone that was stuck to my belly. I clenched it in my hand, vowing never to let go. I was genuinely choking now. I tried to twist, push myself with all the remaining strength I had, but my body wouldn't budge. Gathering my last ounce of strength, I gave one strong push. I felt something tighten around my neck. The suffocation became unbearable. I saw a light, but when I moved towards it, the thing around my neck tightened even more. I knew it was over. I couldn't stay in there, but I couldn't get out either, because of the tightening noose. Holding onto the stone, struggling for air, my head pounding, just before I would have passed out, a surge of survival instinct gave me another push. And then it happened. I was out in the loud world, in the “unknown beyond”. Noise, incomprehensible chaos, sharp, blinding light, and terrible cold surrounded me. I screamed in horror. The scream encompassed all my pain, fear, and the horrors I had experienced. Yet the loud world swallowed it all. Only now did I realize how infinitely tiny and helpless the body they pressed me into was, even though inside, I felt I controlled the world. I screamed even louder when cold hands grabbed me and pulled me away from my stone. It fell from my hand, and I never saw it again. They did a thousand repulsive things to my body. I just wanted to disappear, just as my companion did. Then after endless suffering, I heard a familiar sound. Thump... thump... thump. And then again: Thump... thump... thump. Over and over. Exhausted, I succumbed to sleep. My hand remained clenched as if the stone was still there. And in a way, it did, for decades.
– Eszter
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