The Descent
Title: The Descent
Themes:
-A contrast
-A taboo
-A wish
-An emotion
-Madness
Word Count: 278
Madness flickered around the edges of his mind, dancing shadows that grew larger and larger as time passed. It wouldn’t be long before they consumed him whole. The knowledge that he’d soon lose himself made his chest ache, a sorrow so deep that it couldn’t be expressed. He did his best to ignore it because it was a price he’d chosen to pay years ago. He’d first heard the voices as a child, sweet whispers in the dark. They promised to tell him anything he wanted to know; the past, the present, the future, all his for such a small price. They’d dangled it in front of him like the serpent with Eve and he fell just like her, the apple too sweet to resist. Instantly, he was rewarded. Every touch brought visions and every thought brought answering voices.
The day he realized he couldn’t turn it off was the day he understood the price. Panic had filled him then, a desperate wish to undo it all. Eventually, as the real world began to fade away, the wish had drifted away. Only mourning was left in its place.
As he drifted through his own memories another vision filled his mind. It was still of him, only not him. It was a vision of a man who had ignored temptation. A vision of another future, of a life never lived. He wasn’t sure if it was the normality or quiet happiness of that life that made him laugh. It started at a small chuckle and ended with his half-sobbing gasps for breath. It didn’t matter, he mused as the shadows grew larger. Soon, he wouldn’t remember any of it.