"Mind Over Matter"

“No!” She sat up quick, eyes wide. Green-eyed beauty.

Moisture dripped from her face; her hair wet with sweat.

“What is it?” Lucy called from the door. “What’s the matter?” She walked over, concerned.

She was beautiful and it was well known. Dark hair to her back with eyes like the water -- lucid and deep -- pulling you in. She wore a white gown with pink trim and walked with bare feet. Breath-taking.

She sat on the bedside.

“Jewel?”

There was a pause as Julia continued to look down at the covers, quiet. Breathing heavy, her mouth slightly opened. Stolid. Lucy put her hand under her friend’s chin and looked at her hard. Green-eyed beauty.

“Julia?” Lucy tried louder.

They stared for a moment into each other. A long moment. Julia’s eyes traveled from left to right; up and down; back and forth. Her eyes watered and her body moved forward to her friend. Caught by surprise, Lucy placed her arms around the broken body.

“No…” Julia whimpered in a soft voice.
“Shh…” consoled Lucy. “Shh…sweetheart. It was just a dream.”

Julia closed her eyes shut, wrinkling her forehead and nose.

“Hey…hey…it’s OK. I’m here…I’m here,” said Lucy with her cheek to her friend’s forehead.

She rocked her back and forth, holding her head to her breasts and kissing her hair. “Come here.” Lucy pulled her back on the bed, her arms still around her. “Lie down, it’s late. Go back to sleep. I’m right here.”

Julia lied aside her with her head resting comfortably in the space under Lucy’s arm. She placed her left hand on her friend’s stomach and let out a small moan as she felt thin fingers run through her hair.

She fell asleep.


A breeze of air passed her face and she opened her eyes. Lucy was gone and Julia was left alone on the floor. The floor? Cement floor; cold and black. It pierced her skin as she sat up quick. Her eyes wandered aimlessly, not knowing what to catch first. A window was to her right; a white window with clear glass and an empty view -- nothing.

“Lucy?” She tried softly before raising her voice, “Lucy!”
“Over here!” Lucy called from a distance. “In the kitchen!”

Julia stood up with caution as she looked about and walked to the closed door. Her hand reached out for the handle and turned it left. Locked? How is it locked? She lifted her arm to the top of the door and felt for a key. Her fingers gathered dust, but there was nothing. She tried the handle again. No need, the door was opened wide.

“Lucy?…Lucy?”
“The kitchen, Jewel. The kitchen!”

Julia looked past the door and down the hall. She could see the dishtowels but there was no sight of Lucy. She walked forward. The floor moved under her feet and a blur of flash was left in front of her. The dishtowels faded.

“Lucy?”
“Yes?”

The moving stopped and Lucy stood behind her.

“I thought you were in the kitchen,” Julia said, wrinkling her eyebrows.
“I am,” Lucy smiled. “So are you.”

Julia looked around her.

“Right,” she said.
“I made you breakfast. I’m leaving,” Lucy said moving toward her.
“Where?”
“I’m leaving,” Lucy persisted. “Goodbye.”
“Wait, where ar--” Lucy cut her off as she gave her a quick kiss on the lips and disappeared.

Vanished.

“Lucy?” Julia looked around the room.“Breakfast? Where?”

She turned around in search and spotted a dish of lettuce and cucumbers. Walking over, she stared at the green vegetables and sat in a chair down in front of them.

“Salad,” she said.

Julia quickly threw down her head, holding her hand to the sides of the dish. She twisted back and forth as she opened her mouth wide. She gorged the vegetables, chewing loud and grunting with frustration as the bowl slid on the table. More, more, more! The bowl kept filling.

She stopped.

With her eyes opened wide, she lifted her head to see the vegetables walking in the bowl. She squinted her brow and stretched her fingers to a large piece of a cucumber, lifting it. Underneath laid a maggot. Julia flung back and began to see the bowl fill with little creatures until nothing else remained.

She screamed in horror, and in one quick movement jumped from her chair. She stood, staring deep and breathing heavy, until she couldn’t any longer. She felt movement between her teeth. Her tongue touched the roof of her mouth and she let out a soft cry for help. A worm crawled out to the bottom of her lip, down her chin and onto the floor.

“Help,” she cried softly again.

She ran to the sink for water. Too late. Critters came out in bunches. Families. Dozens squirmed out from the sides of her mouth, falling to the floor and making their way back up their victim’s legs. Julia threw back her head and began to choke violently. She fell to the floor and gasped for air. Her body shook forcefully as her head slammed harder and harder against the cement floor; cold and black. Everything stopped.

The vision went black.

The room spun around Julia’s body and she slowly opened her eyes. Her body sat her up as it flew forward, gasping for air. She sat in a blank room of white -- nothing. She frantically searched her surrounding with her eyes. There! A figure. She stood up and walked toward the blur. Feet away, she made out the object -- a window. A large window with a white frame. She sat at the edge and looked into blankness.

A wind passed, and although she couldn’t feel it, she knew it was there. It picked up speed and swirled around in a circle, gathering dust and leaves which appeared to come from nowhere. A picture began to form of a driveway with a white truck and a man sitting in the front seat. Julia watched closely. The man opened his car door and stepped out onto the pavement. Walking toward the window, he stopped suddenly as a women appeared to his right.

“Lucy!” Julia yelled.

The man turned toward the women and pulled her close to him. They kissed
passionately.

“Lucy!”

The man began to remove the women’s clothes.

“Lucy, no! No!” Julia banged hard on the window. “No! Stop it! No!”

The man continued as Julia’s eyes filled with tears and she began to cry.

“Please…please,” she begged. “Stop it, please.” Anger grew deep in her eyes. “NO!”

She stopped.

A knife appeared at the right of her feet. She picked it up and held it to her chest. Her eyes closed tight and she began to scream. Her voice echoed the room and she listened for a moment before opening her eyes. The room spun and turned to red as she found herself standing over the body of her friend with the knife held in her hand. Blood covered the floor and gathered in a puddle to the left of Lucy’s chest. Julia gasped in horror and turned her eyes to the knife. Blood covered its top and trickled down to its end, running over her wrist and down to her elbow.

“No! No! It’s not my fault! You did it to yourself! No!”

She closed her eyes and felt nothing.


“No!” Julia yelled, sitting up quick; her hair wet with sweat.

She laid in her bed, covers wrinkled at her feet. She looked to the closed door.

“Lucy…” she said softly.

She stepped out of bed and placed each foot on the soft, pink carpet. Walking to the closed door, her heart beat faster. She turned it left -- open. Stepping out into the hall, she could see dishtowels resting on the kitchen counter.

“Lucy?” she called again, now standing by the towels.

“Yes?” Lucy answered, standing behind Julia. “I made you breakfast.” She looked to the plate -- an egg, three slices of bacon and two pieces of toast. “I’m leaving,” Lucy finished.

“Where? Where are you going?”

A white truck pulled into the driveway.

“Who is that?” Julia asked quickly.
“It’s Jake,” Lucy replied. “From down the street. Remember? He just moved her a couple of weeks ago. I told him I would show him around today. He can’t find the deli.”
“The deli?”
“Go figure. A full grown man can’t even find his way to a decent cup of coffee.” A pause. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Lucy, wait. I just…I don’t know.”
“Jewel, listen to me, please. I told you, there is nothing there. I told you this. Why don’t you believe me?”
“I just d--”
“Look,” Lucy said, cutting her off, “I’ve got to go. I’ll see you in a couple of hours and we’ll talk about it then, OK?”
“Lucy--” she was cut off again as Lucy kissed her lips and walked out of the door.

Turning to her breakfast, Julia sighed and took a bite from her toast. Chewing slowly, she stopped suddenly as she felt a slight movement in her mouth. A small maggot crawled from her bottom lip. Her eyes grew wide as her dish filled with worms. She threw the dish to the floor and watched it break into pieces as it hit the tile. She stared at it for a moment; the creatures disappeared. Confused, she walked toward the window. In the driveway stood Lucy hugging the dark haired man. Just friends. Julia walked back to the kitchen, opened the drawer, and grabbed a knife.