Hidden Folk: Strange Stories by Muller C.M

Author:Muller, C.M. [Muller, C.M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chthonic Matter
Published: 2018-11-30T16:00:00+00:00

DIARY OF AN ILLNESS

Brent gazed through the window of his fourth-story apartment, wondering how he had not noticed, until that morning, the construction across the way. He would be the first to admit that the majority of his attention prior to yesterday had centered on his now-defunct day job, but still, not noticing this change in cityscape left him feeling ill at ease.

​ The previous structure had housed a museum, but it took Brent embarrassingly long to recall the old place. A memory resurfaced of him wandering its musty, ill-lit halls as a child, terrified not only by its skeletal wonders but by the strange artifacts set behind glass. This was years before he and Lily had moved into the city. Now, no visible remnant of the structure remained, all having been engulfed by a modern shell. Colossal frameless windows encircled the first and second floors, and from there a cascade of stainless steel spilled into the sky.

​ Brent speculated about the building’s new purpose, and if, once complete, he might find employment within. The aesthetics of the place appealed to him and the commute would certainly be agreeable. He planned to look into it later that day, but for now he was desperate to return to bed, having woken with a sore throat and chills.

◆◆◆

Five hours later, Brent’s condition had hardly improved. If anything, he felt worse. He could barely lift himself from bed, and doing so left him dizzy and nauseous. He entered the bathroom to splash water on his face, hoping to lessen his weariness. Toweling himself dry, he heard the front door open.

​ As he stepped into the living room, he found Lily resting against the entryway. Her eyes were glassy and expressionless. “You’re home early,” he said.

​ Lily shivered, as though experiencing a chill. “It kind of snuck up on me. One minute I was feeling fine and the next…this .” She raised her arms dramatically, as though her entire body were diseased. “I had to leave, I couldn’t stand it any more.” She approached him now, hunched and coughing, to offer a weak hug. “You don’t look so great yourself.”

​ Brent cleared his throat. “I’ll be all right.” He helped Lily out of her jacket, placing it and her handbag on the kitchen counter before leading her to the sofa.

​ “I’m surprised I had the energy to lug myself home.” Lily managed a painful-looking smile and with some effort removed her shoes. She sank further into the sofa. “Aren’t we the pair. Mind getting me some pills?”

​ Brent wanted to ask her about the construction, but decided it could wait. He stepped into the kitchen and began rummaging through the medicine cabinet. Eventually he located the appropriate pack, though struggled to uncouple two tablets from the plastic molding. He filled a glass with water and returned to the sofa.

​ Lily was asleep. Sitting next to her, Brent placed the meds and water on the coffee table and reached for the remote. As he flipped through channels, he found it difficult to focus on any single program.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.