#tale_of_eukora

Walking through the park you see a big sign saying "Tale of Eukora" above a rather futuristic looking tunnel. The tunnel with code running down the walls is the waiting line for the ride. You notice that in the bunch of 0s and 1s there are a few letters, that seem to spell something out if you have the patience or time to try figuring it out. You do since the line is pretty long. It spells F R E E D O M. All the time you spent getting the letters in order you didn't notice the line moving. It is your turn. You get into a circular vehicle, where one of the staff members comes around and puts you a VR-Headset on and secures it. As you drive of, you get into a room of white, that never seems to end, until you stop. You hit a wall, so you drive back where now also you Stopp and hit a wall. You watch as the white walls slowly break and fall apart like a glas vase, revealing black nothingness. As you look around and the cart turns frantically, you see the ceiling and the floor also breaking into pieces. As the big piece under the cart breaks you fall. The cart is definitely moving down fast. Everything seems to glitch as you abruptly come to a stop. Driving onwards much slower you get to see a field of flowers, a little hut where a couple waves at you. Turning around a corner you find yourself in a magical forest with bird people. While on the next turn you get to see a bussing medieval city, but something seems off. You can see a guy with a rabbit mask fighting a bunch of wierd guys with 3 eyes. The cart keeps on spinning showing you the whole street. But as you hear thunder and a lightning strikes your cart you wake up in what you assume is a kind of underworld. It is dark and there is a giant beast with bull head stomping on the ground laughing at you. The cart goes wild getting out of the was of rocks that are thrown at you. The light goes out. Your cart was hit and stopped. The staff member from before takes of the Headset and releases you back into the park.

Click. The sound travells through the endless white, until it echoes from a wall, that wasn´t there before, a wall, that just seconds later started tearing apart. Shattering like glass, revealing a black void behind. The broken pieces crashing on the floor.

No this can´t be. No. "Please don´t do this to me! You are going to kill me!" with a shaky voice I, standing in the middle of the room, scream at that giant cursor floating infront of me, while looking around for a way out.

No answer. No escape. No hope left for something to happen, that would save me.

The walls have completely shattered. White shards, sharp as knives lie all over the floor.

"25% deleted." It sounds out of nowhere.

I can´t do anything about this? Maybe if I just did, what I was made for, then I wouldn´t be in this situation. Guilt washes over me, like the waves on the shore. Then panic. I ... I never was good enough and here is the consequence of it. I am going to die. I... am going to die. I will ... die. My breathing intensifies in just a few seconds, making me hyperventilate. I ... can´t ... breath. I am ... going to die. I fight with my own body and mind trying to control the shacking, that just started. Ending up curled up on the floor with my arms around my knees, gasping for air.

Now the ceiling follows. Shattering and falling to the ground as sharp splinters, cutting my cheek. Blood runs down my face, dropping from my chin onto my hand, which is as black as the void behind me. It hurts and burns. I ... I wish I could do anything about it, but there is nothing I can do. I am trapped. My breathing still hasn´t calmed down. Neither has my heartbeat.

"50% deleted" It again comes out of nowhere. No speakers to be seen.

This is happening. All the memories wash over me. The few good and the many so horrible. The flower field. So calm and nice. But also the pain of getting my back cut open to change my code. The little river by the tree and the wheat field. As well as that yellow monster, that chased me around a haunted mansion. The screaming. The blood. The isolation. So many bad things. And it ...it was all my fault all along. Because ... I couldn´t do what I was asked to do. I am useless. I should be ashamed. Still shaking, little water droplets flow out my eyes. First one by one, then all together. My left eye being the color of the void and the right eye the one of a forest. Salty tears run over my cheeks and the bloody cut, making it burn, to which I respond with breathing through gritted teeth and wiping the tears away. A bit of blood stains the sleeve of my jacket, which isn´t unusual. Oh how often there were red stains on my sleeves.

Just after the whole ceiling fell apart, revealing the darkness surrounding this place, the Floor under me slowly starts breaking away, like an ice floe. First from the edges, then moving towards the middle with every piece falling into the darkness. Soon nothing is going to be left for me to sit on.

"75% deleted"

The sound of a shrill whistle finds its way into my head, drowning out my thoughts. Only leaving this awful fear behind, which is building up quickly in my chest. My heart beats as fast and loud as a drum. The edge getting closer with every second. There is nowhere to run to or hide. This is my demise.

The white under me breaks away piece for piece. As the shard i sit on breaks in to I slip, screaming, trying to catch myself. I hang on the sharp edge, which cuts into my hands, making them bleed as well. looking down, I see my feet dangling over the nothingness. Panicked, my bloody hands loose grip. I fall into the abyss, as the last white shining Shard of the floor falls into the pitch black below. My shoulder long, greyish hair flowing in my face.My limbs seem to be fading out of existence. It doesn´t hurt. I thought I may just break into pieces just like the room, but they at least spare me from that. This is really it then? I can´t die yet. This can´t just be it. I close my eyes. A last tear flows out of my eyes as the fading comes closer to me. But the fear and terribly loud whistle stay.

"90% deleted" This is the last thing I hear before the fade reaches my chest. It will eat me up, if my fear does not do that first.

But it doesn´t take a second, until everything glitches out and I find myself sitting on solid ground. The annoying sound clears my head leaving room for thoughts to come. But they didn´t at first. There is just silence for a moment. It is unfamiliar, but warm and somehow ... comforting. A feeling long forgotten. This floor is soft. Sounds of birds fade in, singing the song of peace. The water flowing close by is tuning in with it´s waves. So does the wind, which is blowing through leaves and grass blades. This feels like harmony. It´s been so long, since I got to be so at peace with where I am.

It smells nice, like hundreds of diffrent flowers at once. They always fascinated me. All those colours, shapes and smells they can have. i love clover the most. It seems to be able to withstand anything put in its way and still look pretty.

Slowly I open my diffrent coloured eyes, just to be blinded by the sun. The rays must have heated up the rock, I am leaning against. At least I am being warmed by them. After a short moment my eyes adjust to the light level. There is a flower field stretching to the horizon, some trees with fruit on them and a little river. This is so beautiful. Is this heaven? Maybe it is. Or a dream. Hopefully a good one, if so. A bumble bee flies from flower to flower, collecting nectar. Butterflies, of many kinds, dance through the air to the sound of the birds melody. Leaves rustling, and wildlife going about its day, not caring at all about what just happened to me. I am not important here. What I do doesn´t matter.

All the struggle fades away with this view, every inconvenience, every sad thought of the past, far away, and future, yet to come. What if I just stay? Would he miss me? No. No, he wouldn´t. It is over. The pain is gone. It will never get to me again as long as I stay here. I am sure.

With the slow vanish of the fear and stress of the last years, I pass out.