Saeculum

It was a single drop of rain, resting gently on her cheek. That drop, as cold as ice against the summer heat of her skin, made her head spin like the amusement park ride they were currently ascending on.

“Here we go!” Emily shouted, holding on tightly to the wheel in the boat.

“Oh no…” Sophia gripped tightly, squeezing her eyes shut, her squeezing the arm of the girl next to her.

She remembered the day she met Emily, on the campus of DryArt Academy, the new art academy that had opened in town. Sophia could not believe she had actually gotten accepted with what she referred to as “simple doodles.” Emily was a musician, one of the most renowned violin players in town. Every classical music event, she would be there, often with her own solo. Naturally this got her a lot of attention from everyone at school as well. Therefore she was surprised when Emily sought cover from the rain under the same tree she would draw under.

Click, the boat was released from the track brakes, click..the boat was going down the descent. In that moment time felt as if it stood still. All laughter and screams, now just gentle whispers. Every drop of water hitting Sophia’s skin, as cold as before if not colder. In that moment she felt breathless, released from gravity. Finding herself no longer on the ride, but in the main square of the park, strangely alone.

The summer air grew cold, eerily cold. She heard creaks, coming from the rides just barely hanging on, looking abandoned, missing years of maintenance. Rain fell around her, yet she did not feel any moisture.

Hesitantly she started walking around the park. If she had just passed out, she must be woken up soon. Maybe, just like in her dreams, she could find a way to wake herself up. Soft music started playing in the distance, at first..a murmur at best. Just enough to pique Sophia’s curiosity. The silence shattered as a loud, piercing screech sounded through the air. A screech, car tires screeching over broken glass. As the droplets of water soaked into her skin it went black before her eyes. No park, no water, but..a vision taking over her brain.

An empty room, a figure, a human figure. The figure’s eyes stuck on Sophia, but their face expressionless. The persons features began to disappear. The nose faded into their skin, their mouth, as it dropped more expressionless, ceased to be.. Panting, she stood up, her legs moving seemingly by themselves as she started running.

Not looking back, head empty. And then..a thud. Her body slammed into something so hard she bounced back with force, instinctively she covered her face.

“No, no..don’t hurt me..” she cried, her breath growing heavier.

“Ouch…” A soft voice said, then a sob, then a small laugh. “Sophia..?”

Sophia looked up, and for the first time on her face, a slight twitch of relief. She was really here, she was no longer alone, her friend shone down upon her as a beacon of hope.

“Emily, oh gosh, is that really you?” Sophia said, her voice half broken, her lungs burning for air. In front of her stood her friend, looking the same as before all of this happened.

Emily pulled Sophia into a tight hug, her arms anchoring her, not wanting to let go, a grip that felt like life or death.

“You’re okay, we’re okay..” Emily whispered softly. Sophia’s body was still trembling.

“What happened to you? What happened to us?” Sophia started rambling. There wasn’t quite an end to her questions, her train of thought wasn’t just a singular train anymore, she had the whole conductor schedule.

“I looked everywhere for you. Then I got thirsty. Insanely thirsty.” Emily’s expression flickered, amused, relaxed, like this was the most normal thing in the world to her.

“..Emily? Are you okay?”

“As okay as I can be, except that thirst I was feeling..”

“What in the nine hells are you talking about …” her breath hitched.

Emily grabbed on to Sophia’s shoulders. “..Do you really think rolling up into an anxiety ball will help us in any way? Maybe this is just a dream dimension, like in those sci-fi movies you binge. What was it called..glitching out of reality?” She paused, a small smile appeared on her lips.

“Tell me you’re not referencing sci-fi films while we are IN HELL!”

“Maybe I’m just really good at handling high stress situations? You know some people are like that, they have anxiety but when something really bad happens..”

“Emily!” Sophia groaned, frustrated that she was not seeing the gravity of the situation.

“Sophia..I sipped the water. I sipped it straight from the floor.” Her eyes rested on Sophia. “I saw the way out.”

“I’m sorry..you DRANK the water..?” Sophia flung her hands. “You’re..out of your mind.”

Emily spun around, her arms waving carefree in the wind. “Maybe. Are you coming?”

Sophia was, for a moment, yet again stunned by her friend’s nonchalant attitude but followed slowly. “So where are we going, miss-insane-dreamworld-expert?”

Emily smiled with a hint of pride. “The water tower.” She pointed at the large building in the horizon. “After I sipped the water, I saw a path, it illuminated light as bright as the sun. It shielded me from this world, I felt safe..held. I followed that path to the water tower and as I reached it..there was a door back to our world.”

The exit of the park looked as unrecognizable as the rest of it, vines of dead plants hugging the bricks. The glass of the ticket booth, hazy and shattered, forgotten by time.

“Sophia, look!” Emily jumped, finally taking in the surroundings.

Opposed to the distorted reality, this place actually looked somewhat familiar. They were standing in front of DryArt, the art school they both attended. The building, while looking slightly abandoned, still held up its shape. Sophia’s eyes fell on the three trees forming a triangle, creating the perfect comfortable nook. She remembered sitting there for hours sketching everything she would see. The leaves on the trees, blowing in the warm summer wind. The students that walked past her, excitedly chatting about their day. An abandoned can of cherry cola scrunched up and thrown next to the trash. The normality of life, she found every part of that beautiful.

A little breeze blew past them, there was almost a soothing whisper to it, normality, peace, calmth.

“Do you remember that party we had at the end of last year?” Emily asked. “When we all went to get sushi and then partied it up in the hallways.”

Sophia chuckled. “That was..hectic. I liked the sushi though.”

“..I know you went out here, danced between the trees by yourself. You looked so peaceful, free..” Emily’s voice sounded almost soft.

Sophia’s eyes darted over Emily, part confusion, part admiration. “…you..knew that? We didn’t..talk back then..”

“..No..” Emily chuckled. “We didn’t. But..I hope this doesn’t sound too strange, you fascinated me.”

“That definitely sounds strange..”

“Not in a bad way. Everyone at that school wears a mask, trying to stand out by blending in, making art that is supposed to be unique yet it just adheres to trends. Their personality is much the same. But you..you are free. You make your own path. You draw things nobody cares about, and enjoy yourself like nobody is looking at you.”

“..so you were watching me at the party?” Sophia didn’t know if she should feel flattered or lightly creeped out.

“I wanted to be more like you, I guess…” Emily looked down at her feet.

“…The party got a little hectic, I couldn’t hear any of my thoughts above the screaming,” Sophia said in a calming exhale. “Here..it always felt warm, peaceful.”

Emily chuckled softly, spinning her body, feeling the wind embrace her. “It feels free. I wish I had been brave enough to join you that night..”

At that very moment a sound penetrated the air, a sound so enchanting it stopped Emily and Sophia in their tracks. As the rain sparkled up, they saw it. Massive translucent whale-like creatures floating like clouds through the sky, their song echoing, filling every cell of their being, every breath.

Sophia tried to speak, to comment on what they were seeing, but could only mouth the words. No sound was able to escape her throat, even the wind was silent. The upward raindrops filled up the shapes of the whales, the songs growing more distorted. Their bodies, translucent and vast, started shining like moonlight in the ocean and soon it was revealed that it wasn’t just water inside of them. Shapes began to form, growing clearer by the second. Human faces, liquified human faces.

The songs went on and on, Sophia and Emily didn’t know if they stood there for five minutes or five days. The songs were in their brain, in their lungs, in every nerve in their body. Eventually, the symphony came to an end. The water containing the faces dropped to the ground, right on the girls.

Their gasps broke the silence, followed by the loud splash on the ground beneath them. The sound of the wind returned, playing gently with the leaves.

Sophia blinked, her skin and clothes soaked with something that felt almost alive. Her throat, on fire, like sandpaper had scraped it. She was thirsty.

Before she realized it, she sank to her knees, her hands touching the fresh and cold water.

“Sophia..??” Emily’s voice sounded muffled in Sophia’s ears. She cupped the water in her hands.

The water whispered to her, she was sure she heard it.

“SOPHIA! Don’t…” Emily’s voice felt even further away. Sophia sipped from the water in her hands.

Colours flashed in front of her eyes, the voices multiplied by thousands and then…she felt herself drift.

A dusty living room, the TV playing loudly, the smell of smoked wood filled the air.

“…after our water supplies have depleted, the world has gone into madness…” A male voice sounded on the TV. “Riots have broken out at several local rivers…” Flash, static, screeches, then a scene. Humans frantically digging in the mud of what once was a river, pushing each other down, drowning others in the mud. Screams, agonizing screams.

“But the situation got much worse…” the male voice sounded again. “People seem to..not remember who they are..” A scene showed a woman in an empty room, holding her head in her hands, her nails digging deep into her skin. Screaming, an almost siren-like screech.

Darkness consumed all, but in this darkness there was a small weak light, and his voice. A young voice, sobbing.

“Mom? Mom..where are you. It is dark, I’m sorry that I didn’t listen, mom…” He looked down at his hands, as finger by finger liquified and turned into clear water, hitting the floor.

With a final splash, Sophia woke up, Emily hovering over her.

“Soph? You okay?” Emily said, her hands resting on Sophia’s shoulders.

Sophia’s head was spinning, she tried to steady her breath, rooting herself back to this version of reality.

“I saw..” she croaked, “a..vision..a memory?”

“Ah yes, the water gives you visions!” Emily said almost cheerfully. “It’s how I figured out we can escape through the water tower.”

Sophia blinked at her, baffled by the nonchalance. “It wasn’t exactly like that.. I was seeing memories, but not my own. It was through someone else’s eyes.”

“Now that is intriguing, learn anything?” Emily asked.

“I think…it was a little boy. I saw the news on his TV, water shortages..people were going feral over even a drop of water” Sophia felt a shiver down her spine as realization hit her. “He.. was basically melting into water..I think this is them..I think by drinking..people..we absorb their memories.” Sophia looked horrified, her face twitching in disgust.

“Drinking people? Wow, that is slightly fucked up.” Emily ran a hand through her hair.

“..yeah..more than slightly..” Sophia got up, her body still twitching.

Emily’s eyes found the water tower once again. “At least it gives us a chance at a way out, come on, no time to waste.”

They continued their journey towards the water tower, Sophia’s lips still tingling from the water and the horrors it carried with it. Was this what was left of the world after the water supplies ran out?

Then, aching closer to them, the tall towering structure. The water tower. Faded red brick that once radiated warmth, now melted into the freezing atmosphere of this world. Its presence was grand and menacing, it felt like the building itself was watching them. When looking up to its top, clouds seemed to move slower. A strange humming surrounded the girls.

And then..a sound, a scratch, a distant siren. The humming increased.

“Emily..!” Sophia whispered roughly, pulling her friend to her quickly.

Figures, wrapped in the familiar dusty scarves, approached the tower. Walking in a perfectly neat straight line, steps so slow it was agonizing to watch. Their bodies were crooked, a trail of dust was left behind them. The scarves covered the faces of most of them, but the ones that were visible were faceless, like their faces were eroded. Their movements not aggressive this time, they were calm, ritualistic. Their humming sounded mournful.

Then one by one as they approached the water tower, they vanished within its walls.

The humming grew silent, like they were never there.

“Wow…” Sophia said softly.

“We should go, now is our chance..” Emily grabbed Sophia’s hand as they ran towards the water tower.

Sophia’s eyes wouldn’t leave the tower, was it really the way out? Could this all really be over soon? Her adrenaline propelled her towards the tower entrance, only to freeze in her tracks when she realized Emily had let go of her hand.

“Em…?” Sophia turned around and found her staring up at the tower, motionless. Her cheeks still wet from her tears, her eyes..hesitant.

“Are you coming? This is the way out, isn’t it?”

“It is, for you..” Emily said softly, her voice barely more than a broken whisper. “I can’t go with you..”

Sophia shook her head in confusion. “What? This is no time for jokes!”

“..I was never supposed to still be here..” Emily said, another tear dangling on her chin.

Sophia’s breath caught. “What..but..you’re right here..”

“I am fading, Soph.” Emily tried to dry her tears, but her fingers started softly liquefying. “But something in me was able to cling to you. A piece of me, a real piece. My memory of you, it helped me remember who I am. Even if it was only slightly.”

“..you make no sense.” Sophia’s voice broke, her lip quivering.

“You will understand soon.” Emily approached. “I brought you here to end Saeculum, but..you mean the world to me, Soph. I..want you to have a choice.”

“A choice??”

“I didn’t know love could anchor someone, delay the forgetting, even a little bit.” Emily chuckled. “…drink me, Soph, you will understand everything. And the fate of the world will be in your hands.”

“Emily..you can’t..please..” Sophia’s voice creaked, she struggled to even get a sound out.

“..It’s too late for me, drink me, that is the last thing you can do for me..” Emily melted away bit by bit, she approached Sophia, and with a final kiss on the cheek, she was nothing but a puddle.

Sophia sank to her knees. “Em…” Tears started flowing.

She cupped the water in her hands, trembling.

Her lips parted.

And she drank.

A flash of light, a bright white embracing every cell of Sophia’s being. There it appeared, the figure she saw at the amusement park, scarf wrapped around their face. The corpse-like eyes staring into her soul, but now they were different. She could recognize them now: Emily. Emily smiled at her and closed her eyes, her body collapsing in dust, shining like the stars. Sophia’s head was reeling, as she was traveling through time.

There she stood, Emily, violin in hand. Two scarf-headed people in the corner, tied up, screeching. Emily walked to her desk and sat down, a notebook in front of her.

“November 1st 2027. It’s been 2 months since Saeculum began. The cleansing of the earth.

Our water ran out, the rain no longer hydrates the earth. Nobody saw this level of climate change coming, I definitely didn’t. People have gone savage. Step one, they forget who they are, step two, they morph into strange scarf-faced creatures, step three..they turn liquid, feeding the earth and supplying the water towers. The voices say that Saeculum will only end when humanity has been cleansed, so we can begin again. So we can try again. People who have no strong sense of self go first, hunting the others. I feel that I am next. Saeculum needs to be ended.” She stood up from the table and grabbed a little photobook, going through it. Her eyes lingered on her old friend, Sophia. A sense of warmth glowed in her body. “I miss you, Soph..I bet you’re not touched by Saeculum huh, you always knew who you were, you drew every memory no matter how insignificant. But if you don’t turn, if you survive..we are all doomed.” A tear fell from Emily’s eyes on the photo of Sophia.

Her lip quivered, her muscles twitched. Sweat dripped down her body. The water beneath her looked dark, but as she saw her reflection, a small smile tugged at her lips.

Her hands leaned gently against her heart, tears shimmering like diamonds. “Thank you..Emily,” she said softly as she dropped herself into the water.

Silence, calmth. Then raindrops started to fall again, soaking into the ground, emitting light. You could hear the buzzing of bees, the chirping of birds. A beautiful flower coming out of the earth. And in the faint distance, the soft chattering sound of human voices.