Tossed, Wrecked, and Wounded

'Because I could not stop for death

He kindly stopped for me

The carriage held but just ourselves

And immortality'

-Emily Dickinson, "The Chariot"

I was already sitting up in bed watching television. I had to get my mind off of the missed chance at the blue box. But nothing I was watching was helping to distract me from the memory of it. I turned the Tv off with the remote and chucked it on the bedside table. Of course, I was angry and bitter. My tickets were denied at the door. Who wouldn't be mad about that?

But, like most things in life, there are some situations that are simply beyond our control. There was no use in crying over it. I shrugged and sighed. I decided right then that it was time to chuck the hope into the lake of regret, and let it sink for all eternity.

That is why I ignored the building wheezing sound. I was not going to let my insanity spark up a whole new false hope. I refused to allow my ears to hear it or my eyes to see it. I closed my eyes as tight as I could.  I covered my ears with my hands. "No!" I said. "No way. No how. I refuse your siren call, Oh, ship of treacherous fortunes!" Of course, that did nothing for the sound which continued to build despite my lamentations.

"Oh, tie me to the mizzen mast, unfortunate crew! But first seal your ears with wax! The siren's call echoes from the shore and shall certainly compel me over board. And in my madness, I would take you with me. Make haste, all ye dogs!" Spewing my fake captain jargon in yells, also did nothing to keep out the resounding thud that followed.  There was no avoiding it now. I sighed. Releasing my ears and opening my eyes, I relinquished to my impending fate.

Everything was dark. I couldn't see my hand in front of face. "Well, all that refusal only to be swallowed by the whale anyway. And then, what? Nothing?" I asked out loud. There was no response. "Fine," I said to no one.

I was sitting on something cold and hard. Yeah, a floor can be cold and hard. But not all floors feel like metal. I tried to stand up, but hit my head on something. Whatever it was, was also metal. "That will leave a mark," I whispered, rubbing my head.

 I felt around my space. I felt cords and metal bits all over the walls. It was small, really small. Big enough for me to sit or kneel in, but not stand. I felt a metal spot with no things attached to it. I tried to open it, but I failed.  I was about to start yelling and pound on the wall, when there was an angry shout. Then, once more the wheezing sound kicked on. I lost my balance and was thrown into the wall. I blacked out.

I woke up in the same space. I don't know how much time had passed. My head pounded and I was aching from being entombed. I reached up and pounded on the walls. "Hey! Let me out! Please! Someone!" I heard rushing footsteps come towards me. "Hey!" I pounded harder. "Help!" The footsteps cursed and ran back and forth in front of me, as if trying to pinpoint my location. "Here! I'm here!" I pounded harder.

The footsteps came again. Then, a light appeared. "It's you! How did you get in there?" Shadow hands came at me, grabbed me, and pulled me out of the enclosure. There was an explosion. It rocked my head. I didn't respond except to roll my eyes in pain. "Hold a moment, would you?" He asked. The shadow man hefted up a fire extinguisher and charged at some flames.

I waved him off and sat back down on the floor. I reached up to behind my head on my neck. I touched the area with my finger tips and winced. It stung like fire. I brought my hand back around and looked. There was a good deal of blood on my hand. "Oh, that why woozy," I whispered.

I held up my hand. "Person, guy. Need help," I muttered, waving my hand in his direction. "Make sleep now."

He came running back. "No! No sleep time, human!" The man grabbed my hand. He let go, then grabbed my head and rolled it around like I was made of rubber. This made me more nauseous. Vertigo set in and I released the contents of my stomach. "Not good!" He grabbed me and stood me up. "We have to get to the med station. Stand up! Doctor's orders." He hefted me up. My legs complied, each one acting on its own  accord. "Come on, Jessica. You can do it. So, do it before the TARDIS explodes."

"I was plugged in Doctor," I said. Not sure why I said it, but I did.

"By the look of it, yes. You were plugged in. Which would explain the TARDIS getting sick."

"No, she already sick. You keep bad junk in the trunk. She be woozy too."

Yeah, the TARDIS was very woozy...and mad. I heard the wheezing sound start up. The Doctor stopped his escort and turned. "NO! What are you doing!" I heard him yell. Then, we were both flung across the room as the TARDIS began a turbulent flight to nowhere. I blacked out again.

When I woke up, I hurt so much. The smoke didn't make it easier either. I started to cough and wheeze. I could hear the man coughing too. Through the smoke and blaze, I could see his shadow crawling across the floor. I don't know what he did, but suddenly there was a cool swift draft that swept the haze away. I took a deep breath. Fresh air.

There was so much noise. Alarms were blaring. Sparking and bursting filled the air. The loud wheezing sound overpowered a yelling man. Monastery bells rang out.

I reached up and found a bar. I pulled myself up to a sitting position. I opened my eyes, but my vision was blurry and fading in and out. I thought I saw a shadow man pull himself up to a console. He stumbled around it, pushing buttons. My senses was like a strobe light, going in and out, switching back and forth at random from hearing, seeing, and smelling. My neck hurt so much. I reached behind me and pulled out a part of broken component. I looked at it and let it fall from my hand. There was more blood.

I could no longer see. Everything was black. The noise was gone, so were smells. "Hello? Please. I need help," I muttered. That made me hurt a lot more. So, I kept silent.

Minutes passed that felt like hours. But suddenly, I felt a person grab my hand. "Hello?" I asked. "Is someone there?" The only response I got was someone reaching behind my head. "I can't see you or hear you." My vision cleared for a moment. I saw the shadow man. Then, it went away. I felt myself get picked up. And, at that point I didn't care anymore. I blacked out again.

So, when I woke up. I was in a bed. The shadow man was there. I know I was in a bed, because it felt like a bed. I could see nothing, except a black on black silhouette of a man. And I didn't have any idea who he was. I had no idea where I was. I had no memory of anything but myself.

All of these memories came rushing back under the impulses of the healing unit attached to my forehead. As the images ended, I returned to a trippy sea of colors as I fell down the rabbit hole.

Bong. "Attention all passengers. Your journey is at an end. The healing unit has reached it's final limitations. Upon awakening, please do not remove the device until instructed by your Doctor. Thank you again, for using Netline Industries, Healing module 629. Have a nice day." Bong.



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