“The Leaving Room”
Nikki reached the top of the hill, pale green and gray with loose stones. She approached the little blue building, kicking rocks and mumbling about times from times ago. Her knuckles did the knocking.
The rusty door creaked, and Nikki walked in.
Blayne sat in lotus on the floor, facing the door in this time, facing away in that time.
Nikki sighed. "Hello, Blayners."
His eyes came open, seas without end. "Hello, Nikki, is it?"
"You can call me whatever you want." She snapped her fingers and a flame appeared, lit her cigarette.
"You say that every time."
Nikki smoked. "So nothing's changed."
"Did my friend's soul taste good?"
"We really gonna do this again? Haven't we run this script enough?"
"Not in this time, we haven't."
Nikki ashed. "Fine. You play with fire you get burned."
"He was a kid. An addict. He didn't know what he was doing."
"Yeah, well, I was a kid, too."
"A thousand year old kid."
"It wasn't a thousand," Nikki said. "And a kid's a kid. I was eight again. I was asleep at the bottom of the ocean. I heard his call. How was I to know what would happen?"
"Your false god knew."
"Look, Praxis knows what Praxis knows. That's not for us to decide."
"I respectfully disagree."
"Yeah, you're teeming with respect, you smug fuck."
"He was my friend ..."
"No, he wasn't. You thought you were friends, but he didn't. He was your partner, then your competitor. That's how he saw it. And you know what he really wanted?"
"What?"
"He wanted power. That was it. Power and power and more power. Why do you think the song reached me? And did you know we had the same father, across those oceans of time and the stars beyond our stars? Did you know that, Mister See Through Time?"
"I knew you think that, yes."
Nikki drew a long pull of smoke, blew it out in plumes. "He's okay, you know that, right?"
"No. I don't know that."
"He's on the island."
"How is that possible?"
"Fuck if I know."
"I thought you knew everything, Nikki."
"Yeah, well, not anymore. I fucked myself good and proper on that one."
"Is that why you've come?"
"Yes."
"You want to leave and you can't. You don't remember how."
"Yes."
Blayne smiled. "No."
"What do you mean, 'no?'"
"I mean no. You're contained here. I've tried in at least three timelines to cage you and failed. And now, as the middle way teaches, I have found the road I sought by sitting. You have caged yourself."
"Listen old man ..."
"I will. I'll listen to anything you have to say. But you will not change my mind."
"My mind isn't so bad still, Blayne. You'd be wise to remember that."
"Ah, there's the beast. I knew it was in there somewhere."
Nikki flicked her smoke at Blayne. It bounced off his forehead and landed on the ground in front of him continuing to burn.
"It's been a while since I have smelled that smell. Thank you for reminding me," he said.
Nikki twisted her face up. "I will rip you apart and take what I need, if it comes to that."
"Do what you feel you must."
Nikki flexed her hands, nails ready to rend. Then the nerves remembered. Nik couldn't cut him.
"Some other time come back again?" Blayne asked.
"Fuck you. I'll find a way, with you or without you."
"What is it your so eager to get back to?"
"Not what. Who."
"Oh. Her."
"Yeah. Her."
"In that case, my heart does ache for you, Nikki. Still, I cannot allow you to leave."
"I heard you the first time, shithead." Nikki lit another smoke. "I may be back later. You better hope not."
Blayne's eyes closed. "I will be here. Be well, Nikki Hawke."
Nikki flung the door open, breaking one of the ancient hinges, stomped on down the hill, back to the city.
The title of this piece by Mason Van Santana.
