Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock
Old guy: You see there young man?
I: Yeah?
Old guy: You see the clock right over there? Tick—Tock—-Tick—Tock
I: Uh…|
Old guy: Yeah can you see it?
I: Certainly, yeah
Old guy: I can even see the Time, of people and how well is it running.
I: Oh wow
Old guy: I can see your time too.
I: And how is it?
Old guy: Terrible
As he said that, the smile I had on my face faded. I didn’t want to listen what he said though, so I just said “Yeah” and got on my way to home.
Chloe was my best friend. He and I both lived together in a small house at slums. We’ve been friends since we were both adopted by our foster parents. They were quite close.
We both were depressed, tired from our shitty life, just making enough to stay alive with each of our other side of bed empty.
We both worked at a local gas station but that day Chloe had his leave. I did not so I went to the work.
I returned home after a long boring day. Doors were locked and he had not opened the lights. I wondered why but then thought he must’ve slept.
I opened the door from outside, I had spare keys.
“Chloe , Hey?” I said. I got no response. I assumed he was not in the house.
That day was unusually tiring so I just wanted to sleep. I checked if there was anything on fridge.
Fortunately enough, there was morning’s meal left but I didn’t bother to cook it again. I was tired. So, I took a bottle of whiskey and poured it down on the glass.
It was one of those cheap whiskeys that we got from liquor shop but it was more than enough for poor guys like us with empty pockets. I then took a rest at sofa, opened up the speakers and played the album ‘Wish You Were Here’.
I was in love with Pink Floyd.
With every sip of whiskey and WYWH on speakers, I got drunk and slept.
“BRIAN….BRIAN…..BRIAN….BRIAN”
These echoed voices calling my name rung on my ears and woke me. It was the voice of Chloe. For a second I thought I heard those voices because I was drunk but then, I saw Chloe open up the door.
I knew it was Chloe. He looked scary, he had bruises, a straight face with eyes as deep as black holes, lifeless.
I whispered, “Chloe”
He didn’t respond but then started to approach me. And as he started to approach, the world I was in was not the same. I felt we were both delivered to space. Nothing below my feet and his feet. Just us two in void.
“Chloe? Hey?”
Still I got no response but he kept on approaching. He kept on walking towards me but he didn’t come any close. He was running, yet nowhere near me. The distance between us increased as he tried to come closer and made us even far from each other.
He started screaming as the distance kept on increasing, “I DON’T WANT TO DIE, I DON’T WANT TO DIE”
I felt I was paralyzed, I tried to move towards him, tried so hard but I couldn’t. Then I realized I couldn’t blink either.
“BRIAN SAVE ME” he screamed.
But I couldn’t do anything. I wanted to help him, hug him and calm him down but I couldn’t.
Few moments afterwards, Chloe opened the door and got out of the house. It was then, the void I was delivered to disappeared and I returned back to my couch. I fell asleep right after.
After many hours of sleep, I woke up. Darkness surrounded me in the room. Speaker was still playing the album on loop. I just relaxed as it kept playing ‘Shine on you crazy diamond’. I looked at the glass of whiskey, it had some whiskey left in it so I took its sip and laid back.
I gave a look at my phone but it had died already. I felt there was some stench in the home. I stood up then noticed it was not just house, it was still dark outside.
I decided to see what the fuck was going on in the house and approached Chloe’s room. Stench got even stronger as I approached towards it.
I opened the door lock with one hand as the other hand was covering my nose. I felt nauseated, almost passed out but then saw Chloe.
Not alive but dead, he had hung himself. After seeing his rotting body in the ceiling, hanging, I felt nothing around me. The stench faded away, I couldn’t feel my feet on the ground nor my body.
After few seconds of me trying to process what happened, Chloe’s phone rung, that’s when I got my senses back and my nose was again filled with that smell.
Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock
Chloe had kept ticking clock as his ringtone and as I saw the caller ID, it was written “Chloe”
I received the call and heard Chloe’s voice.
“Brian”
I replied with “CHLOE”.
“BRIAN YOU HEAR ME?” Chloe said.
With nothing in my mind, I had gone blank. I spit out nothing and he kept on saying
“BRIAN I DON’T WANNA DIE”
“I DON’T WANNA DIE BRIAN”
and phone hung up.
I passed out.
I woke up but this time I was in a hospital room. Police had brought me here. I was then told Chloe had killed himself the night I came from work.
I can’t tell what had happened to me that night, or was it just whiskey but it was true that I lost my best friend, Chloe. Shine on Chloe, Shine on you Crazy Diamond.