The Machine

I.  

“Honey? I’m scared.” 

“I know,” he replies shortly, bending to connect the machine to one of the surge ports adorning the base of the wall beside her bed. He grimaces; at this age, movements that came with ease long ago now prod like knives at his failing body. 

They paid top dollar for this. 

His hand leaves hers, if only for a moment, to secure the connection. Then it returns, and he sits directly beside her on the chair they provided. 

“It’ll just be a moment now…”

She squeezes his hand. 

The machine buzzes to life and her life’s pictures flood into her brain, impossibly, all at once. As advertised, she no longer exists in the cold, antiseptic room she has spent the better part of the last year. The memories steal the show. Only the best ones, they assured at the consult. 

She starts in a similar room. For the first time ever, the first moments of her life are unlocked. She can physically feel her mother’s love. She understands that feeling so well now. 

The woods behind Cam’s house. Her first kiss, immersed in falling leaves and a gentle autumn rain. 

A sly smile from her sister as she looks back, the sounds of the garden party fully muted by her pounding heart. “Keep going!” she urges as she approaches the man she will later marry. 

Santa Monica Pier, 1992. Soft serve that quickly becomes soup: they laugh hysterically as they tumble down the beach, covered in twist. The endless crescendo of waves. 

A sly smile from her father as she says yes. 

Brilliant pictures of Caleb and Madison rush in. She begins crying. Life is so beautiful in its totality. Her children have carried goodness forward to the strange new world. She is proud of them. 

She relaxes into the warm embrace these pictures provide. She is ready to go. 

Suddenly, as if by strike, the demon appears. She recognizes it immediately. 

He feels her hand tighten. She is likely overwhelmed with emotion. He envies this moment for her and can’t wait for his chance. 

The demon slouches to the center of her life’s screen, slowly. It smiles. There’s no need to rush now. 

Her nails dig into his palm. He frowns and removes his hand. One last dig on the way out. Classic. 

The demon, snarling, leaps onto her stomach and opens its mouth. Just like old times. 

She screams. It laughs. Come with me. 

II.

He waits for the machine to run its course and then disconnects the other. If all goes as promised, she will hold onto her core memories as she heads into the great expanse. She will get to experience them for eternity. A pang of jealousy creeps in again. 

He closes her eyes, kisses her forehead, and leaves the room.