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Tabby Moon (3 of 8)
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Tabby Moon (3 of 8) |
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Anvrill Senior Member
since 2002-06-21
Posts 710in the interzone now 
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Tabby Moon 3 of 8 I woke up to Dad shaking me. He had a weird look on his face that I could have called hope if hope wasn’t so impossible now. “She woke up, Neil.” I got up. “What?” “Those damn doctors were wrong. She still needs all those machines to keep her going, but she wasn’t brain dead. I’m heading to the hospital.” “Take me.” “That’s why I woke you up.” Mom didn’t come with us; that was no surprise. She was probably up in her room right now, praying Tabitha would die. When we got to Tabby’s hospital room, she was trying to remove all the tubes and wires that attached her to the machines. “Tabby!” Dad ran into the room. “Get ‘em out of me...” Tabitha quit and fell back in the bed. “It’s my right. It’s my right. I can get these stupid things out of me if I say.” “Tabitha, the doctors--” “Screw the doctors.” She stopped being upset for long enough to laugh; doctors were high on her “screwable list.” She shook her head, serious again. “I’m fine, and I want these damn things out of me.” I came into the room slowly. Tabby saw me and waved with her right hand, which had an IV in it. “Hey, Bro. Hospitals suck, don’t they?” “You okay?” She closed her eyes. “As soon as I get these things out of me, I’ll be fine. I would’ve been fine anyway. I was just gonna’ fly.” “Tabby, you almost died.” Dad looked worried. “Nuh uh.” Now that she was calmer, she was able to start removing tubes and wires. “I was flying but those damn doctors stopped me.” “What exactly did you do, Tabitha?” Dad took her hand. She pulled back. “I don’t want to talk to you.” She removed the last few wires, and a machine beside her bed went flat-line and beeped. “Oops.” She giggled. A doctor came in and there was a bit of confusion, but Tabitha ended up telling everyone that she was 21, so if she wanted to be off the machines, that was her legal right. Dad and the doctor left to discuss some things. “Sit down, Neilster.” She patted an empty part of the bed. I sat. “What’d you do, Tabby?” “I told Dad and the doc off.” “No, to get in here.” “Oh.” She was silent for a while. “Full moon last night.” She said it as if it explained everything. “What do you mean?” “On the solstice. Do you know how rare that is? Full moon on the shortest day of the last year of the century. And it was at its azimuth, Neilster; as close to the earth as it’s ever gonna’ get. It was bigger and brighter than you’re ever gonna’ see it. It’s a special time. It’s magic.” “If it’s magic, I don’t think you’d need pills.” “No, Neil, it’s... You can only be a part of the magic if you’re not connected to your physical shell. I just had to knock myself out of myself for a while.” I swallowed. Tabitha had never acted crazy before; not like this. “It was awesome, Neil. I mean, the light’s not really white, it’s just ... pure. Nothing’s going to top that. I was never going to die, Bro... I’d never do that to you.” She squeezed my hand. “What brought this moon-magic thing on?” I pulled my hand away. “It just makes sense. There’s two blue moons this year, right? And then there’s this full moon at its azimuth, on the solstice, right?” I shrugged. “Yeah. And that’s so weird, isn’t it? It’s ’99, Neil. Venus came closer to Jupiter than it will for another fifty years, there’s two blue moons, there’s this amazing solstice stuff, all our celebrities have been kicking the bucket, and something has to happen.” “Tabby--” “I don’t believe in that world’s gonna’ end crap, but I need something to believe in. So I choose to believe something really cool’s gonna’ happen.” “What does this have to do with anything?” “I wanna’ try everything at least once before 2000. Now I can scratch flying off the list.” Realizing her pun of her self-image, she clawed at thin air. “’Course, I’m not going to quit with trancing out on my music.” I didn’t understand how she could keep the conversation so light. Her mind was moving at a million miles an hour, and she said every meaningless thing it hit. At least, none of this made enough sense to be meaningful. “Neil.” She watched me for a long time, and it almost felt like she knew what I’d been thinking. “I can’t lie to you. This is just my way of coping. But I did fly, Bro. ... Even if I didn’t mean to.” “Why, Tabitha?” She closed her eyes. “Come on, the tabby never screws up. Don’t sound so worried. If I wanted to be dead, I’d be dead.” She sat up. “Man, do I ever need Cyberpunk now.” “I didn’t think of bringing any of your CDs. I’m sorry.” “It’s okay.” She moved her arms around in the air, to music only she was hearing. “I’m the neuromancer ... and I’m trancing.” She stopped. “Think I can leave yet?” “Only the doctors know.” “Yeah, well I think I’d know. Go get Dad, would you? As soon as I’m dressed, I’m out of here, and I’d appreciate a ride.” impress me, or be discarded mpc [This message has been edited by Anvrill (08-11-2002 11:11 AM).] |
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| © Copyright 2002 LL Hager - All Rights Reserved | |||
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Kethry Member Rara Avis
since 2000-07-29
Posts 9082Victoria Australia |
interesting explanation, but I think she is mind bent anyway. Kethry Here in the midst of my lonely abyss, a single joy I find...your presence in my mind. Unknown |
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