Conscious

This story is by Suki Adewetan and was part of our 2020 Summer Writing Contest. You can find all the writing contest stories here.

Teniola jumped awake, clinging to the dusty oak chair beneath her to avoid toppling over. Then she grew still. Very still, as she realised that she had no idea how she had arrived in this tiny room. As her eyes darted around suspiciously, squinting in the dimness, she noticed that there were no doors, windows or possibility of escape. She could almost taste the pungent smell of antiseptic and decay in the air.

 

What was the last thing that she could remember? Teniola forced herself to think. She had just left the Linklaters office and was making her way to her dad’s house for the third time this week. Had she arrived? She couldn’t remember. A wave of unease overwhelmed her.

She must have been kidnapped? Possibly drugged in her car and hauled somewhere? The reality of her predicament caused fear to crawl its way out of her throat, into a scream.

 

“Someone help me!” She cried, banging on the walls. How had she been captured? Why was there a timer on the floor?

 

Just as her throat grew tired and her muscles ached, she heard something.

 

“Welcome.” A voice spoke.

 

“In order to leave this room and return to your life, you must answer the following riddle. Get it right and you go free.

 

‘What wastes a life and spawns regret, anguish, grief or concern?’

 

Your life will guide you to the answer, so dig deep and search behind the curtain to undercover what will save you.” Suddenly a screen was projected against the light wall showcasing the riddle and underneath it, a multitude of images.

 

Teniola barely had enough time to catch herself as her legs collapsed beneath her. Her heart hammered against her chest, as if trying to beat its way out of her ribs as hard as she had been beating against the wall. The images were her clues to solving the riddle but they were also snapshots of her life. Some painful. Others seemingly insignificant.

 

Who asked if she wanted to play this game? What would happen if she didn’t answer the dreadful riddle? Either way, she had to be smart. Play and win the game and then find the criminals behind this profanity later.

 

Beep. Beep. Beep.

 

Teniola focused on the first image. She was seven, crying at the foot of the stairs of her family home. She could remember that moment as if it were yesterday. The day she found out that her parents were getting a divorce. The day that she found out that her mother had been unfaithful. The day that she vowed never to trust anyone again, which from her standpoint was a very sensible and mature resolution. But what did this have to do with that ridiculous riddle?

 

She turned her attention to the image beneath it. It was a picture of two of her closest girlfriends and some other people they had met on a ski trip. They had invited her on the trip but she had declined. She had heard many horror stories about skiing and despite the statistics which claimed that you were more likely to be in a cycling or car accident, she was unwilling to trust the fact that an avalanche was unlikely on the extremely high mountains. She had her father to look after. Yes, it seemed like she had missed out but she’d rather play it safe than be sorry. Teniola looked back at the riddle. How on earth was she going to get back home?

 

The timer continued to beep beside her as she put her head in her hands. She said a silent prayer and after a while lifted her eyes to her least favourite image. It was of herself and her ex-boyfriend Cain Adesola on one knee, holding a tiny box with the most beautiful diamond ring she had ever seen inside.

 

They had met at a mutual friend’s 30th birthday party. He mentioned that he was a property investor and as she had finally saved enough to invest at the time, she had buried him in her questions. She had not been looking to meet anyone and apparently neither had he. Cain was frustratingly busy, yet had a track record of always being there when she needed him. He liked taking risks and was very reflective and athletic, which was the opposite of her but he made her better every day.

 

She had meant to say yes. Yes, she would marry him! Instead she told him that she was not ready to settle down, or lose her independence yet. Maybe she would be in a year or two. However, the truth was that she was scared to commit. It was a huge commitment and watching her parents’ marriage crumble before her eyes traumatised her. The high percentage of divorces made her even more afraid. So, she said no and had regretted it every day.

 

This walk down memory lane was reminding Teniola of both the extreme judgements and mistakes that she had made, excluding the other pictures she was yet to explore. However, as she turned her attention to the clock, drawn back to reality by the intensified beeping sound, she noticed the seconds spinning out of control. Surely her time had not finished yet? It had said 30 minutes the last time she had checked, yet the timer now showed less than a minute on the clock as the beeping turned into sirens which vibrated off the walls.

 

“Wait, I’m not finished yet!” She cried, yielding no reply. She stared desperately at the riddle again,

 

‘What wastes a life and spawns regret, anguish, grief or concern?’

 

“Mistakes?” She asked. Was that the answer? It didn’t make sense. 10. 9. 8.

 

“Wait! I can get the answer!” She squeezed her eyes shut. She could get this. She was smart. Intelligent, yet the worst at all types of games. She had to get it! Teniola’s mind suddenly went blank. Nothing came to her and as that reality set in, the projector switched off and the beeping stopped as the craziness came to an abrupt end.

 

Teniola sunk into the chair, defeated. She thought she could do it. Who did she think she was, some sort of superhero? She had been too afraid to trust people because of her parents’ divorce. Too afraid to go on a skiing trip, while her friends had fun. Too afraid to say yes to a man she truly cared about because of others experiences in marriage. She was a coward, barely living because she said no to everything and everyone, or so that was how she felt.

Or was that it? Being afraid wastes a life? That couldn’t be it. But she was close. She could feel it. Teniola thought harder. The definition of being afraid is to feel fear.

 

“Fear! That’s the answer!”

 

Had this been a strange psychoanalysis session? She waited patiently for something to happen. The voice had said that her life would lead her to the answer and with the time she had, that was the conclusion she had drawn. She stood tall and as if brought on by her confidence, a flash of light, like a photograph dazzled her.

 

“It’s time to go back.”

 

“Get a doctor!” Someone said. The sound caused Teniola to frown as she sluggishly opened her eyes. Where was she and why was the light so bright? When she tried to ask, her mouth barely opened and felt as if it had been glued shut. Had she won the game or not? Why was she lying down, barely able to move or talk?

 

“We’re here Teniola. The doctor is coming.” She recognised her dad’s voice but was struggling to understand why the doctor was coming? As her eyes darted around the room suspiciously, they fell on her dad who could barely contain himself.  She had never seen her dad cry so much.

 

Beep. Beep. Beep.

 

There was that sound again. The sound of the timer. Was she still in the room? What was happening?

 

“Hi Teniola. It’s good to see that you’re awake. I am Doctor Shawn. You were in a car accident a couple of days ago and fell into a coma due to some head injuries you sustained. Can you squeeze my hand for me?” He asked, watching her intensely. She managed to.

 

“That’s a good grip. The clock was ticking and we didn’t want to find out what might happen,” he said smiling gently at her. Teniola was not sure what car accident he was referring to.

 

“She should recover in no time.” The doctor said, addressing her dad.

 

“It’s imperative that you rest. The nurses will look after you and help you return to normal.” Then he left.

 

So was she not in a game after all?