Island Hideaway 25 - The First Signs of Life

By Terrence Oblong

Sun, 12 Jan 2020

364 reads

1 comments

Breathing. I could hear Mo breathing.

True, she obviously had been breathing all this time, she was alive, but only the bare minimum, hibernating mouse breaths.

I was giving Mo a bed-bath when I suddenly noticed her chest moving up and down. I'd bathed her several times before by this time and she'd been flat, no signs of life, but this time her chest was pumping up and down like - well, like that of a living person.

I fetched a mirror and held it to her mouth. I'd checked her before, many times, when I doubted that she lived, it had left a faint mist, but only if I held the mirror there a long time. This time, the mirror misted over as soon as I placed it there.

This is it, I thought, she'd returning to life. "I'm here," I said. "It's me, Terrence. Eddie brought you here. You're on my island."

I examined her face carefully, but there was no sign of life beyond the heavy breathing.

I quickly finished the bed bath and dressed her, I didn't want her to wake and find herself naked with me standing over her.

Once she was dressed I stood watch, looking out for another flicker of her eyes, for I was convinced that I really had seen them open.

Every so often I would check her breathing, which remained at an increased intensity, but beyond that there was no change.

I grabbed a bottle of beer from the kitchen and returned, not stopping to bother with a glass.

I watched over her for a long time, several hours, but there was no change. She was comatose, doing nothing. Eventually I must have fallen asleep, when I woke I'd fallen onto the floor. Light was coming through the window, it was morning, but beyond that still no change. Mo slept on, if sleep is the word, eyes closed, no movement, nothing.

I checked her breathing, but it was no longer heavy, her chest was no longer booming in and out, it was back to the mouse breaths. I double checked with the mirror, but only the faintest trace of mist was visible. She was back to how she had always been, as if I had imagined everything.