False Existence

• Chloe Hurrell, Grade 12
• Short Story
• 2012

“I’ll see you next week, stay safe Katherine and please remember you can call me whenever you need too!” She smiled warmly at me as the dim down lighting from her composed office made her hazel eyes glisten like fairy lights, and in conjunction with her caring expression, made me feel safe beyond explanation; the same as I left every other Tuesday afternoon.
“Thankyou. Yes of course you’ll be the first I call if something happens.” I kindly thanked her as I returned a smile pertaining equivalent gratitude and closed her wooden door securely behind me. I paused for a moment desolated in the long well lit corridor and stared thoughtfully at her door. ‘Dr. Katherine Rosemont-Psychologist and Psychiatrist’ before turning around dismally to the thought of going home.

I tentatively escorted myself down the narrow corridor before eventuating at the lift.
“Level 16…Ground Floor…That means down arrow” Did I just say that out loud?
As I punctiliously waited the steel door to open, I noticed a tall dark haired man to my left in a suit staring awkwardly at me; I guess I did say it out loud. The lift then reached my floor and opened with a painfully hollow echo to reveal another three people within the lift.
“That makes five in the lift!” Dammit I did it again. I drifted into the lift pretending to be oblivious to the fact I spoke so openly to myself, the lift closed.

“Good Lord! Look at the face on you! Now that’s something only a mother can be proud of!” a stranger harshly snickered behind me. Was he talking to me? I closed my eyes and pretended he wasn’t there, I hate lifts.
“Yes I must say I agree with you there, I wasn’t even sure if he was human at first! Couldn’t help it if he was thrown against a wall as a child but I guess…” Another person, this time being a middle-aged lady snarled ferociously and proceeded to throw her head back and laugh wickedly. Surely they weren’t talking about me, perhaps on the phone referring to someone else?
“Oi ugly we’re talking to you! Are you deaf as well as stupid and illiterate?”
An elderly man decided to extrapolate on the already malicious comments. I slowly opened my eyes which revealed the man bombarding the air above us with his walking stick, recklessly swinging it around the cramped lift.

“Stop it! Just stop it now! None of you know anything about me and what I’m like, just quiet now. Please just be quiet, just be quiet now.” Crouching down in the corner of the lift I sealed my eyes together and abruptly expelled their voices which now diligently encompassed me.

“Ground Floor” the elevator voiced. I opened my eyes to see myself, and only myself. I had been the only person in the lift the entire time since floor sixteen. Unaccompanied in the lift, yet overloaded in my thoughts with false existence.