Free Purgatorium by J.H. Carnathan

defeat, walks across the room to the coffee bar close to where I am sitting. He slowly puts the bouquet down on the bar counter. “I can’t believe I got stood up. I am never doing online dating again,” he mutters out loud to himself.
    With a look of slowly dawning realization, I look back down at the Book.
    Madi? I jolt upright in my chair. “I was on that guy’s online date,” I say excitedly. “Madi must have thought I was her online blind date! That means...”
    I jump up out of the chair, grab the Book, and rush out the door of the coffee shop looking around as I exit. My heart is pounding. I run out into the snow trying to catch a glimpse of her. She’s not there. I look down the street both ways and then across to the park. Finally I run down the street trying to look inside the passing cars for her face. I realize regretfully that I probably won’t find her.
    Saddened, I slowly turn and walk back to the coffee shop holding her book tight in my hand, hoping she will return for it. Or maybe... just for me. Wouldn’t that be a surprise? I smile at the thought.
    I suddenly hear a beeping sound in the distance and everything once again breaks away like puzzle pieces sending my consciousness back into the darkness.

    The sound of a subway train is getting louder, and then the brakes squeal on the rails. I open my eyes. I am sweating. The sound of my watch beeping is still going off.
    45 Minutes
    I look to see that I am back on the subway car but lying on the floor. The doors open. Michael leans over and helps me stand up. I clamber to my feet and feel some return of control over myself. I no longer feel like I just watched myself act out a script. There are no whispering voices either.
    “How was it strolling down memory lane?” asks Michael .
    I try to speak but still can’t make a sound. The feeling of control is replaced by a growing panic. My head starts to spin.
    “The voice leaves as the memory fades away. Tough break, kid. You’ll get it soon enough. The first time gets a little dizzy so don’t do any sudden movements.”
    Wait, did he slip me a drug or something? Was any of it real or was it all just a drugged out dream I had? But it felt so real. Either case, I need to get away from him. I quickly jump through the sliding doors just as they start to close, leaving Michael inside.
    As I climb the stairs out of the subway and look up, I see the glowing color of green in the sky. It always seems to calm me down. I walk towards the old iron bridge, lined with Christmas lights. Halfway across, I see the billboard on the other side with Madi’s face on it.
    I recall my conversation in the coffee shop with her, the seeming fate of it all. I think wistfully about her, not knowing if I was just dreaming or whether I had really met her. Remembering the time, I look down at my watch. I must keep moving.
    I walk on, lost in thought, over the bridge. I arrive at my apartment building, walk in through the front door, and over to the elevator. I get in, still fixated on and vexed by the memory-dream of Madi in the coffee shop.
    The elevator doors open revealing the rooftop and I am surprised to see a man, late-forties, with long, dark hair parted down the middle. He stands beside a dining table set for two—two bowls of soup, two plates with steak on them, and two glasses of wine. The man is stylishly dressed but gives off a casual indie vibe. He is wearing dark sunglasses, a black sports coat, and a V-neck shirt. I see the King of clubs sticking out of his jacket’s breast pocket. I don’t know if it should make me feel less afraid or not. The only thing that seems off-balance about his attire would be his bright orange socks that I can see from a distance away.
    I walk, hesitatingly, through the elevator doors onto the rooftop. The man looks up at me.
    “Do you still feel content?”
    I uneasily shake my head no to him.
    “Then let’s play a game, you and I. Five minutes, starting…now!” My watch beeps