Dreamscapes Vol. 2: Arkie Awakens

Gazing into the depths of the bathroom bowl, a shaving razor in hand, foam covering his face, Arkie felt himself almost slink. A moment for a daze, a brief withdrawal of blood into the depths, as short as the flicker of a candle, and Arkie found himself teetering at the edges, clutching at the granite, trying not to fall.

Life! Life! Don’t you know better? It’s a lie, croons Armond in the background, resonating with and underscoring the feelings Arkie felt in this moment. He was not going to fall, even if he felt no strength in this moment. He won’t be broken down yet. After all, this was his time to shine.

It wasn’t his first time here, in this emotional space, and it would not be his last time here. The last bit was tragic but nothing unsurprising for his life.

“Stop. Not a tragedy. Not yet.”, Arkie reminded himself. For all his overthinking, for all his depression, for all his cynicism, and for all his extremes, he was yet redeemed by his will. Barely but still. Little victories count; they must, or otherwise Arkie’s life had been a big loss, a conclusion he was not going to allow for. Little victories indeed.

This had been a hard week for Arkie, shrouded in the mist of tough decisions, the finality of death, and in future-blocking trauma. Still a fairy tale compared to a soldier’s average work-day, Arkie remarked to himself. Validating his feelings had never been something that felt quite right to him; was it because his masculinity was questioned every time he cried as a…