La Folia

La Folia

A short dystopian story by Juhnun Oh

It is winter, and all I see is a heart locket. A golden heart locket. With the name Alwyn. It starts off with a vision of that heart-shaped locket as I decent into a new world of madness. As I lay in this prison my mind of madness and suffocating schizophrenia where a world nearly devastated by warfare and consuming monsters I lay alone, in a meager victory to live for now. If only I didn’t say “no” to her when she asked me out, how things might have changed. If only I accepted her as she is and continued on with a life of bliss I would have been saved from this prison of solitude and madness that I’m currently in now. Yet, would she really accept me for who I am? A schizophrenic. No girl would ever be with a guy who has a mental illness such as schizophrenia. A schizophrenic survivor who is condemned to death?

The new world order has happened. A new world of madness and monsters of many faces.

And pain...

You just can not trust anyone. And because of that one rejection I made to her, I’m forever doomed in this messed up world. Ever since the invaders came and took everything, they started using people like us and using us as entertainment to the death. Next thing you know, those who opposed them were quickly silenced and turned into this never-ending hunger of flesh-eating monsters. I don’t know what to do, but since Alwyn gave up her pursuit for me, I never saw her again, and all I remember is her precious heart-shaped locket around her beautiful ivory skin neck. Soon…. things were just out of proportion and everything went up in flames.

Literally.

The day the invaders came to our country with their bombers and tanks, and other machines of horror. They launched their toxic gases at us. Soon, things were never the same. Most of us died, but some of us who managed to survive, mutated into something strange. Something inhuman. There were few of us who were immune to the gas, but it was due to the fact that those few of us had a mental illness called schizophrenia. Those where were touched with schizophrenia even though immune, still it did not help us. We ended up being rounded up and displayed as entertainment for the murderous invaders.

I was one of those few, who was cursed by this mental illness, days and days go by without my medication that I start to hear whispers of death and screams. Night terrors come to me invading my thoughts giving me endless paranoia and fear. The invaders herded us like cattle to the slaughter in these “games” where we have to fight our way from the monsters in this maze of death and treachery. Those of us who survived, get to fight another day until we couldn’t take it anymore. Most of us prefer to give up and not fight anymore to our succumbed doom.

I ponder why they would do that?

Usually, I remember what my therapist said to me. During times of stress and need, she told me to “Pick a song and have it play inside your head. If there is a bad vision, think of something good.” The song I chose to mask the screams and whispers is a classical piece played by many masters such as Beethoven, or Vivaldi. It was titled La Folia. It was a beautiful piece despite the name literally meaning “madness” yet I remember the beautiful girl Alwyn, with the golden heart-shaped locket, who I regrettably rejected, playing her violin, and calm me down with that wonderful piece “La Folia.” Ironically something titled “Madness” is the only thing keeping me from going mad.

I wake up from my few moments of blissful memories and electrically prodded into the freight elevator cell, lifting me up to the maze of my doom as hidden cameras watch my every move to a vast audience who cries for my blood and pain. My chains peel off as I enter.

Someone thrusted a crude metal weapon to me to go fight a “beast” that is in the maze. My heart beats rapidly. As I hold onto this crude spear of a weapon, I’m afraid, and the voices and whispers in my head predict my doom and death in every imaginable way horribly possible. Suddenly, the toxic gas gets sprayed in the maze and I cough a bit, yet I find it odd that they know I’m immune to this gas, why do they bother to use it when they know it won’t kill me? Perhaps it’s a sick cruel jest of theirs for their “entertainment.” I close my eyes, and I imagine a happy place, where Alwyn with her beauty and grace in her ravishing red dress with the Golden heart-shaped locket, playing her violin of the piece “La Folia” for me. Until-

ROAR!

I freeze, and I’m back into reality.

I’m scared.

No....

NO!

I shouted to myself. I will not fall to fear and die horribly in a hand of a monster. I will fight and show these cowardly invaders that I’m in charge and I will show these cruel invaders who the real master is! I close my eyes and take a breath. Soon the roars of the beast come closer. I hold my ground.

Until-

ROAR!

I scream a warrior's yell. I run towards the beast. Who is hideous and cruel, more than 6 feet tall, hairy, and the face covered in dark oily rags of teeth and sharp claws?

I thrust my crude weapon into the beast until I hear a scream so unnatural. Until I open my eyes and see a beautiful angel fallen towards me.

Wait.

NO.

It cannot be.

Alwyn?

I realize to my horror that the toxic gas doesn’t kill me, but makes me see and hallucinates things. Soon to my horror, I wasn’t the victim of execution…. I am the executioner. I am the true monster!

My crude spear of a weapon pierced her heart as well as her golden-shaped heart locket. As she lays there in my hands bleeding, tears fall from my eyes. The invaders cheer for her death. Another rebel dies in the hands of their own!

Alwyn spluttered out blood, yet she smiled at me and weakly lifted her hand to touch my tears and face. I then realize to my horrible mistake and horror that Alwyn would have accepted me as who I am and not what I am even to this day.

Oh, what a fool I have been….

Soon, her beauty and grace slowly die as I continue to weep. Closing her eyes as I grasp her heart-shaped locket and the song of La Folia slowly comes to an end in my mind.