The Cooinda Cycle: Part One

“It’s a biscuit.” The Old Man said to the clock radio on the shelf, breaking the awkward silence, and offering it the chocolate bourbon in his hand.

He had been staring at the radio for some time now, and had offered the inanimate object a biscuit just moments before.

“Would you like a biscuit?” He had asked it, in noticing the speech emanating from the radio speakers, it had been a local weather report.

The woman sitting nearby at the reception desk either didn’t hear what he was saying, or more likely didn’t care.

I considered informing The Old Man that it was in fact a radio he was speaking to and offering small baked goods too, in case he began to get offended by the, for lack of a better term, radio silence, he was receiving.

“Never mind.” He said with a slight huff, stowing the biscuit into his jacket pocket and getting up to leave,

“Gotta get the bus to town.” He mumbled, moving away from the entrance and shambling back down a corridor that did not lead to any sort of public transport.

“IT’S COOOOOOOOOOLLLLDDD!!”

The cry echoed through the place, shocking most into silence, I was momentarily distracted by the cry, I lost track of The Old Man. He had vanished on me.

Pretty fast for your age, I thought.

Then I saw it, on the floor around the next corner, right there on the carpet… A biscuit, presumably, THE biscuit, definitely a chocolate bourbon. It was in the middle of the floor, crumbs dusting the carpet in a radius around it, and most unsettling… a small knife stabbed through the small baked good. Pinning it to the ground.

What could this mean?

He seemed to know I was following, was the biscuit a threat? A joke? Or did he offer it to another object, possibly the vending machine this time? It was clear it was no longer as funny as I first thought, this place is getting to me.

I wanted to leave, so I turned around, heading back towards the main doors. It seemed farther away than before, every time I turned a corner there seemed to be another, and another. I was about to give up, when I found my way to the elevator door, but there was someone in there. I heard what sounded like The Young Woman,

“I don’t know, I don’t know.” She repeated over and over.

Just before the doors opened, I heard another voice,

“WHERE’S NONI!?” It bellowed.

Run!

I ran away from the elevator, hearing the doors open and the yelling continued. I didn’t stop. Eventually I rounded a corner that led into the reception area, there’s the doors! I was free, I approached the main doors, but before I could stop my momentum I struck right into them, they wouldn’t open.

“Need a code for the door.” Said the receptionist with an empty smile, “Can’t let you out without one.”

“I don’t have a code,” I explained, “I was just… visiting? Can you please let me out?”

“Afraid I can’t do that without confirmation from management, please wait here.” She said, pointing to the chair I was sitting in before when the biscuit incident occurred. Then she got up and went to another room. I hope to get an exit code for me.

I could hear faint, struggling breathing behind me, I turned, there he was.

The Old Man! “HELLO!” He boomed right into my face.

I awoke with a start, small beads of cold sweat dripping from my forehead, I looked around trying to figure out where I was…

Then I saw it all unfolding and happening right in front of me, again, and again, and again...

“It’s a biscuit.” The Old Man said to the clock radio on the shelf…

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Read Part Two: