“Did you enjoy your vacation? You did relax and take care of yourself this time, right?” The voice wasn’t so much a voice as it was an awareness taking on the appearance of a voice. I was completely disconnected from my body and fully lucid. The voice sounded like the blending of three different voices and accents at once. I knew it was intentional. I wasn’t supposed to figure out who was speaking, just know that the speaker was someone that knows me far too damn well.
“I thought I was on Time Out! It was too quiet, too serene. I figured I was being isolated, just didn’t know by whom or why.” It was interesting to note that my thoughts took on the framework of speech, including pauses, intentional breathes, and overemphasis on syllables as a means to convey emotions. It was all unnecessary. I only had to think my answer. I guess I enjoy speech more than I thought.
“So you flailed about and squandered it, then.” The voice was teasing.
“Oh, no. I did enjoy it. I looked at it as a logical extension of the Ocean’s work. Shit that deep takes time to seep through mental dams. I did time in the deep, and it has taken more time to come up slowly and decompress. But now I’m in the shallows, I can see the surface and feel the storm raging in the distance.”
“Ready to get back to work?” A serious question, full of promise of trials and tribulations.
I considered my answer, and replied truthfully. “I am.”
“Good.” Was the voice smiling? It felt like it. “It comes.”