Black is the absence of colors that no longer appear before me. My heart aches for something long lost but my tears don’t come. The sky no longer lights up with the sun but instead stays a dull gray, like storm clouds that have gathered to stay. And I am but a mere husk of myself, empty like a rundown house.

As I sit gazing into the murky depths of the lake, I try to reminisce what it was like… what it was like to be alive. But I can’t remember. It’s been so long, so long since the gloom started, so long since they left—whoever they are—so long since hell rose up to Earth. It’s said hell is fiery, hot, unbearable, but it’s cold. It’s so unbearably cold. I shiver as the black fires across the lake dance. They’ve been there for a while, as if taunting me that I’m stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere.

They seem to turn bigger—no, they are coming closer for the first time. Behind them is a gondola rowed by a hooded figure dressed in black. He docks the boat on the dismal sand, approaches me, tells me his name is Norahc, and extends a hand in invitation. His fingers are beautifully long and slender. I want to say no, to stay here forever, to waste away what little time I have left, but something tells me I should go, that I will see the light again if I do.

If I see the light again, maybe I will experience joy again. Maybe I will see the sun rising on the horizon and painting the clouds a unique orange. Maybe I will see clear waves crashing on white and tan beaches. Maybe I will see what it is I have lost.

I stop hesitating and take his hand. He leads me to a seat in the gondola and pushes off after I have sat down.

For a long time, I watch the same bland scenery and murky gray water pass. Behind me, the land on which I stayed shrinks into nothingness, and I have a feeling I will never go back. But that’s fine; I’m relieved. I close my eyes and enjoy the soft breeze that picks up.

When I open my eyes, the skin around my mouth feels slightly dry and I realize I fell asleep. Norahc continues to row, pushing us through a city that seems to sink every second. A bit of debris falls off the corner of a building and splashes quietly behind us. I feel eyes on me, but the place seems empty.

Then I spot the small head poking out from behind a building. It disappears quickly only to be replaced by other heads. When I turn my head to look, those heads disappear and more appear elsewhere. It’s as if they’re multiplying. They seem to not have a tangible form, but more of an opaque gray human-like shape. Their silvery eyes gaze at me in wonder like a child’s at a zoo.

I feel nauseous, and I try to ignore the stares of so many beings. I focus on the sound of the water and close my eyes. I’m eventually lured back into sleep.

It’s dark, and I know I’m asleep, but I can hear voices. Someone strokes my hair and caresses my cheek. I open my eyes to a bright, white light that dazzles like the sun, but it only sheds light to more darkness. Dark alleys beckon me closer and scribbled out figures point me towards a gloomy park. My head begins to throb.

Red outlines my vision and my face feels warm and sticky. A cut on my forehead is bleeding, but I can’t do anything. My body turns limp like a rag doll and I’m falling…

I open my eyes. My heart thumps crazily and I suddenly remember I’m alive. I feel something warm against my cheeks and touch them—my fingers come away wet. For the first time in years, I cry. And I remember.

I remember why I’m in this cold, why I can’t see colors, why I couldn’t remember. Why I’m but a mere husk of myself. I remember the colors of life, that vivid green of the grass and the dull but comforting sunset orange. I remember the sounds of the birds singing, of the glasses clinking, of sodas fizzing. I remember the stench of the gutter and the scent of the wind.

As the sinking city falls out of sight, the boat stops on a land full of life. Norahc ushers me onto the land and smiles. “Welcome home.”

I feel something soft and silky against my fingers, and the smell of antiseptics fills my nostrils. I’m alive, I realize. I’m alive and I’m not alone. They were memories, feelings. I’ve found what I lost.

My heart no longer aches but bursts instead. It’s no longer dark, but all I see is red. For a second, I panic. Then I realize my eyes are merely closed. When I open them, I see a blurry light and blue curtains. Down at my side sleeps a girl with red hair. Unconsciously, I stroke her head. She opens her eyes, and before long, they redden. “Welcome home,” she whispers.