A looked around the room. It was the same room that he had just laid down in, though all of the furniture had been removed, and the walls were bare. He raised his hands up to his face, wanting to rub his eyes, only to find that he had no hands. Nor a body, or presumably, any eyes.

“I’m sure that this feels a bit strange to you. The backseat feels like a different world when you’ve spent your whole life driving.”

A recognized the voice. It was the same as his own. Yet he had not thought these statements. He was pretty sure that he hadn’t said them either. It took him a moment to figure out how to form his thoughts in a way that the disembodied voice could hear him. “What is this?”

“Surely you recognize your childhood room. I wanted you to be comfortable the first time we speak.”

The empty room wasn’t exactly putting A at ease, although, as he looked around the room, he began to notice ghostly shapes forming into familiar places. Each artifact from his childhood was slowly coming into focus like an object being pulled up from the depths of a murky river.

He saw his twin size bed, shimmering at first before coming into being. At first it was just the bed frame, then the mattress slipped into reality along with his old comforter. It was a nauseating pattern of various sports equipment and balls. His shelves and his tiny nightstand were next, followed by his old posters that appeared on the walls. The shelves became cluttered with the variety of things he collected back then. Piles of rocks, pressed flowers, and the tops of acorns. His small desk and chair came in next, and he did feel a wave of nostalgia wash over him.

He walked over to the desk, and sat down in the chair he had spent so much time in as a kid. If he tried to think of a single homework assignment it all blurred into a monotony of dry textbooks, and confusing problems. After he sat, he looked back at his bed, and this time he saw that a person slipped into view like the the rest of his room.

It was himself, which in turn caused him to reexamine his own body, and he found that he was no longer a bodyless spirit. “Who are you?” It was a stupid question. He could tell that this person was trying to be Calvin.

The man on the bed looked exactly the same as A’s. Though upon closer inspection, A noticed that B looked better. His hair wasn’t beginning to recede, the skin beneath this imposter’s eyes was not puckered and baggy, and even his posture was better, not seeming to be hampered by aches and pains.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“I could tell you, but I think if you really reflect on things, you can figure it out yourself.”

A leaned back in the chair, this time able to rub his eyes and at least attempt to focus his mind. “How did you get me here?”

B’s mouth distorted into a disgustingly pleased smile. “That’s better. Why waste time on your previous denials? Despite all of your power, you couldn’t get rid of me just by ignoring me.”

“What are you talking about?” A’s tone had changed. It was no longer touched by fear of being trapped in a space with an unknown enemy. He may be locked in, but he knew it must be an illusion of control. There was no way this thing could harm him in his own mind.

B was no longer sprawled out on the bed. He had begun to pace back and forth in the small space. “I’m not here to stroke your ego.”

“Then why are you here? Or maybe a better question would be, why am I here?” A turned to look at the stack of papers that had appeared on the desk. He thought it was strange that he didn’t recognize any of the drawings he saw there. “I’m assuming after all that you can’t leave here.”

B stopped his pacing. “Maybe not, but it must be worrisome to be dragged somewhere against your will.”

A felt the retreat, the slight tremor of hope in B’s voice. He wanted to destroy it. “Don’t talk to me about my will. I don’t know exactly what you are, but even this little stunt tells me all that I need to know. You’re weak, and not worth my time. I don’t see anything why I shouldn’t go right back to ignoring you.”

B’s eyebrows dipped, but it was the only visible sign of his discontent.

“Or you can prove me wrong. Why not try to tie me up, leave me here while you go and take control of my life?”

“It’s not just your life.”

A stood now, and even though they were the same height, he felt himself tower over his other form. “Maybe you do exist more than I thought. But when I’m driving a car, I hardly worry about the dirt that’s collected in the tread of the tires. It can come along or fall off for all I care.”

A expected B to cower. Instead, B closed the rest of the space between them, putting their foreheads together. “Don’t try to scare me with my own existence. I’m well aware of what it is.”

A laughed and took a step away, looking B up and down. “If you don’t need this little reminder, and you’re not capable of actually doing anything, than what exactly am I doing here.”

B sat down on the bed, and looked at A. “I just wanted to see if it was something I could do. Pull you in here. You’re different than I thought you would be.”

“Well, I’m glad you had your moment of fun. What now?”

“Nothing. I’m just glad we had a chance to meet. You can go now. We’ll be seeing each other again. Just know, that I won’t forget what you did to Clara.” B’s voice began to grow fainter, the whole image, the walls and floor included began to waver. “And if I won’t forget it, neither will you.”

Calvin opened his eyes, back in his present-day room. Sunlight was streaming through the blinds, when he sat up, gasping for air. He told himself that his body was hurting from the many drinks he had consumed the night before, but deep down he knew that he was sore from having his body grow more and more taut as he dreamed.