I think that guy is signaling that the search is over for today. I should go and say something to her mom and granny. They look devastated.
The nights are too cold. I don’t think anyone would be able to survive a few days. I just hope she’s disconnected from the world, that she finally realized she had to leave, and she didn’t know how, so she just left. Val, I hope you made it. I hope you are somewhere safe, far from all this, and warm.
I’m here! He did it!
Ugh… that feeling again. It’s like someone else is in my head. I think I need a glass of wine; I’m getting an itchy feeling; something is not right.
“Oh! Sorry! Didn’t see you.”
“Hi, Mariana. It’s okay, I guess we are all very distraught these days.”
“I think I can’t hold down the nausea! Excuse me!”
There’s a tree, go! Oh my, I hate throwing up. That hypocritical, abusive liar… That same feeling again. Something is not right. I’ve worked as a nurse for too many years not to understand that some things have no explanation. It’s like right after a patient leaves this realm, they linger for a while, and you feel their presence. This is too familiar. (He did it.)
That voice again… is it my subconscious? Is he Val’s boyfriend? Is that why I suddenly got sick? I know he hates me; he knows I always disliked him because of how he treated Val. And that was even before things got worse and I stopped talking to her. I couldn’t stand it anymore. His charm may have worked on everybody else, but I’m immune to him. If only I had something to start…
“LISTEN TO ME! I’M SERIOUS!”
What was that? Did I hear that? Why does it seem nobody else did? I knew this whole thing had affected me quite a bit but… to the point of hearing voices?
“MARI! IT’S ME, VAL. I DON’T UNDERSTAND ANY OF IT EITHER, BUT IT’S ME. I NEED YOU TO HELP ME!”
Val? I don’t understand. How can I know it’s you and not me going crazy? Who am I even talking to? I need to get out of here. I’ll walk back home.
About 15 minutes later, the wind had settled, and the voices of the search party had vanished. Val knew she had somehow connected with Mari, and she would not waste this opportunity. She looked at her mom and granny one last time and turned the other way. She had understood that she was not coming back from this, but she hoped, at least, to make sure the person responsible for causing all this pain would pay.
“Mari, I need your help. Please, trust me.”
That voice again. How difficult it is not knowing whether you can trust your mind.
“Val? Is that really you? Where are you? Should I speak aloud, or can you read my thoughts?”
“It’s me, yes. I don’t know, I don’t think I can read your thoughts, no. I’m so glad you can hear me!” Val said in excitement, forgetting for a second where she was.
“What happened? Where are you? Are you…” Alive. I cannot even finish that sentence.
“I don’t know, Mari… I don’t think I am. I woke up a while ago in what looked like a… grave, on the beach, and it’s like I’m a ghost, nobody sees me, nobody, except you, hears me. But I’m in pain, my whole body hurts, my ribs, my throat…” Val was trying to explain as much as she could in the shortest time possible, afraid that, somehow, the connection would break.
“Do you know where? On the beach, I mean. And… do you remember who?” – I was sure he did it, but I needed to hear it from her.
“Yes, I think that by tomorrow the search party will find me. I’m right under the old eucalyptus tree we used to talk under, down the road from the mini market. You need to be with my granny when they dig me up. You need to let them know I am fine. Please.” Val started sobbing even though no tears rolled down her face. How could someone feel so much pain and be unable to let it all out?
“I will, Val, I promise. I don’t think I’ll be able to stand it, but I will.”
“Thank you. And I’m sorry.” There was so much to say, and yet it was not the time. Or maybe it was just too hard.
“It was him, wasn’t it? That’s why I kept hearing ‘He did it’ in my head.”
“Yes,” Val replied succinctly, but it was loaded with so much regret, understanding, and despair. She knew how many times her friends had warned her, had tried to help her out, had even fought with her over falling for his charm and manipulative tactics.
“None of that matters now, Val. You are the kindest and most open-hearted person I ever met. Even though I was so mad at you for falling for his tricks, I also admired you for believing in the good in others, even after they showed you their darker side. What matters now, is that he pays for what he did.”
“I don’t remember much. The details are a bit blurry,” slowly things from that final night started coming back to her, but Val’s mind was still foggy, and some details did not make much sense yet.
“It’s okay. Walk me through what you remember, and we’ll put it together.”
(…to be continued…)
Transadaptation Volume 5 – Of Flowing Vicissitudes
January: The Night the Stars Stopped Shining – Sarah-Leah Pimentel (South Africa)
February: Three Sides to Every Story – Krisztina Janosi (Hungary)
March: Rain Trap – Adriana Uribe (Columbia)
April: Priorities – Narantsogt Baatarkhuu (Mongolia)
May: The Night in Heaven – Armine Asryan (Armenia)
June: Witches Don’t Burn – Alejandra Baccino (Uruguay)
July: A Regular Flat – Mateusz Tymoszewski (Poland)
August: Many Happy Returns – Svetlana Molchanova (Russia)
September: And Now, It Will All Go Downhill – Jonay Quintero Hernandez (Spain)
October: Planet Qirim – Anastasiia Leonova (Ukraine)
November: You Are Her, Aren’t You? – Seyit Ali Dastan (Turkey)
December: Culture Shock – Veronika Groke (Austria)
Background – Context
Transadaptation Volume 4: Material Dissent – Adulthood Transadapted, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2023)
Transadaptation Volume 3: Evanescent – Young Adulthood Transadapted, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2022)
Transadaptation Volume 2: Conceived – Childhood Transadapted, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2021)
Transadaptation Volume 1: In the Middle – Prelude to a Contemporary Transadaptation, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2020)
Peripatetic Alterity: A Philosophical Treatise on the Spectrum of Being – Romantics and Pragmatists by Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2019)
La Syncrétion of Polarization and Extremes Transposée, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2019)
The Codex of Uncertainty Transposed, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2018)
L’anthologie of Global Instability Transpuesta, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2017)
From Wahnsinnig to the Loony Bin: German and Russian Stories Transposed to Modern-day America, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2013)
Emblems and stories on the international community
Perception by country – Transposing emblems, articles, short stories and reports from around the world
Credits
Left column (top to bottom): 1. Pan de Azucar, Uruguay – Out of focus – Mai Rodriguez (Unsplash); 2. Montevideo, Uruguay – Barrio sur – DFLC Prints (Shutterstock); 3. Montevideo, Uruguay – Flea market – 365 Focus Photography (Shutterstock)
Center column: Punta del Este, Uruguay – Full moon rising – Guzman Barquin (Unsplash)
Right column (top to bottom): 1. Montevideo, Uruguay – In fog – Andres Perez (Unsplash); 2. Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay – The main square – Luis War (Shutterstock); 3. Montevideo, Uruguay – Calle Peatonal Perez – Quiggy (Shutterstock)
Source: The Codex of Uncertainty Transposed