In that moment,
nothing but the sound of the emergency alarm beeping,
the rush of water,
her own heavy breathing,
the desperate clicking of elevator buttons,
the pounding of her fists against the metal doors,
and her screams and pleas for help filled the space.
Stuck in the elevator, she pounded on the closed doors with all the strength she had left.
"Someone… please… get me out of here!" she screamed as loudly as she could. But could anyone really hear her? The place was already filled with the deafening noise of the emergency alarm and the relentless rushing of water pouring into the elevator. The water level was rising, swallowing the small space where she stood.
"Someone… get me out, please…" she screamed again, frantically clicking the buttons, clinging to the tiny hope that the doors might miraculously open.
The water reached her waist. Her blue bell-bottom jeans were completely submerged, her green wool shirt soaked through. Somewhere in the water, her bag floated uselessly, her phone—rendered worthless the moment the first drop of water touched it—was gone. She stood there, caught between the brutal reality of life and death.
Was she going to die today? The thought weighed heavily on her chest, and her stomach dropped. No, she wouldn't. She couldn't.
Inside her, a battle raged—her heart and her mind, two voices screaming at each other. "Give up, we're going to die," her heart whispered over and over. "No, we never give up!" her mind argued fiercely.
"Never giving up is the reason we're here!" her heart roared, and reality hit her like a brutal wave. It was all her fault. She should have given up a long time ago.
With her heart pounding wildly, she backed away slowly until her back pressed against the cold elevator wall. The water had reached her chest. She looked around. It was dark, the red emergency light flickering on and off every second. No way out. She looked up, hoping to see an escape hatch, like in the movies—but there was none. No loophole, no one coming to save her.
Who could actually come to save her?
The realization struck her like lightning. Who was she? Did she have someone waiting for her? A family? A name?
She tried to remember.
Who am I?
She forced her brain to recall something—anything—but it felt as if it had shut off completely. Frustrated, she hit her head with her wet hand, sobs shaking her chest as warm tears mixed with the freezing water rising around her.
Who are you? Please remember!
She hit her head again and again.
The water reached her chin.
"Aurora! My name is Aurora!"
The last thought that flashed through her mind before her face was completely submerged.
Holding her breath, she opened her eyes. The flickering red light was still visible, distorted by the water. The water level was so high she wasn't even touching the floor anymore. She closed her eyes again.
Will I die? Another question echoed in her mind.
"You'll die. Absolutely," something whispered.
"What can I do now?" she asked.
"At least say the name of God one last time," the voice whispered again.
Her chest burned. It was getting harder to hold her breath.
"Oh Lord Jesus…" her heart tried to call out, but she couldn't form the words. Her mind was shutting down.
"Oh Lord…" Another failed attempt.
Her ears could hear the sound of water fading—it must have filled the entire elevator by now.
"Oh Jesus, my God…" Her heart failed again.
She couldn't hold it anymore. Her breath escaped her, bubbles rising toward the surface. Water rushed in... Her body sank into rushing water, it reached all parts of her body, the water was inside her, everywhere her lungs filled with water, her eyes stung, her ears rang. The pain was unbearable.
"Pharaoh's death was a pretty bad way to go - he drowned because of his own sins. It's like a warning to us all." someone said and she had once argued in high school, "Drowning isn't that bad. At least it's less painful than having your limbs cut off, like what Pharaoh did to others."
"Drowning is far more painful than losing a limb," someone had replied. "When a person drowns, they can't breathe. Their skin can't breathe. Their eyes can't breathe. Not being able to breathe is the worst pain there is."
Now, she understood. Not being able to breathe was agony.
Slowly, she tried to open her heavy eyes. They burned, filling with water, as if they were about to pop out of her skull. Was water really this dangerous? Questions swirled in her fading consciousness.
In the flashing red light, she saw something—or someone—sitting in the corner of the elevator. Even in the darkness, he was visible.
Gray-white hair. White trousers. White shirt. An old man, possibly in his sixties.
"who?…" her aching heart whispered.
She wanted to scream, to cry, but her mouth was filled with water. She wanted to reach for him, but she had become water herself. Her body, her mind, her soul—everything was drowning.
Everything became quiet.
The emergency alarm faded. All sounds faded. The whole world was fading.
And then, in that silence, she heard something.
A deep, rumbling noise, like thunder on a summer day—but deeper, more resonant. It vibrated through the water, through her very bones.
A memory surfaced—a childhood moment, watching television. A whale. The largest creature to ever live on Earth.
It was the sound of a whale!!!
A low, mournful cry echoed through the vastness of the water. She opened her eyes again. The walls of the elevator had vanished, replaced by an infinite ocean. In the distance, something approached.
A fish? A shark?
Another thunderous cry. It grew closer. Huge.
A whale.
It was massive—so enormous she felt like an ant before an elephant. It cried again, a deep, sorrowful sound that reverberated in her chest.
Was it real? Was she imagining this? Dreaming? Was she… dead?
Was this the Grim Reaper, coming in the form of a whale to take her soul?
Questions raced through her mind. Her body still ached, but the pain was fading. She reached out, her hand raised in water... the whale... so big...so enormous, she could see only a few area of that enormous creatures skin. Her trembling hand touching the whale's rough, barnacle-covered skin.
It wasn't a dream. The sound, the texture—it was all real.
Her body started fading. Her hand disappeared into the water. Darkness swallowed everything, except for the deep, thunderous wail of the whale.
The only sound... whale... it was calming... it was helping.... it felt the whale was crying with her.
It was dark, not a single flick of light, the sound,... "where did the sound go?" a question raised, the sound disappeared like it never came..."was that a dream?" another question, she was all darkness, Do I exist? who am I? What am I? her existence disappeared... she disappeared... the world disappeared.. it was nothing... The actual nothing.
A sudden shock.
The world snapped back. Pain.. to much Pain
She felt her brain, her heart, and pain—but where was the rest of her? Where were her lungs, her arms, her legs?
Another jolt.
Pain surged through her. Her arms, her legs—they were there. Her lungs. Her chest. Everything ached. Another shock.
Air rushed in, like water once did...She could feel herself breathing, her lungs gasped for air. Her heart pounded wildly between her ribs.
Was she alive?
Or was this heaven?
She could hear voices—muffled, distant. Light filtered through her heavy eyelids. Annoying light!!! She tried to open them but felt as if stones were weighing them down. She tried to move. Maybe she was moving.
This time, she succeeded. Her eyelids lifted.
It was all blur.... blur faded slowly, things started getting clear,
The light wasn't too bright or too dim. A ceiling. A house? And something... maybe a Human face—over her.
She saw something golden,... not one two goldens,.. where those eye's? question again.
yes eye's, Human eye's
relief... it was such a relief... she stared back, wanted to speak... "where is my mouth.. my voice? I want to speak". she stared back, looking for her own voice within herself...
The face got back, it was moving away, "No" she wanted to say.. "Stay...Please stay" her eye's where desperate, "where are my hands... I have to stop it from going away" she was fearful, the only human would go away..
"Her hand is moving" she heard, crystal clear.... there where more human's... there where people... Relief!!
The face came over again... golden eye's where back. that face was saying something.... was it talking to her... her eye's where desperate to know who it is... she needed help... she wanted to see and hear other people to confirm that she was alive.
"Aurora! Can you see me? Can you hear me?" The face was saying, she can hear all clear... it was human, it's voice was urgent. It was a man...
Aurora!!!
Her mind grasped onto the name. That was her name.
She stared at the man, trying to understand.
"Aurora, how are you feeling? Are you in pain?" she heard again.
Pain! Yes, she was in pain. She wanted to tell him, but—who was he?
She forced her mouth to speak.
Something came out of her mouth, "Whale" That's not what she wanted to say.
She tried again... but what was it.. it was all dark again... the existence ceased to exist again.