• The Keeper

    tab The outside air was cold and windy like most other days. An insect scuttled about, in the vast wastelands of the Earth as the effete sun started its lazy climb down towards the horizon. The giant Californian desert was oddly marked by a large building that stood in the middle of it. The building was strangely shaped, due to its absence of symmetry, and was marked by an odd feeling of opulence, in comparison to the rest of the outside world which was devastated by emptiness and space.
    tab Charlie was the lone person walking within the hallways of the building. An ensemble of large, cocoon-like tubes were placed in an orderly fashion along the sides of the wall. Charlie would look into each of these, make a quick note onto a sheet of paper and continue along. The rumble of another storm coming made him hasten his inspections and start heading towards his bedchamber.
    tab Charlie was old, very old. His eyes were desolate of life and his hair was messy. The clandestine work devolved upon him made him this way. He had been doing his job for ages, because time required it of him. And someday, once he had passed away, they would send another one like him, to continue the work. After all, the work was the most important part.
    tab A fusillade of rain started pouring down on the building. The soft pitter patter of the rain resounded within the large hallways. Charlie desperately wanted to go out and drink some, for they had been running low on water for a while but Charlie knew better. The water was acetic and high corrosive. The building was made of an impermeable metal material that was strong enough to stand against the acetic water.
    tab Charlie took out of his pocket a meretricious toy watch that would open up and display a figure of a ballerina and a man dancing. Garish music started playing as he opened it up. He despised the watch, yet he couldn't let it go because it was his only reminder of what life used to be like. He slowly fell asleep as the music continued on.
    tab The next morning, Charlie continued his inspections. This time he could actually see the faces of the people within the cocoons. They were all sleeping, like always. He always wondered what they were thinking of. Did they know of their tribulations? What kind of dreams did they have? Do they even dream at all?
    tab A flurry of thoughts filled his mind as he left his imagination to work it through. He wondered whether it would be considered an infraction if he let one out now. He quickly shook the thought from his head as he saw how foolish it was. For now, he would continue his work and hopefully, the Earth would be kind enough to let him see these people wake again.