Arrythmia

Arrhythmia
By Vaishnavi Pernenkil

It was past 10:30pm. Darkness shrouding the road was illuminated by sequential street lamps.

Driving amongst the trees drenched in shadow, she felt a sensation.

An impulse.

A twitch.

Calling her towards the tree line.

Within the forest she could hear the beat of the heart.

She respirated, releasing a sigh, and a slight movement, she maneuvered the vehicle towards the entrance. Into the mouth of the opening.

Driving on the paved path between the trees her heart beat faster as she was in awe of what she saw.

An undulating heart, beating covered in a thick, clear, membrane.

    She could see the chambers of the heart, transfer with each systolic and diastolic interlude.

    As each beat resonated in the chambers of the heart, she could sense the thoughts arriving in her mind that were not of her own.

“Come closer.” said the heart strapped around a series of trees.

As she ventured closer she could hear the rumble of cars and footsteps arriving.

    She was cornered by flashing lights, and a cannonade of footsteps surrounding her and the beating heart. 

As she turned she saw the armed men looking first at her, and then at the heart beating behind her.

“Move away from the unidentified object.” said the army man, pointing his gun towards her. 

Her heart started beating faster, and faster, in a syncopated set of beats. She could sense the heart beat within the trees sync to her looping beat.  

“Don’t hurt it, it’s sentient!” She yelled into the crowd of guns.

Nobody noticed as the series of guns fired, leaving both hearts bleeding.