Success
What is the meaning of success? How do we measure success? Is it worth living a life without success? Those are questions I ask every time I see my friends, former and present ones, with their…
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The Arigrad Hospital
By ESR
“Maros, I don’t think my mirror is right?”
Maros looked up from his book.
“How can your mirror not be right, Diego? It legit only has one job.”
“Just come look!”
Maros groaned and dog-eared his book.
The halls of the hospital floor were relatively empty, save for a few nurses taking some other residents on their walks.
“Maros, you’d better be taking it easy.”
“Yes Lorena, I am taking it easy!”
“And leave Diego alone! This is not a place for shacking up!”
“I think that’s for him to decide!”
Nurse Lorena shot him a dirty look.
“Diego, don’t let boys like Maros play with your heart. They only know how to do one thing, and most of the time they can barely do it well.”
Maros laughed and ran back to hug Lorena. She chuckled and embraced him. Diego waited impatiently by the door to their room. After some chitchat, Maros finally made it over.
“Did you tell her I’m not gay?”
“What are you talking about? Everyone is gay. Anyway, what’s the issue?”
“Look at the mirror.”
“What about it?”
Maros sat on Diego’s bed and looked deep into the mirror.
“Are those… spider webs?”
“Yeah dude.”
“What the hell, dude. Are we infested?”
“That’s the thing! I can’t actually find any webs.”
“Nah, you’re just not looking hard enough.”
Maros stood on Diego’s bed, messing up the blanket.
“Should’ve asked before, but you’re not hiding anything fragile under here, right?”
“No, are you?!”
Maros just winked at him. He found no spider webs. Disturbed, they went back to Lorena.
“There’s no way there’s that many spiders in here. We disinfect this place regularly. And you said it was only in the mirror?”
They nodded. Lorena left to check the room.
“Let’s check in someone else’s room. One of the people who can’t function or whatever,” said Maros.
“Really? You could be nicer to them. You aren’t that far from being that way too.”
“It’s the life we choose, us addicts. You were lucky to be in here for something more normal, like depression.”
“I tried to kill myself.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. I know what that’s like.”
“It’s okay. Look, that door is open.”
They sprinted down the hall into the door. Nobody was in the room. Diego looked in the mirror.
“On my god.”
“What! What is it?”
The room in the mirror was the same one they were standing in. Dust covered the beds and the lights were all out. It seemed like nobody had been inside for years. They did not notice these things, for they were focused on the cocoon on the wall behind them in the shape of a man.
“What the f-”
“What are you doing in here?!”
Lorena stood at the door angrily tapping her clipboard.
“Lorena!”
“Don’t Lorena me, kid! Get out of here now!”
The duo ran out of the room and went back to their own. Lorena followed behind them.
“You two have lost free time privileges. I will let you out for dinner.”
She locked the door behind them.
“Dude, something is not right.”
“You think?”
“What should we do, Diego?”
“First, you need to calm down before your heart rate goes too high.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“You’re a good guy, Diego.”
Diego said nothing.
“I know there’s a lot of layers with that, but know it’s sincere.”
“Thank you. I can’t remember the last time someone feels the way you do towards me.”
“Shit dude!”
“Damn, what?”
“The mirror!”
At first Diego through it was a spider, but there was something else that threw him off. It seemed like it was mending something. He turned to where the spider would be in the room. The wall gently moved, like it was being pulled up and stitched together.
“Maros, help me.”
Diego started clawing at the wall.
“What are you doing?”
“I think this room is an illusion and I think that spider-thing is part of the problem.”
Maros nodded and started clawing at the wall with Diego. The more they clawed, the more the wall started to separate, like a stitch being undone. With one last pull, the wall tore in half. The great spider-creature stood before them. It glowed neon green under its belly. Maros collapsed as it started walking towards them.
“Maros!”
Diego knelt down and stroked Maros’ hair to calm him down.
“Maros, it’s okay. We are going to be okay.”
The spider-creature continued towards them.
“Back off! I don’t know what you want, but please leave us alone!”
The spider-creature stopped. It jumped and landed on top of the duo. Diego screamed as the spider-creature bit Maros on his chest.
“Get off him!”
Diego started pushing the spider’s legs. In response, the spider-creature let Maros go and scuttled back. It shot webs at Diego, pinning him to a nearby wall. Diego coughed from the dust that surrounded them. Before he could do anything, the spider-creature’s forehead was pressed against his own.
Please. I help friend. He inside sick. You good to him.
“What are you?”
Not from this water planet. Left behind by kind. You both needed help. He heart stopped and you jumped from building. I save you both.
“I didn’t ask to be saved! I didn’t want to live anymore! There’s nothing left for me! Now you’re gonna eat me!”
The spider-creature made a sort of repetitive hiss.
Humorous human. We Arigrad eat plant life. You have something. You have friend.
Almost on queue, Maros shot up breathing heavily. The spider-creature cut the webs that encased Diego. He ran over and hugged Maros.
“Dude, why does my chest hurt. HOLY FUCK! WHAT IS THAT!”
“Oddly enough, it’s a friend.”
Diego waved it over while Maros whimpered.
“It’s okay! Reach out your hand.”
“This thing is three times as big as the two of us combined.”
The spider-creature bumped its head into Maros’ hand. They were silent for a moment. The spider-creature pulled away.
“Can we call you Arigrad?”
Arigrad clicked.
A few weeks later…
“The date I had was horrible.”
“That’s because you forget your true soulmate is me. The Cosmic Spider says so.”
“It’s also a cosmic spider.”
“Yeah well, you’ll find out women aren’t for you eventually.”
Diego laughed.
“I’m not gay, Maros.”
“You’re gay for me.”
“I’ll neither confirm nor deny that.”
They laughed, nearly dropping their bags of grocery store produce. When they arrived at the abandoned hospital, they called out.
“Arigrad! We have snacks for you!”
Arigrad scuttled excitedly towards it’s friends. It did not know that’s what they were, but it knew they loved each other deeply. It was then distracted by a juicy summer peach.
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