Viatrix Lolana don't believe that she's nothing but fragile
Viatrix life was steady and normal, built on routines that she has been used to since she was young. Waking up in the morning to the sound of her Mother cooking and humming to a tune, Viatrix sittin' down the table with her father already there watching the news on the Television and sippin' his coffee with that mug of his that she gave as a gift when she was five. It was just like any other day.
After getting ready...
Viatrix: Mom, Dad, I'm off to school now
Dad: Via, becareful on your way...
Normal things, Safe things
***
In the afternoon, after school was done, Via was walking on her way home from school. Her thoughts light and was thingkin' what's for dinner tonight. When she saw a small crowd gathered near the corner. People stood closer than they should be. Whispering in lowered voices.
She saw an ambulanced park in the curb near the crowd. Its back doors open.
Two uniformed men with a blue scrub suit and masked on guided an old man forward. He looked thin, confused, no footwear on. The old man's steps uneven as if the ground itself had betrayed him. He has some visible bruised on his arms and foot.
''How can they be so cruel to an old frail man'' Viatrix thought
Viatrix watch the scene from a distance and was about to come closer to the crowd to watch the spectacle when the old man eyes darted around the gathered crowd around him as if his suffering is kind of an entertainment. His eyes unfocused at first…until they stopped.
They stopped at her, Viatrix was confused if the old man was really looking at her, she looked around and it seemed the old man was really looking at her. For a moment, the noise around her faded. The old man stared at her with a sudden clarity like she's the only one there. His lips moved.
He whispered something into the air.
Of course Viatrix couldn't hear the words but a shiver ran through her.
"You, I'm Fine" the old frail man said louder now, his voice trembling. "I just want to go home."
A woman nearby said "That old man is not right in the head I heard."
Another murmured "Poor thing"
The uniformed man guided him toward the ambulance. Just before they help him up inside, the old man looked back at Viatrix one last time. His mouth moved again, another whisper, swallowed by the noise in the street.
The door closed with a quiet, final sound.
No sirens, No urgency
The ambulance drove away like it was trying not to be noticed.
The crowd slowly dispersed. Conversations resumed. People then moved on.
Viatrix stood there, unsettled, the moment clinging to her. She didn't know why the old man had stared at her. She didn't know what he said.
Mental illness, she told herself, ironically that's what they have discussed in school earlier.
It had happened to people. People who had lived too long, broken somewhere along the way, lost touch with reality little by little. It was very sad but distant.
A tear run down Viatrix left eye, for unknown reason. She quickly wipe it "What's wrong with me, Why am I crying on some random old man"
She shrugged the feeling off and continued walking.
She passed Mrs. Finch watering her plants and waved back absently. Passed the Hensley bookstore she liked to linger in. Passed the glass-fronted building barely noticed anymore.
Everything was normal. That's what she thought.
Halfway down the street, something shifted.
At first, it was subtle, a pressure behind her eyes, like the beginning of a headache. Viatrix slowed slightly blinking once.
"I'm just tired"
But the pressure didn't fade at all.
The world shifted at the edges. Sound turned dulled, as if wrapped in cotton. Colors suddenly blurred together.
Viatrix stopped walking.
Her heart began to race.
People brushed past her, annoyed. A car honked behind her. The city did not pause.
The pressure grew heavier.
Her vision blurred completely.
Instinctively, she closed her eyes.
And then…
The air was colder. When Viatrix opened her eyes, the street was gone.
She stood in a narrow alley she had never seen before. The walls pressed close, the ground damp beneath her shoes. A flickering light buzzed overhead.
"What the, Where am I?" she said confused.
Her hands shook as she pressed one against the wall, panic rising fast and sharp. This wasn't possible. This couldn't be happening.
She took a deep breath to calm herself down. She squeezed her eyes shut again.
When she opened them, the street returned.
The noise returned. The people returned.
Everything was exactly as it had been.
Viatrix stood frozen, her heart pounding violently. No one noticed her. No one stopped.
She thought of the old man's stare. The whisper she couldn't hear. The way the doors had closed so easily.
A chill crept through her.
She walked home quickly afraid that if she stayed still too long, the world might slip away again.
That night, lying awake in bed, the pressure behind her eyes faint but present, thoughts refused to leave her:
What happened to me earlier?
Did I hallucinate?
Am I crazy?
What if the old man was warning me?
One thing is for sure, something change in my life.
***
Author's Note
Maybe Elsewhere explores themes of mental health, perception, and how society treats people it does not understand. While this story contains supernatural elements, it also reflects very real fears, stigma, and emotional struggles.
This novel does not aim to romanticize mental illness, but to question how easily someone can be labeled—and what happens when the truth is dismissed.
Please read with care.
— Ms. P. Humco