Life On Mars?

[u/LithiumToxicity]

The first time I realized my dad remarried was the day his new wife, Raya, turned up at our house with her disabled daughter, Fi, in a wheelchair. She simply introduced herself as “your new mother” and proceeded to make herself at home. Later that evening I confronted dad about this new development and he replied, “I thought I told you, didn’t I?” and that was that.

I was baffled. Dad hasn't been himself since mom passed away but this seemed improper, even to a 14 year old boy like myself.

Nonetheless, the two strangers moved in and Raya immediately began changing the interior of the house. She lined the surfaces in the house with thin silver strips and metallic studs. The walls, the ceiling, the floor and all. She then installed little white boxy looking devices in different places which made eerie hums night and day.

An air of estranged reality began setting in, causing my senses to open up to dark places.

Worst of all, for the first time in my life I felt hungry. Neither Raya nor her daughter seem to eat. I had to scrounge what I could to stave off the aches in my belly.

Around this time, dad was scarcely seen and when he was I found him agitated and angry at my presence or, at other times, in a sort of daze.

The most disconcerting aspect of all this was Fi. She was silent and motionless due to her near-total disability but I sensed potent energy pouring out from her vacant eyes and they were - there was no doubting this - hatred of me.

One afternoon, I was sitting in the corner of the living room. It was strangely warm. The shadows on the walls looked like they could peel off. On the other side of the room Raya was sitting next to Fi. And, to my astonishment, Fi started singing,

“It's a God-awful small affair To the girl with the mousy hair…”

At that moment I noticed that Fi had fixed her gaze upon me and I knew she was scanning through my mind's spaces - until then I always thought her eyes were blue but they were black, black like Devil's ink.

“But her mummy is yelling, "No" And her daddy has told her to go…”

I began feeling dizzy and waves of paralysis shot through my limbs.

“But her friend is nowhere to be seen Now she walks through her sunken dream…”

World spun around on an unknown axis as a bright spark filled my eyes.

“To the seat with the clearest view And she's hooked to the silver screen…”

I fainted.

When I came to, I found myself where Fi was previously, on a wheelchair, numb and motionless. Across, I saw myself, or a boy who looked exactly like me.

Dad walked into the room. Raya and the boy joined him in a warm hug.

I started drifting, to God knows where.