The Anabiosis

I

What he understood at first is that his consciousness returned. He knew he would wake up in a moment. His body stripped off the cold sensation which settled on his skin and in his flesh and bones, replacing it with familiar warmth as the sunbeam in the first morning of the spring. Then he heard a safe hum, broke into his ears. Along with that, his eyelids felt heavier. And he realized, with a great relief, he was still breathing. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, he commanded himself.

Bara opened his eyes slowly.

Bright fluorescent light blinded his eyes, made it watery. He blinked for a moment, did not know where he was, did not know what he had done, did not know what had happened. Tabula rasa, that was what came to his mind. Amazed, even when his brain was still as empty as a white paper, it sent a word quickly and accurately.

But when he caught a sight of digital clock placed in the right hand side of the fluorescent lamp within no more than twenty inch from his face, his consciousness returned. It was five in the morning. Abruptly, he remembered that he had fallen asleep for one whole year, in an anabiosis state. Anlon, the only friend he had, put him in a transparent fiberglass case controlled by a sophisticated electronic programs and devices that could never been understood by Bara. He would wake up exactly a year after. Today, March 2, 2057.

One by one, his consciousness returned. He remembered, just before fell asleep in The Shuttle -the name of the machine-, Anlon had warned him to press a red button near his right hand range soon after wake up.

"Bring Rayna when I wake up." Bara can remember clearly as if it happened yesterday. Anlon just nodded. Rayna had never agreed about Bara doing this, neither did Bara. But he gave up when Anlon asked, begged him to be the first volunteer.

"Only one year, Bara. And I guarantee you this is safe. Remember my success with those animals? Imagine if this is applied to humans. Imagine how it will give a ceaseless benefit to humanity." As usual, Anlon looked like a madman when talking about his inventions. His eyes gleamed with happiness, and a bit of craziness. ***

Lidya Pawestri Ayuningtyas

Lidya Pawestri Ayuningtyas has published six short story anthologies along with other fellow authors. In love with (dystopian) science fiction and fairy tales. Now is still struggling with her (hopefully) last two semesters.