Maxi

                                    

                                          

The room was quiet and white - white ceramic floor tiles, white painted walls, white ceiling, and a white leather lounge chair on which I was laid on my back. 
Two white coats bend over me; one male, one female. They spoke in muted tones and gave me a vague explanation of what was about to happen, but it left me more confused than before. I heard a faint click and the heat of a powerful bright light scorched the pupils of my eyes. I closed them, and their sudden closure created red dancing concentric circles on a velvety black background that stretched into infinity. The circles slowly disappeared. The black void remained.
I waited - and waited while soft shuffling feet were the only sound disturbing the eerie silence. My breathing was shallow and regular, and so was my heartbeat. I tried to remain calm, but waiting for the unknown filled me with deep apprehension. 
A thin needle, an unexpected pinprick, and one side of my face turned numb, spreading rapidly to the other side and down my body; paralyzing me. If ever I had a chance to run and escape, it had come and gone. My breathing became deep and slow, anticipating the worst - and it came. 
A powerful jet of water was, without warning, jammed down my throat. I gasped for air, but its sudden impact and force caught me off guard. I closed my throat with the back of my tongue, but it was useless. The water flowed up and through my nostrils creating a fountain that spilled onto the white coats, onto the floor, and dammed up higher and higher, lifting me off the lounge chair, leaving me kicking and floundering in what felt like the middle of the ocean. It stopped as suddenly as it had started. Exhausted I floated on my back and saw a giant translucent tube descending from the deep blue sky. 
Slurping sounds; the kind kids create through a straw when drinking the last of their soda from the bottom of a glass. It continued until the last of the water was drained, leaving the earth looking like a dry cracked riverbed. It stopped. 
'What's next?' I thought anxiously. 
The thunderous drilling that followed the silence was earsplitting. The cracks widened. I stood on the edge of a dangerous precipice while the drilling grew more fierce, shaking the earth violently, widening the crack to the size of a gulf.
"Somebody help!", I screamed at the top of my lungs as I slipped and fell into it. I'm sure nobody heard because none came to my rescue. I landed, waist-deep, in some soft, wet substance. The stench nauseated me, but I managed to swallow back the bile that almost choked me. 
Thin rods of metal glowed in the dark. 
'Thank heavens for small mercies,' I thought as I grabbed at it. My hand kept slipping off it, adding to my growing fear, anxiety, and panic. The metal scratched the smooth sides of the cavity leaving indentations. Sensing an opportunity, I used it, like a rock climber, as stepping stones to my freedom. 
"Pass me the gutta-percha," I heard a distorted voice saying. A warm liquid was poured into the hole, filling it up, and strangely assisted me in my progress. I was almost at the top. I was almost free. 
Instant darkness again. Someone had thrown heavy cement over the opening. 
I broke down and with the last of my strength, I screamed, "Somebody helps me. Please call my parents. I'm held captive and sealed into an early grave. I cannot be buried alive. I'm too young to die."
"Maxi?" I heard my name and felt the gentle tug of the dental assistant on my arm. 
I opened my eyes feeling dazed and confused. 
"It's alright sweetie, the root canal was successful and there are painkillers and antibiotics for you at the front desk. 
"But…" I said bewildered. 
"You fell asleep and had some kind of nightmare. It's quite natural. Your mom is waiting for you in the waiting room, and should the tooth still bother you, please feel free to give me a call. Have a nice day."
~•~
Thank you for reading, commenting and voting. I appreciate it.