Lucas stared in disbelief at the scene unfolding before him. The vase he had brought home was crumbling into fine, powdery dust.
For a moment, he stood frozen, paralyzed by shock. His mind raced, struggling to process the impossible sight. Then, as fear overtook him, he spun around and dashed toward the door, desperate to escape. His hands grasped the doorknob and twisted it frantically, but it refused to budge. It was as if the room itself had sealed him in.
Heart pounding, Lucas shouted, "Mom! Dad!" His voice cracked as he banged on the door, each strike growing more frantic. "Mom! Dad! Help me!" he screamed again, louder this time, but the only response was an eerie silence. It was as though his cries had been swallowed by an invisible void, leaving him utterly alone. Panic surged through him as the realization dawned: something was terribly, horribly wrong.
A sudden force tugged at him, pulling him backward. Startled, Lucas turned to see the source of the pull—and his breath caught in his throat. In the middle of his room, a swirling black hole had appeared, its edges shimmering with an otherworldly light. The sight was so surreal, so incomprehensible, that his knees buckled beneath him, and he collapsed to the floor.
"What... what the hell is that?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. His wide eyes remained fixed on the black hole, the edges of its vortex drawing in everything around it. The pull grew stronger, and Lucas felt a deep, primal fear take hold. This was not something he could fight or flee from; it was beyond anything he had ever imagined.
He thought of his parents, of their faces if they were to lose him. The image burned in his mind, igniting a spark of determination. He couldn't let this be the end. Gritting his teeth, Lucas forced himself to stand, his legs trembling under the weight of the black hole's pull. Each step toward the door felt like moving through molasses, the invisible force dragging him back with relentless power.
He reached the door again and clutched the knob with both hands, his knuckles turning white as he clung to it. The black hole's pull intensified, and the room began to empty. Books, furniture, and even the curtains on the windows were sucked into the void, leaving only Lucas behind. His body felt as though it were being crushed, the pressure bearing down on him with every passing second. Yet, somehow, the door remained unaffected, standing firm against the overwhelming force.
"Why is this happening?" Lucas thought, his mind spiraling as he struggled to make sense of it. His grip on the doorknob began to falter as his hands grew numb and slick with sweat. He could feel his strength waning, the relentless pull of the black hole testing the limits of his resolve.
"Damn it!" He yelled. "Why me? Is this because of that stupid vase?! Why did I have to bring it home, damn it!"
His thoughts turned to his brother, to the promise he had made to take care of their parents. He clenched his teeth, his desperation mounting. "I can't die here. I can't leave them alone!" he thought, his mind racing for a solution. But the black hole showed no mercy. Its pull grew stronger, and his grip slipped further.
Finally, his fingers gave out. He lost hold of the doorknob and was dragged backward, the force too powerful to resist. He closed his eyes tightly, bracing himself for the end. "I'm sorry," he thought, guilt and regret swirling within him. "Sorry, Mom. Sorry, Dad. And… sorry, brother."
A tear slid down his cheek as he thought about how foolish he had been to bring the vase into their home. He cursed his curiosity, his naivety. The black hole's pull was unyielding, and he could feel its force against his back as it dragged him closer. But as he crossed the threshold of the vortex, a strange sensation washed over him. He had expected pain, the kind of agony that would tear him apart instantly. Instead, there was… nothing. No pain, no searing heat. Just a cold, weightless stillness.
Lucas opened his eyes briefly, the swirling darkness of the black hole surrounding him. "This… isn't what I expected," he thought, his fear giving way to confusion. The lessons he'd learned in science class about black holes seemed meaningless here. His body was intact, untouched by the crushing forces he had imagined.
And then, in an instant, he was gone. The room stood empty, stripped bare by the black hole that had appeared without warning. Silence returned, leaving no trace of the chaos that had unfolded moments before.