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My name is Matteo, and it was the year 2019. Many people would tell me that living in the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland is amazing: beautiful landscapes, large mountains with wide snow-covered slopes around them, and below, tall maple trees. Of course, Switzerland is amazing with all that I just mentioned, but living 17 years in the small village of Sonogno, with very limited access to electricity and without many people my age to interact with, makes it a bit tedious.
There wasn't much to do. I lived in a small house with my parents, where we had a small amount of livestock. The few things there were to do led to one task: go out to the village square and offer the livestock we had. I spent hours and hours doing that, it was too tedious. The only thing I could do while waiting to sell an animal was to read. Do you know what I read?
Fantasy books.
Believe me, I tried reading books about how to change your habits, psychology books, how to become a millionaire, or readings more focused on the real world, but I never paid much attention to these types of books. But fantasy books allowed me to escape from everything.
I was constantly amazed by the fantasy stories in which creatures and magic existed, things that could only be found in the imagination of a very creative or drugged person.
I was never a very pretentious reader. I always gravitated toward a fantastical story with events that, naturally, are impossible to happen in our reality, my reality. But while reading, I felt immersed in all the pages filled with figurative ink in letters.
The first book I read was Harry Potter. One day, walking through the village, I entered the local library, deciding to end my boredom in the most common way around here.
It was the most entertaining read I had had in months. All the characters had their magic—haha, you get it, magic, because they were interesting and lived in a magical world... that was a terrible joke.
But yes, Harry Potter was and still is one of my favorite series.
Obviously, I know something about pop culture. The village I live in is not an outdoor confinement. News reaches us here as well. Plus, I've been to the capital of the country many times, and therefore, since it's the capital, there must be electricity for the whole city. So, the times I've been there, I've seen movies like Star Wars or from the Marvel franchise. I also spent quite a bit of time in the libraries of the capital, where I got books like Dune or A Song of Ice and Fire. I also got to watch the series, although I'll save my opinions on the ending, honestly.
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POV: MC
"Finally, we've arrived at the blessed capital. It's been hours of pure tedium, but now we can relax, right, Dad?" You speak with notable enthusiasm, addressing your father, but your gaze is fixed on the sign with the words "Welcome to Bern," which is getting closer, though your father doesn't seem eager to rest yet and isn't pressing the van's accelerator.
I notice Dad lets out a small amused sigh and has a slightly tired expression.
"That's right, Matteo, once again in Bern. First, we'll need to get a room at a motel, and tomorrow we'll explore the city center."
I just stayed silent in response to my father's words, enjoying the little remaining time of the drive. Maybe I'm a bit bipolar when I say the travel hours were tedious, but a change of air, from my village to the capital, was obviously a drastic change. All those buildings in the heights, parks full of people and cars on the streets. Many people would say they prefer to live in a village, but I, after living my whole life in one, prefer a little bit of the chaos of the city.
My mind wandered with all kinds of thoughts, like what I was going to buy or in simple imaginary scenarios where luck constantly works in my favor. Time is an enigma in certain cases, as it plays with our perception. I know it could probably be explained, but I bring up the topic because just a moment ago I was appreciating all the wonders visible in the city center, and now I was standing at the entrance of a gloomy motel. Time, definitely, when you're immersed in something, passes too quickly.
Dad snapped me out of my trance due to the contrasting change.
"Matteo, I'll go to the motel's reception to rent the room where we'll stay. I'll ask the receptionist if they have one with a TV. We could watch a few movies before bed. What do you think?"
"Hm? Yes, yes, that sounds good, Dad." You nod a couple of times at his question. "I'll look for a convenience store nearby to buy some food. Don't bother waiting for me at the reception, I'll just ask about you and the room you're in, and I'll return." You gesture dismissively at your father's potential concern.
"Are you sure? It's pretty late, something could happen. I didn't see any convenience store nearby, Matteo." He frowns slightly with a trace of concern.
"I won't be long, I promise, Dad. You won't notice my absence. Besides, you need to rest, it was a long trip, and you were driving the whole time." A reassuring smile crosses your face.
"Alright, I'll trust you with this task, but make sure to stay alert to your surroundings, please. And God forbid, but if you're a victim of a robbery, just hand over your things. Your life is more valuable than a few belongings." His expression remains the same.
You give him a thumbs-up and nod your head. "Don't worry, Dad, I'll be back as fast as I left." You say this while turning to head toward the convenience store.
'What could happen? We're in Switzerland, for God's sake. I know the probability of something happening is never zero, but Switzerland is very safe, I know that.'
My hands were in my jacket pockets, feeling the icy air hitting my face. The city streets seemed empty, I only hear the echo of my footsteps bouncing off the deserted sidewalks. Suddenly, a car stops next to me. I don't pay much attention until two dark figures quickly emerge from the car doors. Before I can react, one of them pushes me against a wall and the other covers my mouth, preventing me from screaming.
My heart races. I feel fear and confusion. I can't think, everything is happening too fast. They take my wallet and phone from my hands and push me to the ground. My back hits the asphalt hard, but I don't have the strength to defend myself. One of them kicks me in the leg before getting into the car and speeding away. I hear them drive off, but something stops me. I feel cold metal on my chest. The man left behind is angry at his companion's lack of consideration, and in an instant, I can't hear much around me except for a horrible and unceasing noise in my ears. I only notice that that bastard is running away while I can't move my legs and crash into the wall without being able to do much.
The pain of a bullet tearing through my body is unbearable. My body collapses to the ground, and darkness quickly envelops me. I just wished I had told my father many things, but I can't find a particular thing to say, since my mind was thinking too many things in such a short time. I could only await my demise, resigned to death.
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"What? Where the hell am I? I was supposed to be bleeding out on the street, and now there's just an endless darkness." You speak out loud, hoping for an answer from nothing in particular.
The darkness envelops me, so thick that it's hard to even remember what light is. I don't know how much time has passed, but here, in this void, time seems nonexistent. At first, I could hear my breath, feel the beating of my heart, but now everything is submerged in an absolute silence. It's as though the air itself has run out, like I'm floating in an endless, empty space.
I wonder if this is real. Am I dreaming? Or am I simply trapped in some kind of curse? All I know is that I'm alone. Or maybe not? Who knows? I can no longer trust my own thoughts. It feels like my mind is slowly fading away, disintegrating along with my body. My memories dissolve, and I can't remember if there was ever anything outside of this darkness. The voices I once knew have vanished. Was I the one speaking? Or am I no more than a lost shadow in the void?
Fear seeps into my veins, not just because I'm here, but because of what I'm losing. Every moment that passes pulls me further from who I was, further from what I could have been. I no longer know who I am. Maybe I never knew. Panic consumes me when I think that maybe I'll never leave this place. And yet, the worst part isn't the darkness. The worst part is the thought that maybe there was never an "outside" to this place. Maybe I was always here. Maybe I've always been lost.
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After so much time lost in the darkness, the first flash of light felt like a miracle. At first, I doubted if it was real or if my mind, starving for hope, was deceiving me. But as I kept moving forward, the brightness intensified, and a strange energy began to run through my body, as if simply getting closer to it was returning something I had lost.
Finally, I arrived. And as I crossed the threshold, everything changed. The light enveloped me, warm, soft, but at the same time intense, as if it had been waiting for me all this time. I could feel the difference: the air was lighter, my breath deeper. The darkness was left behind, like a distant memory, and my eyes, used to the dimness, finally opened to what was in front of me.
The strange part is that it wasn't what I expected. It wasn't a blinding light or an escape to a better world, as I had imagine.