STEFANO BOSCUTTI - “GODLESS” (SHORT STORY)

You’re adrift in an ocean of darkness.

A primal fear twists through you as the heavens disappear before your eyes. Do you give in to the rising panic? Or marvel at the cosmic transformation?

“Godless” is a short story about the revelations awaiting you.

About the choices you will face.

1,000 words / 4 minutes of transcendent reading pleasure

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‘Courage, dear heart.’ C.S. Lewis 

STEFANO BOSCUTTI

GODLESS

Copyright 2024 Stefano Boscutti
All Rights Reserved

It’s a moonless night.

You look up into the endless night sky and see a stream of gleaming satellites ripple under the glimmering stars.

The satellites shimmer and fade and suddenly disappear. Then one by one the stars flicker off, the constellations falter and the cosmos plunge into darkness.

You’re suddenly alone, godless. Lost among the forgotten saints and empty sinners.

The world has slipped into its own shadow. Fear slides up your body and wraps its fingers around your throat. You swallow and feel its fingers tighten.

You catch your breath, your heart double beats, your pulse quickens. Adrenaline increases and raises your heart rate. Cortisol surges through your bloodstream and lifts your blood pressure. Norepinephrine bursts and ricochets through your brain. Your pupils dilate, narrowing your vision. Your fight or flight response kicks in. Your nerves jitter, anxiety swells.

You know at this point you have a choice to make. This choice will make all the difference.

You have to choose between fear and excitement, between terror and elation. Between heaven and hell.

The hormones and neurotransmitters swirling through your body, your blood, your cells are exactly the same. How you feel - whether scared or thrilled - is entirely how you frame the biological and physiological responses in your mind. How you frame the fear.

Fear is excitement in a negative frame.

Excitement is fear in a positive frame.

Think of a roller coaster. Some people spend hundreds of dollars and hours waiting in line to ride the scariest one they can find. While others have a panic attack at the mere thought of going on one. Same ride. Just a different frame, a different outlook. A different outcome.

Alone in the darkness you feel drenched in fear. You close your eyes and you feel fear consume you.

You don’t fight the fear. You feel the cold sweat on your skin, feel your heart pounding. You don’t try and control it, contain it.

You don’t resist the sensations. You move through them, you intensify them. You feel a light shine within you as excitement spreads through your body.

You’re vibrating, trembling with excitement. You smile deep and open your eyes.

And above you the stars switch on, brighter than ever.

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Copyright 2024 Stefano Boscutti

All Rights Reserved

The moral rights of the author are asserted.

No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, digital, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or copying and pasting, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing.

Stefano Boscutti acknowledges the trademark owners of various products referenced in this work. The publication or use of these trademarks is not authorised or sponsored by the trademark owner.

This is a work of fiction. While many of the characters portrayed here have counterparts in the life and times of you and others, the characterisations and incidents presented are totally the products of the author’s slippery imagination. This work is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It should not be resold or given away. Thank you for your support. (Couldn’t do it without you.)

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