Fluid Alibis: Poetic Rendezvous Across Time

By Marthe-Elise Bertrand

What no one tells you is that suppressed feelings will gradually circulate through your veins, crawl underneath your skin, deprive you of peace, numb your senses, and leave you at a crossroads. Fret not. Fluid Alibis will take you on a soul-wrenching and liberating journey through diverse emotions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Mar 21, 2018
• ISBN: 9781532042676

Marthe-Elise Bertrand

Marthe-Elise Bertrand, currently a medical assistant living in Lehigh Acres, Florida, has a bachelors degree in creative writing from Full Sail University. Whether the setting is medical or fictional she serves others with a compassionate heart and loving eyes.

Book preview

ANTIQUE CHEST AND BUTTERFLY

I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t be alone last night, Beljie says as she runs off into the woods. The bittersweet thing about getting chased is that she is in the lead, but open-ended questions push her to run faster. When she stops to catch her breath, hoping it’ll be her last, it catches up with her.

Strings of light streak through the leaden sky. The woods are dense, and a bleak scent plagues the atmosphere. A butterfly dances around her ankles. Unlike the purple flutter, Beljie finds herself in a deep blue funk. She reaches for the butterfly but falls on her hands.

Sifting through the crispy brown leaves, she finds something metallic—a compass clock, which strikes 2:22. She dusts it off to admire its antiquity. As she digs beneath the dying leaves, her eyes widen at the sight of a treasure chest the size of a shoebox, made of old, warped wood and strapped in iron. Beljie drags the box free from its tiny hole and sits at the foot of a willow tree. She lets out a long sigh of despair as she closes her eyes.

You have such beautiful eyebrows, but why are they slanted? asks an aged man.

Startled, Beljie opens her eyes. I’m sorry.

Your loss. Is it someone or something?

She smiles and shakes her head. No.

I can tell you’re afraid, the man says.

And I’m guessing you’re a shrink.

The man laughs. If I were, I’d tell you you’re looking to escape this moment we’re sharing.

That’s it?

No, not at all. I’d have to talk about your past, but that’s not important right now.

And how do you know what’s important?

What I know is that you should come back to this moment.

Why is that so important?

I thought you’d never ask. You must remember that you always have a choice available to you. Your fear and sadness are a result of resting too hard on what has occupied your mind. Beljie opens her mouth to speak but hesitates. Leaving this world—

I’ve made up my mind, Beljie interrupts.

I know, I know. And I couldn’t do anything about it even if I wanted to, because deep down inside you lies the intense desire that brought you to this realm.

So, why are you here? Beljie stretches her legs, nearly hitting the man’s bamboo cane.

I am merely here to remind you of everything you planned to experience before you entered this body.

With downcast eyes, Beljie clears her throat and says, I have never heard these words, yet they sound familiar.

That’s because you are recalling everything you always knew before you summoned me.

Beljie’s left eyebrow lowers to mimic the downturned corner of her mouth. After much blinking, she discovers a big silver key in her hand. She looks around but finds the man nowhere to be found. Mystified, she runs her finger over the intricate design of the rustic chest. She unlocks it and picks up a parchment scroll tied with a purple imperial ribbon. Slowly, she brings it to her nose, taking on the scent, and