The Device

Author : Keigan Ewing

It was too good to be true. As Sonny hovered above the city, all but weightless, he couldn?t believe such technology existed. The feeling was indescribable. He marvelled at the device, humbly glowing in his palm as it worked its magic. Magic. That?s essentially what it was, he could only fathom as to how it operated. He had theories of course, but no evidence to support any of them. It was possible that it somehow interacted with the local gravity field, reshaping it in a way that caused it to forget he was even there. Regardless of how it operated, he was enjoying the experience. He reflected on how it came in to his possession.

The man who gave it to him had not said a word about the device itself. Only that it was necessary to leave it here for the time being. Sonny had no idea what the man was talking about, but something about his tone was familiar and soothing, almost fatherly. This was clearly very important to him, and Sonny found himself unable to deny him. So he took the device and promised to hold on to it. He had no idea why he was holding it, or for how long he was supposed to hold it, but it seemed like the right thing to do. After a brief thanks, Sonny could have sworn the man flat-out disappeared. Gone in the time it took him to blink.

As Sonny had started to walk home he noticed a slight warmth coming from the device now stowed in his jacket pocket. Taking it out to investigate, he noted a faint blue-green glow about it. He turned the small metallic object over in his hands. It was very subtle, and he wasn?t sure if he hadn?t noticed it before, or if it was a new development. Cupping the device in his hands, he suddenly felt the ground fall away beneath him. Panicked, at first, he considered throwing the small object as far from himself as possible. He quickly realized though, that he could control the velocity of his ascent. After gaining control over his flight he settled in at a nice viewing altitude above the city.

Sonny snapped backed to reality. Only now did he notice that he wasn?t the only person airborne tonight. There were a few others dotted around the nightscape. He could feel them more than see them, and he knew this was not the only area where this was happening. Sonny began to feel uneasy, only now questioning why this was happening. The giddy feeling of flying had worn off, and was slowly being replaced with one of dread. Without warning, the entire city went dark. In the distance he could see the lights of nearby towns going dark as well, one by one. The only light left came from the few people hovering above the infinite blackness. Sonny looked up, it seemed even the stars had gone dark. Still looking up, he saw the lights come on, and now understood where all the stars had gone.