Soul Quakes

It starts with a quiver up your spine. Slowly, moving up your legs to your hips and then to your belly. Your stomach starts making its best gymnastic moves. It hasn't reached your heart yet, but you clench your chest in preparation.

The walls seem to be slowly shimmering, a gentle movement like one of those inflatable characters outside of a cheesy business. The lights keep tilting and though there is no sound to be heard from them, the unseen wind dings them back and forth.

Your hands are not your own now, you are trying to steady yourself. Grasping ahold of a chair as it wobbles like a new baby deer,

The bile fills your stomach and now your chest starts to awake. That cold hard fist pressing around it. The fear as the wall begin to slowly cave.

There is panic and there is fear in their eyes. Their ghastly looks come as no surprise. You tremble without any control. You slam your eyes closed begging for any type of hope.

Sucking in your breath to feel a cool relief of warmth in your lungs. The teacup shaking so unsteadily. The noises grow and the rumble is deafening. You push your head between your unsteady legs. Remembering, everything you've learned and what they said.

Focus. Focus. Focus. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

And then a gentle touch brings the world to a stop. You catch you breath and see that the world as is as it was. You sit up straight and smile unconvincingly. You take a sit of an unmoved tea.

The earthquake is over. You can finally breathe. Until the next time, the world comes caving in.