again, sorry for the mistakes. I'm russian, that's the reason.

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The Only One
by solarcold
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***
The cubic room of a small size. Metallic walls - they are not shining, as you have probably imagined, but dim, perhaps too old. Twilight. Only one lamp of some shines on the ceiling, and even that lamp blinks and makes unnatural crackling sounds.

I stood up and straightened my clothing. Don't remember this cloth: dark green, with a smell of blue, solid, made of unknown material. I don't remember. I concentrated, looked around and caught a thought inside my mind: I don't remember anything at all. Probably that's because I just stood up, and something happened to me. What happened to me?

I've been in a good physical condition, I mean I had no aches, my body was okay, no blood flowing from inside me. To tell the truth, I was all covered by dust and looked as if I've been doing something for a long, in the really bad conditions.

I had no wish to stay there, so I went towards the exit from this dead place. My fears that the door was locked and I could run out of the oxygen within the next hour (the room was not ventilized in any way; the air was stale enough) were not justified. The door opened easily, but the door itself was weighty, and the "easily" word is to be understood relatively.

The hallway have been even darker than the room. It looked not like a hallway, but much more like a metropolitan tube: thick wires all along the tacky walls, the same out of order lamps on the ceiling.

I looked around and realized I have only one way: there was a stub on the right, so I could only go left. Aside that, i saw some light there in a distance from me.

I became interested if I had some private things with me, so for some case I returned to the cubic room and investigated it a little more. There was a piece of cloth in the corner - it had hardly been mine. In the very center of the room there I found a little metallic round thing - that was a coin, but obviously it lied here for a really long time: the engraving got fully erased. After making a conclusion that the coin is also not mine, I take it with me for some case and put it in the pocket. The room, in general, have been surprisingly empty.

I pointed myself towards the light. I did not know what to expect and still tried to remember how did I get here. What is this - a spaceship? An orbital station? A mine?


***

I kept going, trying my best to not stumble and hurt myself. Lamps on the ceiling made some crackling sounds sometimes, but in general there was no illumination in that place. That was probably some abandonned wing, don't know why wasn't it sealed. And I don't know why did I appear there.

I've already reached the source of the light. Since I compared the hallway with the tube, therefore this place was to be compared with a station. The comparision is not accurate of course. It was uncomfortable the same way, the walls were not much better, but there was a light at least. All in all - better than that hallway or room. There also were some such tunnels starting with this room. Except the tunnel i have quited, and one more - they were all lightened, and there were five or six of them. After considering a bit, I pointed myself towards the largest of them: I decided that I could probably meet there at least someone.

My choice turned to be the right one: now and then there were doors in the wall, still, they were all locked. There also have been one more thing. A window. That I saw there amazed me.

The illuminator-type window was easily noticeable, it occupied the large part of the wall. There was no light in the illuminator: there was all dark outside. To be exact - it was just black, for it was the space. Well, it definetely looked like the space. I tried to find the Sun, or one of the planets i knew - but there was only the black space, with sparkling points appearing here and there. For some reason I've been sure: those points weren't the stars.

If the place where I am now is the spaceship, if so, why don't I fly like a cosmonaut in weightlessness, but normally standing on my legs? The questions popped up in my head more and more. Suddenly I felt like I heard sounds of someone walking. Yes, that's so: the sound of the opening door, steps, the sound of the door closing, more steps - silence then. Seems like the hallway led to the place where someone has been. I didn't know whether I should be happy or not, but, forgetting every precaution - I started going there.

***

"Don't hide. Enter." - I heard the voice from the very center of the room, when I got closer. Seems like I've been noticed. I entered and greeted the man sitting in the chair. He had the gray cloak on him and the gray hat. He kept silent.

"Where am I?" - I asked, not knowing hot to name him and how to behave. Seemed like he was the ship's captain, if this was a ship, of course.

"How about some wine?" - answered the man in the hat. I kept silent for a couple of seconds before realizing that was a suggestion.

"I d-don't know if I can..." - I started, but he interrupted me.

"Sit down. I will pour it for us."

The voice of this man amazed me. It was no bass, vice versa - his voice seemed high enough. But that was definetely a male voice. Not even slightly female. He was talking a bit quietly, calmly, coldly and arrogantly. I suppose this description is exact enough.

I sat on the chair that was aside the man's one (I didn't notice it at first). There were two wineglasses on the table, the man in gray filled them. He took one and I understood it as a sign to take the other.

"Strange things happen sometimed" - he violated the silence. He seemed like he didn't realize how important for me it was to understand where I am, who is him, and myself too by the way. - "Isn't it so?"

"Hm... Definitely." - I answered.

"You realize yourself in some place, where the rules are not followed, everything is strange, everything is abandonned. What do you think about it?"

"Well, something like that happened to me" - I answered. The man in gray acted like if we knew each other for some time. He smiled with a corner of his lips.

"You never know what happens tomorrow, right? Sometimes you want to become allmighty, to do everything you want. But it turns vice versa, like if everything is decided without considering your thoughts."

I tried my best to understand what does this man mean. From the one hand, it seemed like he have just been phylosophying. From the other, that was crucial for me to keep talking to him.

"Well, if we abstract, so, I think, that is so." - I answered not very definitely. The man nodded satisfactively.

"Your health." - he said and drank a bit from his glass, - "What is your name?"

"I don't remember."

The man wasn't even slightly in wonder.

"So that's how it is. Speaking of which, you should think we are on a spaceship."

"It seems like that to me." - I answered feeling I will get the answer soon, - "And you.. You.."

"You should have imagined to yourself oftenly" - he interrupted me, not letting me to ask my question, - "Looking nightly from the window, the other worlds and spaces. With no rules and limits, with the truth and pure beings only."

What the hell has he just said. Of course, I have thought about many things, since nightly there always is a lot of rubbish to invade your mind, but...

"I have been thinking about many things" - I answered him, - "I think I have dreamt about a journey for the stars."

"I don't mean stars." - said the man, and we drowned in the silence. After keeping non-talking for a minute, he stood up, carried his wineglass in the other part of the room, then returned. It seemed to me like if he does consciously slow the time. The man looked right in my eyes.

"What is your name?" - I finally asked.

"You may call me Ralph." - answered he, - "As for your name, you seem like not knowing it."

"Yes." - i sighed artistically. Ralph nodded looking at me.

"Well then. After all, that doesn't mean anything now."

"You know, it means a lot to me." - said I being amazed.

"Who the hell you are?" - sighed Ralph, looking at the ceiling. Then he smiled only a little bit and looked at me again, - "You are living through the really rare adventure, aren't you? You had been always wishing it, well, you're having it now."

"Indeed. Some things are rare even in dreams." - answered I, - "How do you know what I wanted?"

"Oh. I know a lot of things. Tell me then, have you ever thought the life around you to be a dream, a fantasy of your mind?" - he asked.

I did not know what to answer. I think everyone has such a thought sometimes, and I caught something like that too. But why does he ask?

"I have had." - I answered shortly.

"Have had." - he repeated, - "I now make you happy saying it really is so."

I answered with nothing, just looking at him, not knowing who am I dealing with and what does he mean.

"It is like that." - he continued, - "Only one man is true, while all others are nothing, just a fake. Interesting, huh? I think it's quiet offending for those fake ones."

"How should I know. I'm not a fake" - I answered. I was surprisingly calm for a talk about the meaning of the universe. Probably due to shock. It seemed to me like Ralph tried and tastes my answer.

"Well it depends on how do we look at it", - he grinned, - "That does not matter, you will understand everything now. That's true, you are not at all fake."

God knows why - but it seemed like this man knows what he says. If I was in a normal situation, I would not beleive a word of him.

"How's it "not at all fake"? ", - I asked, - "You said: one is real, others aren't. As in solipsism. So it turns like I'm real. If so, what am I doing here?"

"You think logically." - answered Ralph, - "But you missed one detail. You think you are real. But I'm sure, that the real one is me."

I looked at him not knowing what to say. If I met such a knower on the street, I would simply call the doctor. But I realized: I'm in a some strange room, it's unknown how did I get here. But the one who did it is much stronger than I am. And this one claimes he is more real than I am. I tried following the logic.

"Okay wait. There cannot be two real men in a world that is a fantasy of one. Did I formulate it right?" - I decided to accept his charade game.

"Yes. Continue." - he answered simply.

"I'm not sure you tell the truth, but if we accept this world is a dream, therefore, it is my dream."

It seemed like he knew I will answer that way. Ralph smiled and returned to his chair.

"I know why do you think so. You are conscious about yourself, you realize yourself." - he looked right into my eyes, - "And that's true."

"I percieve myself."

"So many times you thought: all those people - they aren't myself." - he fell into thinking, - "I am only sure in one thing: I am, I feel, I exist, I live. As for others - you could not be sure. What if you realize yourself, and they don't? What if they are just decorations filling this world, and they act only since you feel like they are acting? What if they are not conscious?" - he repeated.

"But..."

"Don't argue back." - he suddenly said. And I kept silent. Somehow I felt like being defeated. Ralph looked straight into my face.

"It really is so. We both do realize ourselves. But this world is my mind's creature. If you are okay with that - this world exists since I percieve it. And you are part of this world."

"But I cannot beleive!" - I cried, - "After all, I'm true. Here are my arms, my legs, I speak consciously, I feel and... I don't beleive you." - I took my final try. Ralph grinned coldly.

"Is that not enough that I erased your memory, took you here - with my will, by the way, and against yours - and I now talk to you?"

I broke off.

"I missed that one."

"There are no more people here. I did it. I wished so, and this proves my entity. But you realize yourself. You exist. Why? Because I wanted it so."

"?.."

"Yeah. You know" - he said calmly, like retelling a story from his past, - "People are made up by mi mind. They are alive - i'd say - on the surface. Well you understand what am I talking about. You yourself had such thought a couple of times."

"Yes. How do you know? You remember me? You know my past? Who_am_I?" - I asked finally.

"I remember you" - he answered, - "I remember everything and you know, you should not feel bad about the fact i erased your memory. There was nothing outstanding there. The most interesting event in your life takes place right now."

These words had an overwhelming effect on me.

"I had created you, because I wanted to know something. Maybe, I was just bored. I created you as the only one among others, who realized himself. You - the only one among the people - do really exist."

I raised my eyes, having no force to answer anything. Ralph turned away from me, came to the illuminator and continued talking.

"I endowed you with the force alike mine one. Actually, you are like me, just you are the part of my world, and therefore not more important than others. You've been living like everyone else, but, in contrast to others, you have been conscious. You felt, analized, realized. You get it? I endowed you with the will! What else can a man need? W-I-L-L. Will and consciousness."

He turned to me and looked at me with a pityful look, as I felt it.

"You asked me about your name. I can tell you, but that does not make any sense. No need for you to know it, since you will die today after all."

I shutted at inhalation and looked at him questioning. Cold ran up my spine. I wanted to run, but for some reason I felt like I couldn't.

"S-sorry?"

"I said you will die." - he stopped for a while, then continued, - "The name given with the birth to the one and only capable to live and feel. Do you even realize that if I am number one, you are number two? You had the dreams. You didn't turn them real. I was really interested: can a man, endowed with the same qualities I have (except the almightyness, sure) live like he wants. The result disappointed me.

"Why didn't I know anything?" - I asked.

"Realizing yourself is not enough? Capability to act accordingly your mind - is not enough? What else did you need?!" - he smiled suddenly, - "Leave this, that's all rubbish. I did not create you for this only purpose."

I didn't ask why did he create me. It was more and more difficult for me to talk. Perhaps he wished so?

Ralph sat beside me again.

"You know, I do even feel a bit excited. The event that is to happen now is unique."

I looked at him questioning.

"What is death?" - posted him a rhetorical question, - "Death is the extinction of life. The body that has been conscious before stops feeling and realizing, and the mind dies. But you know, I didn't know, didn't realize what death really is."

Ralph looked in the ceiling dreamy.

"I'm immortal. The people created by my mind are not conscious. They don't even understand they die. Just one decorations changed by others. That's difficult for us to understand - but what happens to them is not death. Just erasing. Nothing special."

He looked at me with a deep look and a light half-smile.

"What would the soul feel on the edge of the life? Understanding nothing more will happen to it, realizing it will never again meet the dawn? What size, what taste would this unrepeatable pain have, mixed with the horror by the only thought that everything will stop within a minute?"

I imagined what have he been talking about and it made me gather up. I compared everything in an instant.

"And now I have you."

"You are cruel" - I squeezed out of myself, - "Don't you care at least a bit?"

"After all, this world is mine. You were created with a mission, and you will accomplish it. Do you even understand what will you happen through?"

I felt something switched inside my head. Ralph commented it.

"That's right. You've remembered your life now. Everything ever happened to you. Everyone you knew." - he sighed, - "The event that will happen today, will never happen again. That will be the one and only death in the history of the world."

That sounded absurd, but I couldn't think anymore. I barely heard him. I was smashed by the memories of my own life, which I've been took out from, and I've been choked with the tears.

"Not me. Not any one of those puppets. Only you combine all the qualities to really die."

He was looking somewhere in the end of the room. I felt some spleen in his look. I couldn't move, I was like stoned in the chair. Ralph closed his eyes and nodded satisfied.

"Yes. You feel what I was talking about."

I closed my eyes. He came to me to finish what he's started.

"Finally... I will realize how does it feel."

That was an interesting story, engaging dialogue.

Thank you. Happy you liked it.