The burning eye...

0001

The burning eye...

Trapped in a small, windowless room, he awoke with a pounding headache and a sense of confusion and fear. Three objects lay neatly arranged at the center of the room: a matchbox, an old wooden box, and a heavy, cold knife. The scarlet walls were illuminated by a bright tube light.

Curious, he picked up the matchbox and found three matchsticks inside. He hesitated before picking up the knife, but instead decided to examine the old wooden box. It was small and lightweight, so he opened it to find a folded piece of handmade paper on top.

As he carefully unfolded the paper, a handwritten note greeted him: "The fate of the eye is what you desire." Confused by the cryptic message, he looked inside the box and found a small velvet pouch. He pulled it out to reveal a human eye, still fresh and clean, with a brown color that matched his own.

Unsure of what to make of the strange objects in front of him, he placed the eye back in the box and wrapped the pouch around the handle of the knife. He reread the note and, after a moment of contemplation, picked up a match and lit it. He held the flame to the eye, and watched as it quickly caught fire and turned to ash.

As he opened the matchbox again, he was surprised to find that the other two matches had already been burned. Tears started to roll down his face as his eyes began to itch and burn. Within seconds, he was writhing in agony on the floor, screaming as he realized he had been blinded.

Just as he reached the peak of his pain, the door unlocked with a loud, screeching noise, and he could hear slow, deliberate footsteps approaching him. A voice echoed through the room: "Welcome to Hell..."

-sm-