Q is for Quintessence

As Wisp and I headed back to my brother’s house I felt lighter. It was a strange feeling as I hadn’t actually done anything and Jonathan’s instructions were entirely theoretical but I still felt that at least I was heading in the right direction.
At my brother’s place the house was empty. I hoped one of his mates had taken him in for the night as it would be much better for him to be out of the place until it was fixed. In the back of my mind I feared that my brother had been removed by the police or the fabled men in white coats. Inside the house evidence of the earlier disturbance littered the kitchen and loungeroom. I was finally glad to be a spirit just so I couldn’t cut my feet on the broken glass which sat like fresh snow on the tiles and carpet.
I hovered over the entrance of the basement with Wisp beside me. Both of us had been given instructions. Wisp was to stay outside and enter only after fifteen minutes. I was to drown in the quintessence until then.
Jonathan had explained to us about the quintessence. It was a variation of dark matter; that much the physicists had correct, but they did not understand its function. In fact, no one living was likely to ever understand it as it was without the realm of the breathing life. Quintessence was what filled the basement in my brother’s house. It filled the ‘heart’ in every house. It was not linked to the acceleration of the universe, but rather the excess of emotions. Jonathan explained that when you feel that you are about to burst because you are feeling an emotion so strongly — whether it be love or hate, sorrow or joy — the quintessence was the reason that you didn’t explode in feeling. It was like a sponge for feelings. Sometimes, however, it malfunctioned. This could result in anything from a person having a ‘nervous breakdown’ (Jonathan said they aren’t really nervous breakdowns) through an excess of emotion or, as had happened with my brother, the quintessence might stop taking the emotions and start giving them back.
I looked over at Wisp and Wisp looked back at me. At first Wisp had protested the plan but it had become clear that it was the only plan. I admit I could feel that tingle of fear but I was ready to try it, no matter the consequences. I broke eye contact with Wisp and dropped down into the quintessence as though it were the cold, unforgiving ocean.