Muddy, wet, damped, red lights. A street? A little girl and her sister. They all wore Kimonos and crowns. She’s gripping tightly on the arm of her sister as one smiles and the other frowns.
I could tell all this despite the night limiting my vision. The fog in the dark, and the strings upon which the lanterns hung guiding my eyes to the soft light that illuminated on her hands—such soft hands—I wondered if this is a summer festival.
The stalls broke with the loud suddenness of a thud, we were running the next thing I knew. A dark beast that eats all it comes near.
Scared I was, the beast held onto me and I can only kick in the urgency to escape from its grasp. Yet her voice rung through it all like a dream as she said my name. The soothing song of comfort brushed pass my ears and I escaped and hid.
It’s a nightmare.
The shed was our shelter. The child cried, wailing loudly, it attracted the beast in some way as his dark and murky figure seeps through the cracks of the door. The child buried her face in her sister’s chest out of so much fear letting out a muffled scream.
“Take her and run,” handed the sister—her young one. The game of hide and seek ended there as the beast engulfs the little girl’s sister.
I kept running and the child kept wailing. The humid heat of rain made it hard to breath and it wont be long til the child melted away leaving only its crown.
People of crowds gather round, I don’t quite remember hearing their voices but the golden stare they’ve casted upon me felt as if the sun were to be punish me for sins unknown, I failed to protect her, I killed that child.
✩✩✩
Soft warmth, it lingers on the tip of my fingers. And as I open my eyes the landscape became clear to me. Soft relief took over my heart like a safety blanket—despite the tears stains still being visible. The ocean waves was crashing infinitely at a distance.
The floor knocked—it was wooden. “Kawayan?” Said I, as I weakly stood. Water pushed back and forth under the bridge where I stood on, just like any other ocean, just like any other sea.
Splash!
A few small hands hustled me towards the water, as they all erupt in a laughing circle filled with mischief. The little children walked away to leave me under the small bridge and I could only crawl out like two pairs of cod—wet and probably dying.
A blanket wrapped around me. The lady with her hair tied in a bun and lips coated with red (which was going outside the line of her lips) was kind enough to offer me one.
Sea creatures of all kind, swam from below me, the stingrays particularly catching my attention. Stars swarmed its back, like a constellation of the night sky.
My eyes wandered around the area for so long and yet I found that it was all of cool colors. Navy blue, cyan blue, deep blue, bubble blue, turquoise blue, blue, blue, blue…
Green!
A young man with fern eyes stood beside me. Isn’t green still a cool color though? Well at least its something that isn’t blue, I would've been driven mad if I continue to see the same color in the same dream.
Awkwardly he started. The attempted conversation was halted. He tilt his head then sighed “Ah you’re just like her.” Not that I could care more, I asked, “Who are you talking about?”
“You wouldn't care even if I told you.”
He read my mind. Silence proceeds to fill in the gaps between us, “You really are like her.”
On cold tiles did he marched into, I followed behind him, curious as to where it leads.
Gone, he vanished after a few turns in the blue hallway, it lead to many doors.
There was a white door, a black door, a red door, a blue door which almost seemed invisible, a yellow door, a green door, a purple door, a crimson door, a teal door, a violet door, an orange door, a white door, a blue door, a yellow door. I might be lost.
There are so many twisting doors it can drive a person to insanity. But there is still the other side of each door. The knobs on each door are unique, so as the color, the shape, the height, the framing, and whatever is on the other side.
I kept walking down the endless long corridor of never ending turns, and ups, and downs. The straight path, I followed. “How did mister fern get through all this, and why did he walk here in the first place.” I mumbled again irritated.
I attempted to open every close door, but as to my surprise…
Locked, they were all locked.
But why though? There are tons of doors, but they're all locked. Are people occupying them?
I put my ear on the door, peaked through the spaces of the keyhole, yet all that appeared to me was a void. Hopelessly I sat on the cold tiles. Surely theres one door I haven’t checked, or one door I haven’t noticed.
“The blue door!” I shouted like a scientist yelling ‘eureka!’
“White door, orange door, violet door, teal door, crimson door, purple door, green door, yellow door, red door—Its not here! I must have passed it- ah!” Found it. I reached for the knob in great anticipation, will it be locked will it be welcoming?
The door knob could only rattle, It’s locked. What a disappointment it is. If only I have a key to unlock a door, or so that’s what everyone should be thinking, the red soul is simply lazy for now. She gives up and she sits down, tired, and sleepy.
Forever more will I be tired and sleepy.
If I’m forever trapped in this hallways of endless doors, I think I might go mad, and if a search team were to look for me, I would like to let them know that mister fern eyes is still in here somewhere—hopefully. I would like for him to explain himself and maybe give me directions for the next time I encounter this place.
What if this hallway is just endless because of mirrors…? But if it was I would’ve crashed into one while looking for the blue door. Never mind thinking, I shall simply dose to sleep.
I hugged my knees tightly, they keep me warm.
A void once again greeted my vision, being reminded of what happened to the two sisters I was filled with regret.
“If I had only held onto the girl’s hands, then maybe I could’ve heard her nice voice again. Why am I grieving, theres’s no need to despair?” A warm wet feeling caressed my cheeks, a loud thudding in my chest.
“All it was but a quick nightmare, nothing could’ve escaped the beast if you were to draw near its mouth.”
It’s been way too long since I sat down to close my eyes, I should just search the hallway again. “If I were mister fern eyes I would…” I paused to think.
“What would he do if he got accidentally lost around here?” Eyes were sunken into a solemn expression forgetting what was once. My foot harshly tapped on the tiled floor. With not a single idea emerging from my mind I took another glance around the place.
There, a door which was halfway open, I never saw this one before, did someone open it? No time to think! I can see a bundle of light passing through the cracks.
A wave of heat and light surges through, it took a few blinks before I got to adjust to sunlight once again. Still near the sea I remain.
A golden boy was swimming in the pool in front, sitting down a lazy seat near the pool I watched intently. It would be quite fun to take a dip in water right now, especially in this heat.
This ocean really differs from mine, is it perhaps his? It’s calm and bounces the sunlight softly, it smells salty like any other ocean, it doesn’t rain.
The sun beamed ever so brightly. Every time I attempt to look up, my eyes would squint so much I might as well be closing it. The deathly stare of our nearby star also reflected upon the pool, hopefully the boy isn’t sunburnt by all of this.
Hearing a faint splash near my seat it seemed like he came out of the pool, I should take my leave now.
“Oh hi! You must be one of the ████ ! ” Can’t seem to hear that part of the sentence.
“Ah yes—! You too must be a ████.” I tried greeting with a smile, only to feel my cheeks plumped up awkwardly. He laughed. Did I say something wrong? Do I look silly smiling? I always look silly with facial expressions.
“Ah no no I did not partake in that event-“
“oh my mistake then.”
I didn’t get a good look at him when he was in the water but now that he’s up close, he’s quite…pretty. He’s definitely someone I’d wanna sketch consistently.
His damp hair fell into an untidy mess as he dries it, how could anyone look this nice. I wrecked my head over it.
Under the umbrella beside the beach seat, our light silence was filled in by the thrashing waves, but he soon spoke “So do you have any favorite sea creatures?”
“Hmm I’m not quite sure yet as to what sea creature I like…” I tilted my head downwards back to a deep solemn expression. “Mind if I take a guess?” His voice rang once more. “Go ahead.”without a second to waste he started naming all of the sea creatures he could think about, quite aimlessly I’d say.
“Take a good look at me,” and he did so.
“Judging from my behavior, clothes, and surface personality, what kind of sea creature would you associate with me?”
“A lobster.” And he did so.
I could only stare at the ground taken aback, should I be offended? This is so silly.
Is it because of my red sweater? Eh who knows what’s he thinking anyway.
“You know you should look more into behavior than the clothes. That’s why I emphasized it in my sentence.”
“Ah well.” He stated. “I didn’t want to immediately assume what kind of person you are so…I just based my judgement on the color of your clothes..” He scratched his hair bashfully.
“Ah I see.” Now I’m a little embarrassed myself. “But I’ll try to be more good at observing!” He pumped his fist in an attempt to contain his surging energy.
He’s like a sun being covered with a blanket, no matter how dark the blanket may be light just surges through with a cheeky smile plastered on his face, he could explode anytime.
“Say we make an oath, you accompany me near the sea and I will befriend you. Thats a pretty good deal, Ain’t it?” I smiled.