The Painful Truth                                                        

Photo courtesy of New York Times

Another Chance

          My mom passed away right after I was born. My father was devastated, but he didn’t tell me anything about her death. I was too young and innocent. But of course, I found out sooner or later. I wasn’t that sad though, to be honest, I did not see my mom at all except in photos. Didn’t mean I was all that jolly either.

          I respected my dad. He wasn’t abusive or anything. He was nice, though he was a bit distant. It broke my heart to see him so depressed and sad, when he looked at pictures of mom. But I couldn’t help him. I tried, and it went horribly wrong. I told him it was alright and that mom was in a better place. He practically screamed in my face and threw a vase at me. It might’d flew an inch from my face. I felt the wind of it go by. Let say I didn’t say anything after that.

          It might be somewhat fine in the household, but high school, was hell.      

          I was 15, starting a second new year of the same school, with same people. I walked through the packed hallways with my head down and hood up. The kids there know me by a lot of names. ‘Emo Freak’, ‘Loser’, ‘Quiet Freak’, ‘Idiot’. You name it. I was the quiet kid of the school who barely had any friends. You think I should had speak up or something, right? I did, in fact. But it also went horribly wrong.  I tried speaking to some people, and tried to make friends but it just got me more enemies. I didn’t know why they hate me so much. But I could guess the suspect to be my eyes. Their purple, and they think is the sign of death. Which is stupid. I tried telling teachers, but they won’t do anything.

          Then on the 20th of October. Something life changing happened.

          Dad’s mental health must had gotten worse without me knowing. I come home to find dad...                                                                                                                                 ....in a pool of blood.

          News spread like bush-fire. Soon nearly the whole school knew that the ‘Emo Freak’s’ father had committed suicide. And what was disgusting is that they find it funny! The bullying got worse day by day. I got more depressed each day by each day. The demon and taken over my head and there was no more angels singing in my head. I grew colder and colder. Till the point where I started to think that grabbing a knife and killing everyone was better off. 

          I got up from bed and walked to the kitchen. Then something had happened, but it was a blur before I fell into darkness.

          I woke up in a bed. It wasn’t mine though. All around me was blue. Peaceful blue. I stood up and caught a door in my sight. It was blue except for the doorknob, which was sparkling gold. I timidly tip-toed towards to the door and opened it. I was immediately blinded by bright light.

          I shot up from my bed. The covers flew of my body. I was sweating profusely. It was all just a dream. I ran a hand through my hair and heard a familiar voice calling for breakfast. “MUM! DAD! Oh my god I’m so glad you’re alive!” Both gave confused and amused laugh and glances. “I had this dream and... Nevermind, It’s not important.” I smiled and ate my pancakes with my loving family. Then a voice sounded in my head, 

“You’re not hopeless Mandy. Don’t listen to others. Purple can represent anything. For you it would be hope. I’ll give you another chance to live. To change.”

#15

“Could you speak up?!”

“So dumb, can’t even do something simple.”

I tried to keep the tears in. I didn’t wanna wake her up. I eyed the box in front of me, hidden away from them. She’s still sleeping.

I scratched the skin underneath my uniform sleeve, pushing the tears back as hard as I could. Why did I take this route? I mentally slapped myself.

“Still scratching. Angry is it!?”

I stopped scratching, biting my tongue this time, a less effective tactic.

“Look up when I speak, you bitch!”

Slap! Ow.

The sting on my cheek was enough to blur my eyes with tears.

In the corner of my eye, I saw the box shift, and shift again.

Dang it.

“Please, just leave me alone, you’ll be in great danger if you stay here any longer.” I winced as I moved my arm, which was covered in bruises from the blows these shitheads gave me earlier.

I’m surprised I managed to endure those without crying. I should get a high score for th-

Pow! “How ‘bout you eat this!”

I fell to the ground, touching my cheek as they laughed.

Ouch, that actually hurt a lot.

Suddenly, a small blur hurls past me towards the gang.

Oh god, it’s gonna be a big mess.

I stared at the ground, picking at the dirt as Sash does her work. I couldn’t hear screaming, not even a whimper, Sash is quick. Dark red blood flowed to my fingers and I quickly scooted backwards. Ugh.

“Arf!” I looked up and sighed. Sash’s tiny mouth was dripping with blood, her fangs shining in the dimness of the alley. She wagged her tail and rubbed her furry face against my thigh as a greeting.

I picked her up and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief.

“Let’s get out of here, never gonna take this short cut again.”

I walked away with Sash in my bruised arms, leaving the gruesome scene to be discovered by some other poor soul.

End~

#7

Without Him

I hope you are okay.

I didn’t even notice I had paced from the front door to the couch for the umpteenth time. I took a deep breath and told myself to just sit down and relax. I walked over to the couch and plonked myself on the soft cushions. I closed my eyes.

But the next thing I knew I was biting on the pillow I squeezed like a teddy bear. I couldn’t help it. Sammy had been gone for a week, some may consider it short, but I really miss him. He always bring me such comfort and closure, love. He made all my fears go away. Without him even for a day, I feel like non-existent eyes were watching me through the few cracks in the walls. At night, when it’s dark I always had that irrational fear something would jump out from the dark and whisk me to somewhere horrifying.

I could barely eat and sleep without Sammy. I constantly texted and called him to check on him, it’s not like he can’t take care of himself, I’m just...a little paranoid. I can’t help thinking that something bad was going to happen to him anytime soon. The times when he didn’t respond to the texts I sent for 5 minutes already made me super worried. Everyday my mind just tortured me, hindering me of doing anything.

I felt so vulnerable alone. Every half and hour I would go around the house to check if the locks are still intact. I kept thinking I see something in the the corner of my eye and it really freaked me out. There was one day where I sat in bed for 2 hours straight, dazed, unable to move. Every day waking up without Sammy felt like hell.

That night I lay in bed, waiting in anticipation for tomorrow. The empty space beside me felt... well... empty. But Sammy will come back, tomorrow. I tossed and turned, unable to find a comfortable sleeping position to drift off.

Sammy is going to be okay. I reassured myself over and over again.

Ding! My phone received a message. “I’m on the plane! Don’t worry! I’m fine!” I smiled. The empty space beside space didn’t feel so empty anymore.

Photo courtesy of New York Times

Moving

          “Isn’t it boring here, Noah?” Elijah complained.

          “Patience Elijah. Soon enough, a huge wind is going to blow us away from here.” Noah reassured him for the umpteenth time with an exasperated sigh.

          Both Elijah and Noah had been in Antarctica for many years, standing in the great vast of water, only moving a little by the winds that could have knocked any human down. Due to their great size, they haven’t been moving a lot recently. Elijah had been very impatient. He was just a bit smaller than Noah, he really wanted to explore the world.

But the winds weren’t cooperating.

          “Seriously Elijah? It’s better here. We can survive here before those dreaded humans come and destroy us.” Peppy piped up indignantly. She was the smallest ice berg there was. She was always annoyed with Elijah, for all he kept talking about was to explore the world and complain how boring Antarctica was.

          “I don’t think all humans are that bad! And I hate all the boring white here...” Elijah continued on and on and on. Peppy and Noah sighed in defeat.

          One day, Elijah and Noah were just chatting about their day. It was one of those rare days where Elijah wasn’t complaining the ice off about how boring Antarctica was.

That was when the howling started.

          It wasn’t audible at first, the wind wasn’t too strong, nor was the water current. But slowly, is started picking up faster and faster. It was like a blizzard, Noah and Elijah could barely see anything. Then they started moving little by little. They saw Peppy speeding past them, screaming as she went. Elijah and Noah started moving faster and faster. It was the biggest storm they ever had.

Then all light had disappeared.

          “Elijah! Wake up! Look where we have arrived!” Elijah groaned and woke up to bright light and warmth. It was really unlike Antarctica. Elijah gasped upon finding out where they were.

          They were floating in warmer waters next to colourful land! Well, not really colourful, but it wasn’t white! At last! Something other than blue and white! Elijah stared in awe. A red house stood further away, and another white house peeked from behind. What humans called ‘cars’ were standing around on the land. Human were looking at us and talking muffled words. “I think they’re talking about us!!” Elijah exclaimed excitedly. Noah didn’t say anything.

          They floated in the warm waters, not moving. Soon, night came and all the human went home. Elijah and Noah stood floating in the waters all alone. “Hey Elijah, I think I’m starting to melt...” Elijah looked over in a panic just in time to see a small chunk of ice falling down from Noah. It dropped own and splashed loudly in the sea.

Both looked at each other in horror.

Photo courtesy from New York Times

My former owner

         I’d had lived in the Dog’s Rescue Center nearly all my life. I wasn’t properly taken care of by my former, blind owner, and I was kicked out of the house because my former owner said that I did not do my job well as I did not lead him to the supermarket and instead, the park as I thought he said he wanted to go to the latter. It wasn’t my fault though, he should had given me food for me to be alert. My neighbor found me lying at the doorstep, close to dying and when she found out that my former owner did not want me anymore, my neighbor brought me to the Dog’s Rescue Center.

         I was fed, bathed, given water and sympathy. For the first time, I felt warm, loved and welcomed. I immediately knew that I was going to enjoy my stay there. And I wasn’t wrong.

         I was greeted by many curious faces staring at me on my first day when I was brought into the playroom. A big dog that might be two times larger than me stepped up and sniffed me. Is this how you greet others? I wondered as he sniffed me. Then he raised his head and stared at me with his large black eyes. He held out a paw and I timidly placed mine. In an instant, all the other dogs in the room barked and cheered, and the edges of my mouth pulled up into a wide grin. I was definitely going to love this place.

         The rescue center was only ran by one person who went by the name, Vanessa, that was what I heard anyway. I knew this because I loved running around and I checked the whole place, every nook and cranny of that place, and I didn’t find anyone. A volunteer or two may come but it was always Vanessa.

         So why did I see him there after the second day?

         On the second day in the rescue center, while I was eating breakfast with my new friends, I saw a strange figure in the corner of my eye. But when I looked up, it had vanished. I got a clear image of it though, during lunch. It had a black hat on its head, its head was hung so low so I couldn’t see the features of its face. He was wearing a white shirt and black trousers. But the strangest thing was......

He looked awfully like a doppelganger of my former owner.

         He would appear and disappear at random points of time, and no one would notice. Even if he was in plain sight and I would signal to my friends to look, but they would look at me weird and say that they did not see anything. He had never tried to speak or touch me. He would just stand there, looking and smiling at me, his face still hidden. I was the only one who could see him. My friends would stare at me whenever I growled or threatened the strange figure.

         A week after staying in the rescue center, Vanessa entered the playroom and gently called out to me, “Robin. Someone wants to meet you. Come on!” I got up and looked back at my friends. They all had a smile on their faces, and I turned to follow Vanessa. Apparently, a nice couple wanted to adopt me! I was ecstatic! They were so nice, compared to my previous owner, they were always petting me and even complimented my shiny fur coat.

But what about my friends?

         I raced into the playroom and announced jubilantly, “Hey! Guess what? I’m getting adopted!” “So you’re leaving?” Jacky, a small Dalmatian, piped up sadly. Peter, the giant dog who greeted me on the first day gently patted Jacky’s head, “He has to go some day or another.” A smiled sadly at Jacky, and looked up at my other friends. “I’ll remember all of you.” “We’ll remember you too!” They all chorused. I wagged my tail good bye and headed out to my new owners. As we passed the front counter. I jumped up on my hind legs and to bark a good bye to Vanessa. That was when I saw him. He was standing behind Vanessa, leaning against the back wall, grinning the same old grin. I barked and barked ferociously at him. Vanessa thought I was saying good bye and she smiled sweetly and waved a good bye to me. Just as the man disappeared in thin air.

         We stopped at a cafe which allowed pets so I went in too. I was showered with attention for a while but eventually got bored. So my eyes wandered around the cafe till I saw a television playing the news. It was talking about a person falling into a ditch only to be found about a week later. I squinted at the television to get a good look at the victim’s face.

          It was my former owner.

#1

Family of four

“Ugh, your taste in hotels is garbage.” Ugh, this woman. “ DADDY, I’M HUNGRY!” “MOMMY WHERE ARE WE!?”

You could just feel the love radiating out of Edward’s family. Edward’s family consisted of Edward, his wife Peppy, 8 year old Peter and 6 year old Cassandra. Peppy had the idea of going on a family overseas trip. Harmless, right?

The family was chaos. Peter and Cassandra were restless throughout the plane ride and the journey to the hotel. It wasn’t a good time for the family. As if things couldn’t get any worse, Peppy complained about the design of the hotel, criticising Edward’s taste in hotels, even though it was Peppy who chose the hotel. While Edward was trying his best not to loose his patience, the family of four went up to the front desk.

“Edward Orsion and Peppy Orsion?” The tired-looking front desk person, whose name tag said Bob, asked in the most mundane voice. Edward nodded. Bob searched around in his desk drawer, and froze suddenly. Peppy tapped her foot impatiently. Knowing Edward will never hear the end of Peppy’s complaining, he leaned forward and politely questioned, “Sir? Is there something wrong?” At the sound of his voice, Bob snapped back from his stupor. He sheepishly grinned and said, with finally some emotion in his voice, “Sorry sir, my mind just drifted off a little.” Peppy scoffed. Bob handed Edward the keys and said, “Room 4, on the second floor.” Edward grabbed his suitcases and dragged his kids and wife towards the old lift.

Room 4 was beautiful. In Edward’s eyes anyway. The only thing that captured Peppy’s eyes was a painting of a beautiful family of four. A male and a female holding hands, with two beautiful children by their side, a boy and a girl. “That family is so perfect. Why can’t we be like them. Why can’t you be like the....” Edward tuned out of his wife’s rant. He walked around the room. A living room, a small kitchen and two small bedrooms, with even smaller toilets in each bedroom. It was pretty decent to Edward. Cassandra and Peter were on the tattered sofa switching between channels on the television to find something entertaining to watch. Edward sighed. He just hoped that the next day would be better.

Edward woke up, surprisingly later than the rest of the family. He washed up and went to the kitchen for breakfast. Peppy was drinking some coffee, while the kids drank milk with two packets of chocolate beans beside their mugs. Wait, I don’t remember bringing any chocolate beans. He questioned Peppy about it and she said, “That front desk guy gave us some chocolate beans, and I figured the kids would like it.” Edward thought nothing of it and continued the day.

The city tour later that day was a disaster. Cassandra and Peter were really nauseous and sick. They kept vomiting and complained about headaches. Eventually the disastrous day finally came to an end. Edward tucked the children in bed, but they took a very long time to fall asleep, causing Edward to stay up coaxing them to sleep. He was exhausted. On the way to his bedroom he passed by the living room. The picture of the family of four caught his eye, it looked different. Terrifyingly different. The four members began to show some signs of...decomposition. It was frighteningly real. Too real. Edward shook his head in disbelief and horror. Refusing to believe what he just saw and concluded that it’s the cause of his lack of sleep, he rushed to his bedroom to sleep.

“EDWARD!!! THE KIDS WON’T WAKE UP!” Edward snapped awake at Peppy’s cries. He jumped out of bed and stumbled towards the kids’ bedroom. Sure enough, the kids lay in bed, motionless. Peppy knelt beside the bed trying to shake them awake. Their eyes won’t budge. Edward stayed calm and walked towards Peppy. He shook the kids, coaxing them to wake up, like how he would have done if they try to feign sleep. They wouldn’t wake up. Edward was unsettled by this. Then suddenly, he was reminded of the picture he saw the night before. He gulped. No, it can’t be. He epresvhed out two fingers and placed them on both children’s necks.

No heartbeat.

Edward slumped onto the bed, silently crying.

“Their dead Peppy. Their dead...” “Now’s not the time to make jokes idiot!” All the same Edward could feel Peppy lean forward. Then he heard her wailing. Everything clicked though. It had to be that darn chocolate beans. It was the first thing Cassandra and Peter ate before they started showing symptoms.

And it was all caused by Bob.

Edward gritted his teeth. He stood up and grabbed blankets, laying them on the children. He then grabbed Peppy’s hand, helped her stand and both of them rushed to the front desk to confront Bob.

Down at the front desk, Bob stood there as he suddenly heard a woman’s wail. He smiled. That was fast. He smiled. He took out a photo from his desk drawer. It was a family of four. Bob, hand in hand with his wife, with his children by his side, a boy and a girl. He had a flashback to the dreadful car accident. His smile faded.

Suddenly he heard the lift coming. Bob smiled again. He gathered two knives and got ready.

End~

#10

Stupid

ALYSSA smiles sadly with downcast eyes.

Alyssa: Stupid. You’re so stupid

Points to head.

Alyssa: You think bandages can fix this wound? No. Of course not. Are you that naive? Or do you think I’m just that dumb?

ALYSSA throws her head back and starts laughing.

Alyssa: (Mocking sweet voice) Omg yesss let’s be besties, I soooo forgive you ahahaha. (Returns to normal voice) (frowns) Seriously? Stop wasting your time on me, idiot. Haven’t you learnt that?! Stop leeching off me. Go away.

ALYSSA turns away and sits on the floor, clutching her knees to her chest.

Alyssa: What do you want? Could you just leave me alone. You’ve done enough damage… (sniffs)

After a while of tense silence, ALYSSA gets up and turns around. Her expression has changed to anger.

Alyssa: (sneers) WHAT DO YOU WANT SO BAD, HUH?! YOU’RE JUST GONNA COME BACK, TRY TO MAKE ME YOUR LITTLE TOY AGAIN! WATCH ME SUFFER AND CRY. I HAVE KNOWN BETTER, DON’T EXPECT ME TO FORGIVE YOU WHEN YOU COME PATHETICALLY CRAWLING BACK TO ME.

ALYSSA is out of breath. She calms down, and turns around. After a while, she turns her head to the side and looks down.

Alyssa: I can never forgive you. I’m not going to sympathise with you ever. I’m better now, but I shouldn’t have been friends with you ever. Find someone else to give you a second chance. But...

ALYSSA looks back in front of her.

Alyssa: You don’t deserve one.

ALYSSA walks away.

End~

#6

My Imaginary Friend

I always had a wild imagination. And it was no surprise that I had a imaginary friend. Her name is Natalie. She’s great. My father left and my mother didn’t care too much bout’ me, and she worked lots of shifts, so Natalie kept me company. She was cold to me at first, but after talking to her, playing with her, and entertaining her, she warmed up to me. She. Was. Great.

Let me describe Natalie. She had long, and messy (the cute kind of messy) black hair. Dark-skinned. Cute blue eyes. (Like me!) The outfit she always wore was black and white striped t-shirt, blue pleated skirt with black leggings, red sandals. Lovely outfit.

She was always with me for 8 years, since I was six years old. I forgot about her after that since, well you know, school. It was very lonely after that, I had no friends at school. But I occupied myself with homework and music. I liked my school. However, two years later when I was 15, my mother decided to move houses, moving houses means moving to another school. Ugh. What’s wrong with our own house.

My new school was much, much worse. People were constantly picking on me. I try to ignore them.(Easier said than done) But I have other stuff to think about than my haters, so whatever. (Again, easier said than done.) My mother is still working a lot, thus not paying much attention to me. Thus I’m lonely again. But, at least I have food to eat and a house to live in, so hey, ain’t that bad.

I’ve been having the same weird dream every time I go to sleep, eversince I moved. I just see this silhouette of a person in front of me, as I stand in water, unable to move. And that’s practically it, I would wake up again, calm but confused.

Pretty weird if you ask me. (Even if you don’t.)

My mother had been distant lately. I mean, she was always distant, but she has this look in her eye that I can’t decipher. But who am I to care! (Just kidding I did care. I just didn’t wanna she her.)

Even the kids at school had been shooting me weird looks lately! Everytime I passed by, they would always shift further away from me, as if I had some sort of deadly virus. Ridiculous. I ignored it. (Okay, I lied again.)

My mother hadn’t returned from work. I don’t care. I fell asleep eventually.

I woke up...not in my bedroom. Instead I was strapped to a table in the basement. Huh, this was a different dream. This time though, I was able to move. Good sign. This dream though, felt uncomfortably real. I looked around and realised that the shelves were cleared, replaced by lit candles. Their glow was too real. Suddenly I heard someone coming. It was my mother. I giggled, (I don’t understand how I could be so calm) and said, “Hi mom. Quite a weird dream eh?” She looked at me and said, “This is no dream Elisa. Nor is this a nightmare. I’m killing you tonight.”

I froze. No way. My fear turned into anger. I shook violently, trying to free myself! My mother just looked on, with no emotion in her eyes. “LET ME GO TRAITOR. WHATEVER DID I DO TO YOU TO DESERVE THIS!?” My mother smiled, (She had the gall to smile) and explained calmly, “Oh dear Elisa, though you’re gonna die, I’ll tell you anyway. You had a sister, Natalie.”

Natalie. That name sounded familiar. But I had a sister? “Where is she then?” My mother, no I can’t even call her mother anymore, the traitor’s mouth contorted into a frown.

“She’s dead Elisa. I killed her. If she wasn’t disgustingly black, maybe I would change my mind.”

What the hell! “What kind of woman are you!? Killing her just because of her skin colour. What does this all have to do with me anyway!?” The traitor’s from deepened. “You...remind me too damn much about her. I can’t afford to have a guilty conscience. You have to go.”

My anger turned into panic. “NO NO. Why can’t you just take me to an orphanage?! You won’t have to see my anymore!!!” She just silently narrowed her eyes. I tried all I could to free myself, yet all my efforts were in vain. Then, she revealed the knife that had been behind her back the whole time, and slowly advanced up to me.

My panic meter broke.

She lifted the knife above my heart.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

And I heard the knife clatter on the floor.

My eyes flew open. And there standing in place of the traitor, was a messy haired girl, dark skinned, wearing black and white striped shirt with blue pleated skirt and black leggings. Natalie, my imaginary friend, my dead sister.

“N-Natalie! Please untie me!” She looked at me sadly. “I’m sorry Elisa. No one would find you here. Even if they eventually do, you would be dead by then. I can’t untie you, but we will play together again, soon!” Tears rolled down my cheeks. Natalie stares down at me sadly. “I’m sorry.” She whispered. She took my hand, and my vision went black.

End~

Photo courtesy of New York Times

The dream

          I had the same dream over and over again. My sister would always be there to wake me up. She said that I was sweating and sometimes screaming. And yet in the dream I never scream at all. Every morning I would wake up to my sister’s calling, and the dream still fresh in my mind. But when I try to tell anyone about my dream. It would disappear, and I wouldn’t have anything to say. I could tell no one.

          It all happened after my mother’s death. She died in a car crash, a tragic death. I was still sullen months after her death, I could not move on, her death haunted me. She was the only person, besides my sister, who truly loved me and cared for me. She was the best mother, but now she was gone....forever.....

Except my dreams...

          I would go to sleep and wake up in an unknown place and the sky would be pink, which always reminded me of my mother, since it was her favourite colour. I would be standing on a wooden bridge that led somewhere. I would also find myself wearing my mother’s jacket, I took it from her to remember her. But instead of a pink jacket, it turned red. I would walk and walk and walk till my sister called me up and pull me back to reality. It was the same, strange dream every night. 

I didn’t know what was going on...

          One night, my sister was away to attend a party hosted by her friends. I was left all alone in the house. I had lots of work to be done and went to bed real late. But my sister still hadn’t come back home. I figured that she had fell asleep in her friend’s house. I lay awake, thoughts all on my mother. I missed her terribly, I really wished to give her one last hug. To feel her warm embrace. Her presence. My eyelids grew heavily, and I was pulled into the web of unconsciousness.

          I woke up. Again on the same wooden bridge and pink sky with pink and white clouds. With my mother’s once pink now red jacket. I stood up and once again waked towards the end. The only thing different was that now no one was there to wake me up. 

I reached a dead end.

          I found a beautiful mirror at the end. Unknown light glinted of the surface of the glass. I saw my face looking right back at me from the mirror. I picked up the mirror and sat at the end of the wooden bridge. I stared at it, uninterested. When the image of my face changed. It turned into my mother’s loving face! We looked very alike, I just needed long hair and blue eyes to look like her. She stared unblinking at me, frown curling up into a smile. I was shocked. It was a dream, but with my mother. I grabbed the mirror and shouted, “Mom! Can you hear me! Where are you? Mom! Mom?” I stared at the mirror. Mom’s face was just there, smile frozen in place.

“Henry, dear?” A soothing voice piped up.

          I whipped my head up and tears ran down my cheeks. “MOM! Oh my god mom I miss you so much!” I put the mirror down and got up. Mum was floating with beautiful white wings, about two metres away. “I know we haven’t talked in a while. Come to me.” She head her arms outstretched. I ran towards her, but she changed in a split second, to bloody eyes, shirt and wings... Everything became red around me. And after that split second, I fell into the red abyss, and darkness whisked me away...

Mother’s P.O.V?:

I looked down and couldn’t see him anymore. I smiled. That was another one who took something from the dead. I stared at the pink jacket o the bridge.

Who will be next I wonder?

Inspired by a Korean Urban legend made by ‘707′

#4

My Happy Balloon

Throughout my childhood, I always held my Happy Balloon. Sometimes it deflated just a bit, but it always expanded after a day or so. It floated with me the whole way.

When I was a teenager, things got a little bit rough with my Happy Balloon. They were people who would try to pop it by stepping on it. It was a bit dirty, and sometimes it would deflate for a long, long time due to some holes in it. But Cassie would come. She would pick up my Happy Balloon, and put plasters on the holes, my Happy Balloon would then return to normal again, smiling. It was all thanks to my dear friend Cassie.

Then I went to college. Cassie and I went to the same school. One day we saw some people messing up someone else’s Happy Balloon. Cassie and I quickly ran to get help. When the people went away, Cassie and I went and fixed up the person’s Happy Balloon. It was as good as new. The person thanked us and introduced herself as “Lessie”. Lessie, Cassie and I became very good friends! Or so I thought.

Cassie, Lessie and I helped each other, we were best of friends, ready to protect one another. But soon, I noticed Cassie and Lessie started to drift away from me. I felt my Happy Balloon start to deflate little by little, day by day. Then finally, they popped it. Without my Happy Balloon by my side, I felt sad. I had no more friends, and no Happy Balloon.

I was now working at a convenience store as a job. One day, the new guy came up to me. He had a Happy Balloon by his side, it reminded me of when I had my own Happy Balloon. He came up to me and told me his name: Jonathan. Jonathan asked if we could be friends. I was skeptical about it, but I accepted it.

I expected Jonathan to be like Cassie and Lessie. Drift away from me after a while. It’s been 3 months. He hadn’t drift off yet. He had been so kind to me, he had protected me. He even gave me a Happy Balloon. It’s been forever since I had my Happy Balloon! We were best of friends.

It’s been 2 years. Jonathan still hadn’t drift off yet. Neither did I. We had ups and downs, but nothing deflated our Happy Balloons. Nothing at all. Not even when Jonathan finally told me about his medical condition.

He had cancer. Something that cannot be cured. He had this for 3 years. He didn’t want to tell me as he thought it would deflate my Happy Balloon. I cried of course, I was a little bit mad at him for not telling me about it, but not for very long. It didn’t deflate my Happy Balloon one bit. I wanted to make his last few months with me the best months in in entire life. We went everywhere, to the places we always wanted to go, took pictures, memories.

Before he died, we went to our hangout. The swing under the apple tree on Silent hill. We looked at the beautiful scenery. It was so peaceful. Then Jonathan told me, “Promise me, that even if I am gone, you would hold on to your Happy Balloon. Remember that I’ll be up there, looking after you.” I cried and hugged him for a very long time.

I kept my promise. I visited his grave, holding onto my Happy Balloon that Jonathan gave me. When I saw Jonathan’s Happy Balloon floating next to his headstone, I cried, I knew he was at peace now. His death didn’t pop my Happy Balloon. And it will float by my side even after death.

End~