The clouds of rain were covering the sky. Each drop gently beating against the glass of his bedroom window. The roar of lightening announcing its presence. He looked outside as if searching for an angel to appear in the grey skies. The warmth of his bedroom giving him a sweet embrace. An embrace he desperately needed.
He was fresh from university and had in his pocket nothing but dreams. Hopes and desires that stretched further than the vast sea. Hopes and desires that promised no life like the dunes of the desert. His hopes were like weeds that grow and grow but all they do is suffocate the flowers and vegetation around. They cracked through his soulless heart and he had no way or means to uproot them. His dreams kept him in a sleepy state throughout the whole day. Maybe that’s why he could never find life in the real world. The rain was a reminder of his existence.
During his university life however, he was a much happier boy. His hopes and desires were then beautiful flowers with beautiful corollas that crowned his existence. Instead of his hopes and desires being the dunes of dead deserts, they were the flourish of forest flora. Oh yes, he had a step in his walk. He was what many would regard a jubilant young man. His dreams kept him awake and each day he would remind himself of them. He would affirm that one day his dreams will become reality. Little did he know that one day, he will meet: her.
This is not your typical love story. She wasn’t the dismal in distress. Oh no, she wasn’t the princess in need of a kiss to arouse her in her slumber. Oh no she wasn’t even the girl of his dreams. Oh no I tell you that this isn’t your typical love story. She was sitting outside the library with a book titled ‘Black Mind, Black Thoughts’ and he caught a glimpse of the cover. Below the title was a freedom fist in a black glove but the hand was white. Veins of green and red running inside the pale wrist.
“Black mind, black thoughts. Black power, white supremacy?” He asked with wit. This was his attempt of an ice breaker for inside he was shaking like jelly in moving vehicle crossing gravel road.
“Hmm. Clearly you come to state your mind. Speak your case.” The female with the black gloved white hand book cover replied with no sign of emotion on her face.
“Well, I find your book appealing.” He summoned the confidence to reply to her.
“Well, rather say you find the person holding the book appealing. For if I was a man, you would not be engaging me right
now- about this book.” She said with fiendish sharpness.
“Well. Well. Well. Well- “
“Do not waste my time. Speak your case.” She interjected.
“What have I gotten myself into!” he internally questioned himself. He has always struggled with confidence and on this day, when he thought he had conjured enough confidence to engage with a female, this female like a homeless man’s armpit- her presence overpowered him. He could feel his masculinity seep through the nails of toes with each rattle of his knees and ankles. At that moment, his masculinity was rendered powerless.
“Since you have nothing to say, goodbye.” She said so packing her book in a cute, pink, flower decorated handbag. She walked away with such grace he failed to believe that it was the same woman who was recently sitting down. He must have entered into a portal and now he was back. Her walk bringing him back to Earth. With the little ounce of confidence left in him, he ran after her.
“Listen, you are interesting. You have a rich mind. Well, it seems you do. Let me drink of your well of knowledge for I seek it. I thirst it.” He said so surprising even himself. It must be the last draws of his breath that these words have been laying.
“Hmmm.” She took a card out of her cute handbag. Hand made and clearly decorated with crayon chalks, “here is my number and name. Call me.”
And moments later she disappeared. He was holding her card. Her weird card. Her very weird and contradictory card. A fierce yet gentle dragon perhaps. He thought he would be over the moon but instead, he was worried. Thoughts ran about this girl in his mind. “Pink bag? Card cut-outs? What and who is this lady!? She must be missing bolts. Or she must have been created with bolts!”
He arrived at his single room flat. Student life, just have to love it. He’s empty fridge a sharp reminder of his need to succeed. The packs of Movite and 6 pack milk cartoons his staple food for the past 3 weeks. Strangely enough, for him this was the life. He never had the desire to live a wild and extremely luxurious life. The extreme desire he had was luxurious watches. He loved watches. He loved how these watches could precisely tell the time. Precise even to tell the very fraction of the fraction of a split second. Within no time he readied himself to make the call. He pulled put his phone, he searched his back pocket and pulled out the crayon chalked card cut-out. He momentarily looked at the card and chuckled. “I was challenged by a crayon colouring girl. Oh, wow I’m such a Ken!” As he was about to type the numbers, his hand vibrated. His phone was ringing and, on the screen, flashed numbers unknown.
Slightly annoyed he answered:
“Hello?” He said.
“Hi.” The voice said. He could tell the voice was that of a male.
“Can I help?” He asked the voice with a hint of irritation in his voice.
“Hmmm.” The voice said and hung the phone.
“Ok-ay.” He said to himself. “Where was I?” he said to himself with excitement running through his fingers. With the dial of the first digit the same number called him again.
“Hello, how can I help you my man?” He said with annoyance that was carried in his voice.
“Fall.” The voice said.
Within that moment, he was drawn into the earpiece of his phone. He found himself being stretched by his atoms as he journeyed into this warp. He had no idea what was happening. All around was green and red yet he felt no pain. Instead he felt his mind being stretched. Expanding and being pulled to reach the corners of the universe. He was clearly entering into another dimension.
Into this dimension he fell and he was terrified beyond measure. He could barely speak and his mind could barely conceive any thoughts about what just happened. This dimension was beautiful. This dimension had wild life that was marked with purple and pink signs. All the wild life, animals and plants alike. All marked with purple and pink signs.
“Don’t be afraid”
He collapsed instantly when he heard the voice. He lost track of time but clearly, he had been out cold for some time. He woke up in his bed, in his one single room flat with his phone in his hand. He could not make sense of any aspects of what had happened. The clouds began to rumble with thunder. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
“Should I answer? I can’t- “
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
“I am in no- “
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
“Ok fine!”
“I’m coming! Hold up, I’m on my way”
He forced himself up from his bed. Dazed and confused he wore a mask of social calmness to conceal his extreme confusion. With a faint smile he opened the door.
“Hi.”
“H…Hi, hi.” He said to the individual standing in front of his door. His mask fell to the ground under the weight of the extreme confusion. “How in the world- “
“I have been following you already. I know where you live. I know where you really live too. I know your sister too. Such a sweet soul. And now, I have come to know you.” The crayon coloured card cut-out girl said as she stood in the flesh, at his doorstep.
The clouds began to rumble even more fiercely and she stood there without any movement. He did not know whether to run, invite her into his place, call the police or call his pastor! He was confused, scared and-
“Rather let me say this, I have come to know you- And eat your soul!”
With the crack of lightening in the sky she leaped forward and looked at him straight in the eye. He saw the hazel glare of her eyes to be the prettiest colour known to man. Yet in this moment, those very eyes were sucking the very life out of him. He felt the twist and whirl of his hopes and desires spiral out of his eyes into hers. The intensity of it all causing her eyes to light up with a powerful illuminance. She then jumped up from him and took out a book from her cute handbag. She then stared at the cover and he could see how his hopes and desires took physical form as they decorated the cover of her new book. For what took only seconds, felt like it took hours. As if exiting a trance, she calmed herself and look at the cover. She seemed pleased and said, “I wonder what I’m going to title this one.” With a proud exclamation that sounded like that of a ten old she added on to say, “HA! I know!”
He was shaking and had no breath in his lungs. All the air in him was dancing on his tongue. He could barely find his train of thoughts having been so derailed by what had happened.
“I’m going to call this book- “
“Don’t be afraid” his mother entered his room.
You see each night the skies darken, the thunder roars through the clouds and it begins to rain, he cannot help but remember that fateful day. That day when beauty held him captive. The day when he’s soul was stolen by a crayon coloured card cut-out giving girl.