#1 Crow’s Wings
It was a weird thing. I was a boy, with jet black hair and dark plain clothing, just standing and staring. It was peculiar. That small window and part of the corner it was attached to. The whole room, a basement, was lighted as if it were day and wasn’t a basement. It was empty, and very, very large. The corner, it was black, like there was a shadow. A strange light seeped through the small window, it was a light purple, giving a mystic feel. How strange. I went into the shadow in the corner and looked up into that window. There is nothing but the same purple light. How odd. I turned away and jogged upstairs.
I’m outside, right at the side of a tall house. It was day. In front of me were more stairs, leading to some sort of terrace-path way. I look back. There were no traces of where I came out of. I think nothing of it and went up the stairs. The ‘path way’ led to the back of the house. I think. The cream paint, three-story, and terrace reminds me of my own house. No, this is my home. With quite some differences that is. I look down over the terrace. There they are, the neighbouring house and, behind that, the mossy path way to the small river. I smile. There is a door to my left. Of course, it wouldn’t be able to be on my right. I walk in, to a room. The room resembled the ones that the tourists sleep in in my house –it is a homestay, or some sort of hotel/home if you don’t know. There’s another terrace at the front, outside of the room. I step out and look to my right. There were two more similar rooms. I walk to the third room.
It looked like the room my grandmother uses when she visits us. It looked just like when I was ten. The boxes of toys stacked on top of each other and a wooden chair, outside of the room, a wooden double door standing between them. I opened the door and went in. On my left there was a single window. A body-length mirror, leaning on the wall in front of me, was beside said window. The mirror, or should I say a tall piece of reflecting glass, was a plain rectangle shape with no frame. In the center of that wall was a one and a half meter window, divided into three vertical ones. Beside it, in the corner, was a plain single bed with only a couple of plain pillows, all from bed to sheet and pillows were a light colour. The wall beside that was empty. After looking around, I step out of the room again. I look to my right, past the boxes of toys, and instead of a stairway going down, it went up. I walked and went up the stairs.
The second floor. Not that much different than the first, minus that one room I just got out of. Nothing special here. I walk across the front terrace, past two rooms, to the stairs. I face the stairway and stop. I look around, sensing something. Someone’s coming to chase me, I can feel it. I stare at the stairway down. Someone’s coming from that direction. No, there’s more than one. What should I do? I look at the stairway beside it, it goes up, and decide to run for it. I run up the stairs to the next floor.
This should be the third floor, I’m back at the second floor?! What’s going on! But it feels different, it looks different. There is something different here than before, but I can’t really place it. I can hear them, they’re coming! No time to stand around. I ran up the stairs again. Again. Again, again and again. What is going on here, it’s endless! Where’s the third floor? I don’t know why, but I know I’ll be able to escape there. Up, up, up. Not yet. When will I get there?
At last! The end! I’m on the third floor! I freeze for a fracture of a second. Right in front of me wooden benches and tables used in schools were on top of each other, stacked into a messy tall pile, blocking my way to freedom. They’re close, no time to think. I climb the pile. Halfway up, I couldn’t move. I look back behind my shoulder. One of them caught my ankle. He pulled, and I fell on my back. I look up, two men in suits, they look normal, but I know they’re not. The one wo pulled me down was scowling, his expression saying ‘now stay still and let us bring you back’, while the other was smirking wide enough to split his face, ‘there’s nowhere else to run’, cocky clearly written all over his face. Scowling, I got up. No way am I going back with them. I know they are bad. Smirk-face stepped closer and tried to grab me. I slapped his hand and kicked him away, turned back, and climbed over the pile of benches and tables before the scowling guy could catch me again. I jumped off the terrace without hesitation.
It’s too late for them now, they wont be able to catch me, that was their last chance. I spread my arms. I can see other small houses and a light forest only a few hundred meters from me. I close my eyes and open them. I have wings, jet black wings, and I’m flying. They’re crow wings. That’s new. I beat my wings and fly toward the forest.
I’m over the forest, on top of a shallow clearing and slowly glide down. Reaching the ground, my wings gone, I start walking. I’m on a road fit for only one car to go through, coconut trees and rice paddies on each side of the road, with patches of other kinds of trees here and there. Kind of like a road in Bali that I’ve been to. As I kept walking, the forest got thicker and darker, but not at all scary.
I open my eyes. I’m in my room. I think, and remember what just happened. A dream. ‘Isn’t that interesting, a story of a boy with crow’s wings’.
End –Ch. 1
