What’s Your Name?
I stuck Mallory into the bed and switched off the light. ‘What about the moon mama?’ she said and pointed to her yellow crescent moon lamp on top of the study table near the bed. ‘Sure baby,’ I turn on the moon nursery light. ‘Stop calling me baby,’ she said. ‘I am not a baby anymore, Mama.’
The pale yellow light which comes from the moon lamp makes me see Mallory’s face in the dark room. She has small eyes with bigger and darker eyeballs, similar to a doll. Her face is round and a little chubby. And she has a flat nose and thin pink pair of lips. ‘Close your eyes pretty Mallory, I’ll tell you a story.’ I said and lightly pinch her small nose.
‘Once upon a time there were two children named Hansel and Gretel. Their stepmother abandoned them in the forest. But Hansel is a smart kid, he drops pebbles on the ground on their way to the forest…’
‘Mama stop, I already know about Hansel and Gretel.’ she interrupted. ‘I want to hear what it's like when you were a kid, mama.’ she added hugging her teddy bear she calls Bear-Bear.
‘When I was young we didn't have the internet back then. There are no cellphones, no YouTube, no F******k and no WiFi.’ I said. ‘I play outside with my friends during the afternoon.’
‘No WiFi and cell phones?’
‘Yes, when I was your age I didn't have a cell phone and I didn't even know how to use a computer.’
‘So what do you play then?’
‘We play games outside like hide and seek, block and catch, Chinese garter and touch ball.’ I said. ‘And most of the time we run.’
‘What is that touch ball?’
‘A ball is being carried and passed by hands between players,’ I said. ‘There are players in the middle who will try to avoid being touched by the ball.’
‘I miss going to school Mama,’ she said. ‘I miss playing with my friends at school.’
‘I know baby, but face to face school will not happen very soon.’ I said. ‘Tomorrow we’ll order a happy meal from Mc Donald's, okay?’
‘Thank you Mama.’
As soon as I put Mallory to sleep I switch the light back on. I pull a sketch book and pencil from the study table. I turned to a blank page of the sketch book. I hold a HB pencil on my right hand. I grip the smooth body of the blue pencil and positioned my fingers with just right distance from the very tip of the pencil. The pencil is stuck between my middle finger at the bottom, index finger at the middle and thumb on top of it. I lightly grasp the pencil and carefully begin to draw a line. I started to sketch a pair of eyebrows with moderate shading followed by the eyes.
I try hard to remember what his face looks like. I close my eyes and picture a scene from the past. The scene from the past which only lasted for a few minutes comes back to life in my thoughts. I take myself back in time and relive that moment using my imagination. Slowly and more clearly I see movements and everything is happening again in my mind.
I walk down the busy street and come across a man who rides a red bicycle. He slowly pedals in my direction and smiles at me with those thin pairs of lips. And his deep eyes are looking intently at me. I watched him as he moved away. He is maybe 5’6 feet tall and he has fair skin. I observed how his broad back and shoulders are flaunted in his gray shirt.
I sketched a few lines and created more shadows to draw his sharp nose. Using my ring finger I delicately blend the shadings I created for a smooth look. And then I made a middle line and above it I draw the upper lips and bring more shadings with the lower lips. I observed my work and wrote in the blank space at the bottom; Who are you?
I close my eyes to sleep and begin to dream about him. In my dream he is riding his bicycle. He drives a few blocks away from the house where I reside. I observed him looking for a direction. It appears to me like he is lost.
And then there was an unanticipated changed of the scene . I found myself hovering in one corner of the room near the ceiling, and when I looked down, I saw myself sleeping on the bed with Mallory. Strange how from that ceiling where I float, I watch myself sleep on the bed. Creepy, I thought.
Am I separated from my body?
In some ways I cannot explain. I am aware that I am dreaming. It is like I stepped into another world with a different reality. Something I know that doesn't exist in the real world. An unknown place and time where part of me longs for.
And without a clue the scene changed again. He is back in the picture still riding his bicycle. He stopped in front of a house. Where are you? He looks at the window located on the second floor of the house. And so I looked out the window to see what he was looking at. And from the open window I see a woman. The woman looks so familiar. I think we have a strong resemblance. I looked closely, and realized the woman I see is myself. How come? I look back at him again and he is outside my house.
And just as shortly, I find him lying on the bed with me. Impossible as it may seem, he lays on the bed with me. I am beside him and my body feels weak. I know deep in myself I don’t want to be elsewhere but here with him.
I heard the rain pouring on the roof outside. The sound of water continuously and graciously showering on the roof. I listened to the light and calming sound the rain was making.
I opened my eyes and watched him sleep next to me. I am dying to hold him. I wish this moment, this dream will not end too soon. Perhaps when one dreams, nothing is impossible.
And then I heard him softly whisper to my ears; Who are you? I think we are too close. I don’t know how, but there is a very thin line between our faces, where our eyes and lips almost meet. He looks me in the eyes. The way he stares at me is like he’s really into me. Will he kiss me? He is looking at my face. Isn’t it too soon? I don’t even know him. But there is some kind of force that is drawing me closer to him. Some kind of force I am too weak to fight. And I don’t want to fight it. I just want to give in tonight. Just when I think he is about to kiss me, he begins to speak.
You’re here.
Yes,
You must be real.
I am,
‘Am I dreaming?’
‘I am dreaming.’
What does it mean? I am dreaming and he thinks he is also dreaming. And so I asked, what is your name?
The dream ends.
Everything seems real when I dream about him.
The Yellow lightI watch them both sleep. The little girl wrapped her one arm and leg on her mother’s body. It looks satisfying seeing them both hugging each other. It is like they are full of love, very simple and pure, a priceless moment for a mother and her child.I observed how the little girl sleeps with her tiny mouth open. She has chubby cheeks and a rounded face. Her uncombed hair messily spread on the pillow. Where is your father?And then I look at her mother. As she sleeps on the side I can see half of her face. I admired thesymmetryof her face. She has a sharp nose, defined jaw line and a small chin. I am curious why a beautiful woman like her stays by herself.‘What’s your story?’ I watched her peacefully sleep and wondered if she is dreaming, and if so, is she dreaming of me? Because I am right here beside her.I caught a glimpse
I Am Eric Marcus‘What is your name?’The dream ends.Whenever my dream about him ends, I feel a little sting of pain in my chest.I can only wonder why?I can tolerate the pain and it’s no big deal.However there is an emptiness thatI can’t describe and itlingers within me.And no matter how much I try to ignore it, I can never win. This kind of loneliness follows me and makes me reach out my hand to something that is not there.The alarm on my mobile phone went on.I quickly search for my mobile phone under my pillow. The persistent high pitch sound of the alarm truly annoys me in the morning. I found my mobile phone under my pillow, and quickly dismissed the alarm. It says 6:30 AM. I don’t want to wake up, not just yet. I have this huge desire to lie down still on this soft bed. But sadly I have to leave the bed
8:00 Am, my laptop is ready and beside it is placed a tablet I use to watch randomvideos from YouTube and Netflix. I am composing an email for a client and then a message appeared on my chat box, I opened it and replied;Catherine: Hey girl, it’s crazy we just had an earthquake.Irina: Oh be careful, especially since you live near Tagaytay.Catherine: Taal volcano please calm down.Irina: Let’s check google, oh it says here alert level number one.Catherine: Hopefully it won't eruptand no ash will fallagain please.Irina: Yes please no ash falls, it’s very hard to clean the roof.Catherine: You’re right, cleaning the roof is one of the hardest parts of ash fall.Irina: But seriously, keep safe, you and your family.Catherine: Stay safe too, to you and Mallory.I drink from a cup of coffee placed near my laptop. The coffee has already turned cold. And when all I
I Know NowMy name is Irina.The dream ends.I open my eyes and find myself standing alone in an empty room. The ceilings and the walls are neatly painted white. And the floor is composed of polished light brown wood. There is a dark brown framed window at one corner where the light is coming from. I observed how the yellow orange light made its way through the open window. I stand there in one corner of the room captivated by the yellow light. The light was so bright that it nearly blinded my eyes.I close my eyes and a scene plays on my mind. I see myself thrown on the ground with my bicycle. A bright yellow light from the car hits me, right there. I see a red car in front of me.I open my eyes and stare at the sunlight passing through the window of the bedroom. Did I just remember it right? I was hit by a car that day. And the last thing that I saw not so far is a
Time Travel‘Irina!’He sits beside me and gives me a small red heart shapedcan. I open it and find a gold necklace inside. And then he hands me little yellow flowers together with a letter. I opened the letter and that is when I heard someone call my name so loud; Irina!Tonight I am awake in a dream again. I fall asleep and fly again. I freely float in one corner of the ceiling. I watch how I sleep with Mallory beside me. And there is this man who sits on my bed. This time I see his faceclearly. And yes I know that face, and I also have the name, Eric Marcus.Eric, did you just call my name?Whenever I dream of him, everything seems real. I watch him move closer to me while I sleep on the bed. He whispers something into my ear. I heard him say; ‘Please don't look for me.’I woke up and almost missed the alarm clock. It is just a bad drea
The Time Traveler I was staring at his profile photo on F******k when I heard a loud slam of the door from the living room. I quickly make it to the living room to check but I only see a closed door. Maybe it is nothing. I grab the door knob and slowly open the door. I step barefoot on the grass which covers the floor of the front yard. Chi-Chan runs with excitement when he sees me. He raises his two legs and tries to reach me. And then he bites my hand, but it does not hurt. ‘Hello Chi-chan,’ I said and embraced the dog. ‘Would you like to sleep with us tonight?’ I added. ‘Oh you like it.’ I run my left hand on Chi-Chan’s fur, and they are very soft to touch. He has white and black thick fur that covers his entire body. And his fur feels soft and smooth better than any stuffed toy. I walked closer to the huge tree planted near the gate. Below the tree there is a single swing where Mallory loves
I Saw YouDecember 2019, less than an hour before my shift ends. I was occupied with washing the cutlery and dishes. Mostly during the afternoons and nights the coffee shop is jam packed with customers, which makes the sink overflow with dirty dishes. I gripped the wet sponge filled withbubblesfrom the liquid soap, and removed the stain from the white plates and cups. I firmly grabbed the numbers of wet silver spoons and forks, and positioned them on top of a white clean towel to dry. ‘Here, please wash these.’ said Jane behind me as she put the used cups and plates in the sink below the running water from the faucet. After I washed the dishes, I used another wet towel to scrub and clean the sink.‘Who is assign for the inventory later tonight?’ Charlie asked while he is mopping the floor. ‘There are still plenty of paper cups inside the cabinet.’ he added.I wa
BraveI perceived a knife stabbed unswervinginto my chest. The pointed tip of the knife landed through the skin of my heart. I am certain that very moment my heart does not wish to continue. Damn, my heart breaks. Oh man it is very painful. My heart is pounding very weak. It feels like my heart admits defeat and does not want to fight anymore. I couldn’t stop crying. And just when worse is not enough, my lungs are suddenly filled with water. I couldn’t breath. I feel like my head is underwater drowning helplessly. Is it too late now? I put my right feet forward with tears filled my eyes. Can I go back? I take one step followed by the next. I don’t want to die.I walk faster until I come running. And while I ran I heard a song play, but I guess it should not bother me anymore now that I know I am dead.