Submitted for English
Carnival's Young Writer Contest
“Hey Ivan, if somehow
you’ll return back here next summer, I’ll bring you to our secret hideout to
watch the stars and the fireflies. It’s a promise.”
***
It was one of the most critical moments in a hospital where a person’s soul
stood in the borders of life and death.
“Doctor, his pulse has stopped.”
“Resuscitate him.” The elderly doctor instructed his assistant and the
assistant did as told. The defibrillators were pressed onto the young man’s
chest and the boy’s body convulsed in response. Still, his breathing could not
be resumed. The medical team tried again a few times. Giving up was not the
quality of a doctor and so they kept on doing the resuscitation. Prayers from
the boy’s parents followed, hoping for a miracle.
***
My eyes flickered open, only to be greeted by the sterile white wall. Where
am I? My mind seemed to ask myself. I focused on my hearing. Padded
footsteps. Trolleys being pushed. Faint chatters of several women behind the
thick walls. Only the overpowering smell of antiseptic broke through my hazy
mind. One word appeared in my mind: Hospital. I gasped. The
hospital? Why would I be in the hospital? Of all places? Suddenly
there was a sharp pang in my head. It was like a jolt of electricity, infecting
every neuron of my head before snaking down my spine. I shivered. Unconsciously
I grabbed my blanket and wrapped it tightly around my body trying to lessen the
pain. I didn’t notice when I’d fallen into the abyss of sleep.
***
It was pitch-black and I felt like floating. My body felt surreally light as if
my soul had been detached from my body. Slowly, I opened my eyes, revealing two
sky blue orbs, a trait I’d inherited from my mother. I looked at myself, my
hands, my body, my feet. I was wearing the same clothes I had been wearing on
my journey back to my childhood town – a grey T-shirt topped with black jacket,
a pair of navy blue jeans and a pair of my favourite black Nike shoes.
I heard faint footsteps in the distance. I obeyed my first impulse and turned
around. I saw an apparition advancing towards me. The whiteness of the
silhouette gave a great contrast with the saturnine atmosphere. I was not
easily scared but undoubtedly, paranoia attacked my mind. What if the
apparition was actually going to take my life away? Despite the urge to step
backwards and break into a run for dear life, my feet felt like it was rooted
to the ground. I gulped. I could feel beads of perspiration forming on my forehead.
Am I going to die? Only the thought lingered in the back of my head upon seeing
the walking mystery. I could do nothing but to wait.
Eventually, the apparition came into view. It slowly took form of a young
Adonis wearing a simple white shirt, black pants and black shoes. He had a
shock of copper hair and honey brown eyes to match. His skin was pale but the
warmth in his eyes was unmistakable.
A sudden déjà vu feeling swept over me. I think I’ve met him before. But
where?
The figure smiled at my bewildered expression. I was always good in maintaining
an expressionless face but thrown in this bizarre situation, I doubted anyone
could keep his or her cool.
“Hey, dude. How’s it going? It has been ages since we last met, no?” The
mysterious boy asked with a boyish grin.
My eyes narrowed suspiciously. True, I did have the feeling of meeting him
before but that didn’t put me off guard. Cautiously, I asked, “Who
are you?”
The boy almost laughed in response and I felt like I was being made a fool of
myself.
“What’s so funny?”
“Dude, you have the memory of a goldfish. But that’s okay. You did hit your
head pretty hard back there. You should’ve died.” He grinned.
Blood drained from my face. “Am I dead already?” I retorted, in panic. I wasn’t
ready for death. Not now. Not here. Not yet.
“No. “ He said. “Not yet.”
I sighed in relief when suddenly, light began to illuminate the pitch-black
atmosphere and the boy began to be engulfed by the light, giving the impression
that he was about to disappear.
“Wait! Don’t go yet! Tell me who you are!”
The boy shook his head cheerfully, as in teasing. He didn’t answer my question.
“We’re going to meet later anyways, old friend. Then you can take all the time
to remember who I am and our promise. I’ll wait for you at the river bank.”
Then he broke into a flurry of green leaves and disappeared.
“Wait!”
***
I jerked open my eyes.
I saw my parent hovered over me like vultures hovering their dinner. It was a
rare sight, really. My parents were rarely there for me. Not since our family
business had flourished and they had taken a step into the internationals. Mom
and dad spent more time overseas than at home. I was practically raised by
maids and caretakers.
Mom’s eyes were red-rimmed and sore from crying. Despite being separated for so
long, it tugged my heartstrings to see my own mother’s tears, crying for me.
But Dad was much more composed though his face was grim.
“Ivan! Ivan! Are you okay? Can you hear me?” Mom nearly bawled. She was about
to embrace me but Dad forbid her from doing so, telling her that I was not in a
very stable condition yet. I caught some of his words telling my asthma might
be acting up again.
“Where am I?” I asked. My voice was hoarse because of hours or maybe days of
inactive vocal chords.
“You’re in the hospital dear. You were involved in an accident.” Mom said.
Suddenly, she burst into fresh tears, sobbing. “Thanks goodness you survived. I
wouldn’t know what to do if you’re gone Ivan. I-I’m so sorry Ivan.”
Her sudden apology put me in a state of confusion. Why would she apologise? It
was not like was the cause of my accident anyways. I turned my sight away,
closed my eyes and imagined something more pleasant – a typical way of mine to
put my mind at ease. I immediately thought of my hometown I used to spend my
childhood.
Their voices sounded so far away, so distant, so ephemeral. However, I shook
the thoughts away. I needed to confirm that their presence was not a product of
my imagination due to the concussion I had. Not that I fully knew the state of
my body now but by judging the throbbing pain in my head, I took a logical
guess that I suffered from a concussion.
“You are one of the luckiest people out there. It was almost a miracle that you
survived with minor physical injuries. You’re almost fine except for the
concussion.” Seems like my guess was right. After a short pause, my father
spoke again. “But unfortunately, Ivan…“ His voice suddenly trailed off. There
was a hint of concern and worry a true father would have felt for his child.
“The doctor had said that the accident may and may not have an effect on your
memories.”
I squinted my eyes, trying to register the gist of my father’s message.
Nevertheless, I forced my lips to curve upwards into a smile as an attempt to
tell them that I was okay though in reality I wasn’t.
Truthfully, I really
wasn’t feeling well. I felt like I had forgotten something very important. It
was as if my brain kept on searching and searching but couldn’t find it. It was
a neuronal error.
“I’m okay Mom, Dad. I still remember we’re a family at the very least.”
That did it. Mom wound around her arms around me as her first impulse upon
hearing my words. She was deeply moved and I could feel her tears trickling on
my shoulders. I took the tears as her regret and repentance of her ignorance
towards me all these years. I forgave her. I forgave my father too. But I
couldn’t forgive myself for knowing that I’d forgotten something but couldn’t
recall it. But I kept it to myself. Having them worrying about me was the last
thing I needed right now. Right now, I just needed peace and tranquility. And
time. I needed time to recuperate and return to my top form. That time, I knew
what I needed most was a place where I could rejuvenate and be myself. Only one
place flashed through my mind. The destination that I was heading to before my
luck went rock bottom.
“Mom, Dad.“ I said.
“What is it?” They answered almost at once.
“Can I have my rehab at Mahogany Town?” I said.
They unconditionally agreed almost immediately. “Yes, of course Ivan. Mahogany
is a beautiful place to live in. you’ll recover in no time.” I smiled at them
and they seem terribly happy that it was almost funny.
I didn’t know what my parent told the doctors but I was transferred to Mahogany
Town hospital just a few days later. I was told to undergo slow recovery as the
accident affected mostly my brain. Despite my brain trauma, I remembered with
perfect clarity the beauty of the small town - the pristine village, the green
mountains landscape, the blue lake waters, the awe-inspiring wildlife.
In fact, I was on my way here that I was involved in the accident that nearly
sacrificed my life. Thankfully, God still give me a second chance at life and
here I was still breathing on the green earth, under the blue sky.
I sighed. Looking through the window of the hospital, indeed the place hadn’t
change at all. Time seemed to stop in this tranquil town. Much to my
relief.
I feasted my eyes on the lush mountainous side, and let its calming effect
sooth me. The zephyr blew through the curtained windows and caressed my face.
“That’s it.” I decided. I won’t just sit here and idle. I should
venture out there and rejuvenate myself. Being cooped up in the hospital room
wouldn’t do me any good, I decided.
Carefully I jumped out from my bed. Making a low thud as my feet landed on the
cold floor. I walked over to my luggage bag and pulled out a new pair of
clothes to replace the one I was wearing. I fitted myself with a black T-shirt,
black jeans and sneakers, I sneakily escaped from the hospital but not without
a black cap on my head for a weak disguise and my treasured sketch book with
me.
Somehow, my instinct led me to the riverbank in this small town. I think the
river was where I used to swim with my friends. How long had it been? Nine? Ten
years? I wasn’t sure.
Like in the past, there was still a huge old banyan tree beside the river and I
had always recklessly climbed it just to prove myself I was the hero.
Sometimes, the tree acted as our natural diving platform. We would climb as
high as we could and dove for the water.
“Good old times.” I mumbled and smiled to myself.
As I keep walking, the surrounding started to feel nostalgic. Every step I took
felt very familiar to me as if I had been doing it all my life. I
walked deeper into the forest as if I knew the end of the direction of the path
I walked. The smell of the trees, the chirping of the birds, everything were
how it used to be. How it used to be? When was the last
time I was actually here? Have I been here before? Was I alone? I kept
on asking myself. Again and again. These unknown questions kept on circulating
my thoughts. I was too focused on trying to bring out the memory from the
memory bank until my head started to hurt. The world around me started to spin
around. Each step I took started to feel as if I was walking on a spinning top.
My eyes felt like it was going to pop out and my body felt airy. I vaulted over
a tree beside me and searched for the painkillers I brought along with
me.
As I was busy searching, for unknown reason, I looked to my left and I saw a
rundown cabin. Just when I saw the cabin, my fingers stopped searching, my body
went on semi-freeze. All of my attention was caught by the old cabin. It felt
very nostalgic to me somehow. I ignored the pain in my head and kept on staring
the cabin. From afar, I saw that the veins of leaves from nearby travelling to
most of its bottom part covering almost half of the cabin. Instead of being
landscaped with beautiful flowers, shrubs and bushes surrounded the cabin. I
literally heard myself said ‘Don’t go there. It could be dangerous!’ but
the warmth I felt in my heart when I saw the rundown cabin won over my
thoughts.
I doubted every step I took walking to the cabin. The saying ‘curiosity kills
the cat’ kept on swimming in my mind but I calmed myself by thinking how lucky
I was to be born as human. Despite the fights I had in my mind between myself, whether to keep on walking or turn around, I kept on walking. I walked slowly
and wobbly but I was energized enough by the curiosity that flooded over me.
The path to the cabin was almost covered with wild grass but the path was still
definitely there. ‘Someone must have always visited this cabin before.’ I
thought to myself.
As I reached the front door, I saw “I will always be back! You betcha!” written
on the door. I smiled to myself. Then, I went to the window and tilted my head
upwards; trying to see what was inside the cabin. But the thick dust on the
window blocked my view. I felt very unsatisfied so I walked back to the front
door and reached the doorknob. The question of to open or not to open flashed
in my head one after another. I felt a sudden jolt when the cold metal doorknob
met my warm hand. My heart was racing and I could feel butterflies in my
stomach as if it was my first date I was about to check out on. Then I thought
to myself, It would be a huge disappointment to not do it now. With
that, I decided to enter the cabin and by God, I was very much anticipating
what was inside the cabin. I turned the doorknob and pushed the door slowly.
The creaking sound made by the door was almost eerie to my ears if only I
wasn’t so excited about the insides of the cabin.
As the light shyly emerged into the cabin, dimly illuminating it, my jaw
dropped open. I was undeniably flabbergasted and perplexed.
My sketches! My paintings! My pictures! They were everywhere in that cabin.
Framed on the wall, desk, and on the small wooden coffee table that looked
rather amateurish. I gave a guess that the table was handmade
judging by the rough carpentry. I entered the cabin carefully. Step by step. My
nostrils were then immediately assaulted with dust in the cabin. I coughed hard
and fanned around with both of my hands. With every breath I took my head
started to become dizzy for unknown reasons. Maybe it was really a bad
idea I broke into this cabin. My gut instinct suddenly told me
that it was time to sneak back into the hospital before I was caught red handed
for breaking the golden rule for a patient: stay and rest in the hospital.
I jogged, despite the dizziness lest the doctor found my room empty. I
hypothesized the subsidence of my dizziness was because of the fresh air I inhaled because once I stepped out from the cabin, I felt well again, which
was a good thing. Therefore, I took a chance and decided to test my body. From
the slow jog, I thought I could be a bit faster and eventually I broke into a
run. Surprisingly it didn’t hurt at all and that was the time I felt like I
truly lived.
Luck was on my side when I found my room, my bed, was as it was before I left
it. Good. No one had come and checked on me. I discarded my clothes, knowing
that they would betray my ‘prison break’ and put on the hospital clothes. I
just hoped they wouldn’t happen to come now as I was damp with sweat and my
heartbeat was vigorous. It didn’t take the brain of a rocket scientist to
figure out that I had broken out from my room and sneaked outside.
Relax
Ivan. Keep your head cool. You won’t get caught.
I assured myself. It
wasn’t that I fear being scolded. I was more annoyed at being reprimanded on
how reckless I was, how immature my action was and blah blah blah. Something of
that sort.
I jumped onto my bed and acted like nothing had happened though my mind was at
its peak of imagination. I imagined the doctor coming into the room any moment
with a nurse following her, what should I say to make my lie more believable,
how should I fake a smile and tell them that I am definitely okay and so on…
I didn’t have the slightest idea when I had fallen asleep. I only knew that
when I woke up, I sensed another’s presence in the room.
-To be continued in Part 2-
Submitted for English Carnival's Young Writer Contest
“Hey Ivan, if somehow you’ll return back here next summer, I’ll bring you to our secret hideout to watch the stars and the fireflies. It’s a promise.”
***
It was one of the most critical moments in a hospital where a person’s soul stood in the borders of life and death.
“Doctor, his pulse has stopped.”
“Resuscitate him.” The elderly doctor instructed his assistant and the assistant did as told. The defibrillators were pressed onto the young man’s chest and the boy’s body convulsed in response. Still, his breathing could not be resumed. The medical team tried again a few times. Giving up was not the quality of a doctor and so they kept on doing the resuscitation. Prayers from the boy’s parents followed, hoping for a miracle.
***
My eyes flickered open, only to be greeted by the sterile white wall. Where am I? My mind seemed to ask myself. I focused on my hearing. Padded footsteps. Trolleys being pushed. Faint chatters of several women behind the thick walls. Only the overpowering smell of antiseptic broke through my hazy mind. One word appeared in my mind: Hospital. I gasped. The hospital? Why would I be in the hospital? Of all places? Suddenly there was a sharp pang in my head. It was like a jolt of electricity, infecting every neuron of my head before snaking down my spine. I shivered. Unconsciously I grabbed my blanket and wrapped it tightly around my body trying to lessen the pain. I didn’t notice when I’d fallen into the abyss of sleep.
***
It was pitch-black and I felt like floating. My body felt surreally light as if my soul had been detached from my body. Slowly, I opened my eyes, revealing two sky blue orbs, a trait I’d inherited from my mother. I looked at myself, my hands, my body, my feet. I was wearing the same clothes I had been wearing on my journey back to my childhood town – a grey T-shirt topped with black jacket, a pair of navy blue jeans and a pair of my favourite black Nike shoes.
I heard faint footsteps in the distance. I obeyed my first impulse and turned around. I saw an apparition advancing towards me. The whiteness of the silhouette gave a great contrast with the saturnine atmosphere. I was not easily scared but undoubtedly, paranoia attacked my mind. What if the apparition was actually going to take my life away? Despite the urge to step backwards and break into a run for dear life, my feet felt like it was rooted to the ground. I gulped. I could feel beads of perspiration forming on my forehead.
Am I going to die? Only the thought lingered in the back of my head upon seeing the walking mystery. I could do nothing but to wait.
Eventually, the apparition came into view. It slowly took form of a young Adonis wearing a simple white shirt, black pants and black shoes. He had a shock of copper hair and honey brown eyes to match. His skin was pale but the warmth in his eyes was unmistakable.
A sudden déjà vu feeling swept over me. I think I’ve met him before. But where?
The figure smiled at my bewildered expression. I was always good in maintaining an expressionless face but thrown in this bizarre situation, I doubted anyone could keep his or her cool.
“Hey, dude. How’s it going? It has been ages since we last met, no?” The mysterious boy asked with a boyish grin.
My eyes narrowed suspiciously. True, I did have the feeling of meeting him before but that didn’t put me off guard. Cautiously, I asked, “Who are you?”
The boy almost laughed in response and I felt like I was being made a fool of myself.
“What’s so funny?”
“Dude, you have the memory of a goldfish. But that’s okay. You did hit your head pretty hard back there. You should’ve died.” He grinned.
Blood drained from my face. “Am I dead already?” I retorted, in panic. I wasn’t ready for death. Not now. Not here. Not yet.
“No. “ He said. “Not yet.”
I sighed in relief when suddenly, light began to illuminate the pitch-black atmosphere and the boy began to be engulfed by the light, giving the impression that he was about to disappear.
“Wait! Don’t go yet! Tell me who you are!”
The boy shook his head cheerfully, as in teasing. He didn’t answer my question. “We’re going to meet later anyways, old friend. Then you can take all the time to remember who I am and our promise. I’ll wait for you at the river bank.”
***
I jerked open my eyes.
I saw my parent hovered over me like vultures hovering their dinner. It was a rare sight, really. My parents were rarely there for me. Not since our family business had flourished and they had taken a step into the internationals. Mom and dad spent more time overseas than at home. I was practically raised by maids and caretakers.
Mom’s eyes were red-rimmed and sore from crying. Despite being separated for so long, it tugged my heartstrings to see my own mother’s tears, crying for me. But Dad was much more composed though his face was grim.
“Ivan! Ivan! Are you okay? Can you hear me?” Mom nearly bawled. She was about to embrace me but Dad forbid her from doing so, telling her that I was not in a very stable condition yet. I caught some of his words telling my asthma might be acting up again.
“Where am I?” I asked. My voice was hoarse because of hours or maybe days of inactive vocal chords.
“You’re in the hospital dear. You were involved in an accident.” Mom said. Suddenly, she burst into fresh tears, sobbing. “Thanks goodness you survived. I wouldn’t know what to do if you’re gone Ivan. I-I’m so sorry Ivan.”
Her sudden apology put me in a state of confusion. Why would she apologise? It was not like was the cause of my accident anyways. I turned my sight away, closed my eyes and imagined something more pleasant – a typical way of mine to put my mind at ease. I immediately thought of my hometown I used to spend my childhood.
Their voices sounded so far away, so distant, so ephemeral. However, I shook the thoughts away. I needed to confirm that their presence was not a product of my imagination due to the concussion I had. Not that I fully knew the state of my body now but by judging the throbbing pain in my head, I took a logical guess that I suffered from a concussion.
“You are one of the luckiest people out there. It was almost a miracle that you survived with minor physical injuries. You’re almost fine except for the concussion.” Seems like my guess was right. After a short pause, my father spoke again. “But unfortunately, Ivan…“ His voice suddenly trailed off. There was a hint of concern and worry a true father would have felt for his child. “The doctor had said that the accident may and may not have an effect on your memories.”
I squinted my eyes, trying to register the gist of my father’s message. Nevertheless, I forced my lips to curve upwards into a smile as an attempt to tell them that I was okay though in reality I wasn’t.
“I’m okay Mom, Dad. I still remember we’re a family at the very least.”
That did it. Mom wound around her arms around me as her first impulse upon hearing my words. She was deeply moved and I could feel her tears trickling on my shoulders. I took the tears as her regret and repentance of her ignorance towards me all these years. I forgave her. I forgave my father too. But I couldn’t forgive myself for knowing that I’d forgotten something but couldn’t recall it. But I kept it to myself. Having them worrying about me was the last thing I needed right now. Right now, I just needed peace and tranquility. And time. I needed time to recuperate and return to my top form. That time, I knew what I needed most was a place where I could rejuvenate and be myself. Only one place flashed through my mind. The destination that I was heading to before my luck went rock bottom.
“Mom, Dad.“ I said.
“Can I have my rehab at Mahogany Town?” I said.
They unconditionally agreed almost immediately. “Yes, of course Ivan. Mahogany is a beautiful place to live in. you’ll recover in no time.” I smiled at them and they seem terribly happy that it was almost funny.
I didn’t know what my parent told the doctors but I was transferred to Mahogany Town hospital just a few days later. I was told to undergo slow recovery as the accident affected mostly my brain. Despite my brain trauma, I remembered with perfect clarity the beauty of the small town - the pristine village, the green mountains landscape, the blue lake waters, the awe-inspiring wildlife.
In fact, I was on my way here that I was involved in the accident that nearly sacrificed my life. Thankfully, God still give me a second chance at life and here I was still breathing on the green earth, under the blue sky.
I sighed. Looking through the window of the hospital, indeed the place hadn’t change at all. Time seemed to stop in this tranquil town. Much to my relief.
I feasted my eyes on the lush mountainous side, and let its calming effect sooth me. The zephyr blew through the curtained windows and caressed my face. “That’s it.” I decided. I won’t just sit here and idle. I should venture out there and rejuvenate myself. Being cooped up in the hospital room wouldn’t do me any good, I decided.
Carefully I jumped out from my bed. Making a low thud as my feet landed on the cold floor. I walked over to my luggage bag and pulled out a new pair of clothes to replace the one I was wearing. I fitted myself with a black T-shirt, black jeans and sneakers, I sneakily escaped from the hospital but not without a black cap on my head for a weak disguise and my treasured sketch book with me.
Like in the past, there was still a huge old banyan tree beside the river and I had always recklessly climbed it just to prove myself I was the hero. Sometimes, the tree acted as our natural diving platform. We would climb as high as we could and dove for the water.
“Good old times.” I mumbled and smiled to myself.
As I keep walking, the surrounding started to feel nostalgic. Every step I took felt very familiar to me as if I had been doing it all my life. I walked deeper into the forest as if I knew the end of the direction of the path I walked. The smell of the trees, the chirping of the birds, everything were how it used to be. How it used to be? When was the last time I was actually here? Have I been here before? Was I alone? I kept on asking myself. Again and again. These unknown questions kept on circulating my thoughts. I was too focused on trying to bring out the memory from the memory bank until my head started to hurt. The world around me started to spin around. Each step I took started to feel as if I was walking on a spinning top. My eyes felt like it was going to pop out and my body felt airy. I vaulted over a tree beside me and searched for the painkillers I brought along with me.
As I was busy searching, for unknown reason, I looked to my left and I saw a rundown cabin. Just when I saw the cabin, my fingers stopped searching, my body went on semi-freeze. All of my attention was caught by the old cabin. It felt very nostalgic to me somehow. I ignored the pain in my head and kept on staring the cabin. From afar, I saw that the veins of leaves from nearby travelling to most of its bottom part covering almost half of the cabin. Instead of being landscaped with beautiful flowers, shrubs and bushes surrounded the cabin. I literally heard myself said ‘Don’t go there. It could be dangerous!’ but the warmth I felt in my heart when I saw the rundown cabin won over my thoughts.
I doubted every step I took walking to the cabin. The saying ‘curiosity kills the cat’ kept on swimming in my mind but I calmed myself by thinking how lucky I was to be born as human. Despite the fights I had in my mind between myself, whether to keep on walking or turn around, I kept on walking. I walked slowly and wobbly but I was energized enough by the curiosity that flooded over me. The path to the cabin was almost covered with wild grass but the path was still definitely there. ‘Someone must have always visited this cabin before.’ I thought to myself.
As I reached the front door, I saw “I will always be back! You betcha!” written on the door. I smiled to myself. Then, I went to the window and tilted my head upwards; trying to see what was inside the cabin. But the thick dust on the window blocked my view. I felt very unsatisfied so I walked back to the front door and reached the doorknob. The question of to open or not to open flashed in my head one after another. I felt a sudden jolt when the cold metal doorknob met my warm hand. My heart was racing and I could feel butterflies in my stomach as if it was my first date I was about to check out on. Then I thought to myself, It would be a huge disappointment to not do it now. With that, I decided to enter the cabin and by God, I was very much anticipating what was inside the cabin. I turned the doorknob and pushed the door slowly. The creaking sound made by the door was almost eerie to my ears if only I wasn’t so excited about the insides of the cabin.
As the light shyly emerged into the cabin, dimly illuminating it, my jaw dropped open. I was undeniably flabbergasted and perplexed.
My sketches! My paintings! My pictures! They were everywhere in that cabin. Framed on the wall, desk, and on the small wooden coffee table that looked rather amateurish. I gave a guess that the table was handmade judging by the rough carpentry. I entered the cabin carefully. Step by step. My nostrils were then immediately assaulted with dust in the cabin. I coughed hard and fanned around with both of my hands. With every breath I took my head started to become dizzy for unknown reasons. Maybe it was really a bad idea I broke into this cabin. My gut instinct suddenly told me that it was time to sneak back into the hospital before I was caught red handed for breaking the golden rule for a patient: stay and rest in the hospital.
I jogged, despite the dizziness lest the doctor found my room empty. I hypothesized the subsidence of my dizziness was because of the fresh air I inhaled because once I stepped out from the cabin, I felt well again, which was a good thing. Therefore, I took a chance and decided to test my body. From the slow jog, I thought I could be a bit faster and eventually I broke into a run. Surprisingly it didn’t hurt at all and that was the time I felt like I truly lived.
Luck was on my side when I found my room, my bed, was as it was before I left it. Good. No one had come and checked on me. I discarded my clothes, knowing that they would betray my ‘prison break’ and put on the hospital clothes. I just hoped they wouldn’t happen to come now as I was damp with sweat and my heartbeat was vigorous. It didn’t take the brain of a rocket scientist to figure out that I had broken out from my room and sneaked outside.
I jumped onto my bed and acted like nothing had happened though my mind was at its peak of imagination. I imagined the doctor coming into the room any moment with a nurse following her, what should I say to make my lie more believable, how should I fake a smile and tell them that I am definitely okay and so on…
I didn’t have the slightest idea when I had fallen asleep. I only knew that when I woke up, I sensed another’s presence in the room.
-To be continued in Part 2-
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