A Daydreamer
Dawn Street, 7 a.m.
Omar sat on the bench with his mother, waiting for the school bus. Although the park was vibrant with children and animals, his mind was elsewhere. He had been watching his favorite show all night long.
Ignoring everything around him, Omar indulged in an adventurous fantasy story:
[The long-tailed dragon Chololo attacked Tico town, madly looking for his precious book, ‘The Secret Art of Dark Sorcery’. He treasured this book due to its vast collection of powerful spells that would make him the most powerful dragon in history. Unfortunately for him, it was stolen while he was raiding the Kingdom of Angels. He suspected that Knight Alex, who once criticized him, was behind the theft.
Chololo screamed, “Alex! Show yourself! Hand me the book now, or else I will turn your hometown into mere ashes!”
Alex appeared before Chololo, unshaken by his presence. He pointed his crystal sword towards Chololo and bravely declared, “Too bad for you I don’t have this accursed book! Such a moron! Now I can finish you off here without the pain of venturing to Darkagon!”
Chololo laughed, “Pest! Let me demonstrate my true power!”
The wind howled fiercely as Chololo amassed enormous energy, transforming into a four-headed dragon.
Alex didn’t shudder. He took his usual fighting stance and threw his sword to the ground. Suddenly, a bright yellow light beam came from the sky, summoning three enchanted angels.
Alex shouted, “Brace yourself, Chololo! With the power of the angels you once exterminated, your reign will be over fore —]
Omar’s daydream abruptly vanished from his mind. He first blamed the noise around him, but when he tried to resume the story, he couldn’t continue: he had completely forgotten every detail. Before he could explain what happened, the mother grabbed his hand as the bus arrived.
Starway Street, 1 p.m.
Laura was sitting in front of her husband in the cafe, holding a cup of coffee and scrolling on her phone.
The husband, Ojas, was also on his phone, unwilling to start a chat with his wife.
Laura repeatedly shifted her gaze from her phone to Ojas, staring at him for a few seconds each time.
Losing hope, Laura reflected as silence enveloped the table:
[He will never change… We have been married for five years and I’m still nothing to him. I was the only one who frequently expressed my affection without expecting anything from him in return. I only wanted to hear “I love you, Laura”. Yet, I’m still waiting! The only thing I’ve received from Ojas has been nothing but orders. “Laura do this . Laura don’t do that. Laura, my back is stiff!” I’ve been patient long enough!
Now is the right moment to — what…am I seeing? A four-headed dragon? He’s surrounded by three angels and a knight in the middle! What on earth is this? I know! I can make sense of this! The dragon is Ojas! These four heads represent his various deceptive schemes to make me obey his selfish demands!
The first head is straightforward: an “innocent” glare.
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The second head could be annoying sometimes: messy clothes on the bed.
The third head is on a different level: an empty fridge.
The fourth head is only used when he realizes that I am deliberately disregarding his behavior: a firm order delivered in a threatening tone, with the index finger pointing at me.
Everything is clear now. The angels are standing with me against Ojas. From now on, I won’t be his servant. I will never have to babysit his old father while he runs away from me to meet his “schoolmate friends”.
I cannot believe how I’ve endured all those nights with a rude, perverted, senile man. He always screams at me like I’m his slave! But soon, it will be —]
Laura’s thoughts instantly disappeared. She believed that her stressful life had begun to affect her brain and wondered what she had been thinking. She sighed, hoping that Ojas would react.
Upon hearing nothing back, she grabbed her phone again, waiting for Ojas to get bored.
Eclipse Street, 8 p.m.
Philip sat on the balcony’s chair, counting the stars. He had trouble keeping his eyes open due to his old age, forcing him to start counting again. He was following his doctor’s recommendation to sleep less and sharpen his focus.
As he grew increasingly desperate with each failed attempt, his mind wandered:
[Well, everyone will die someday. I’ve lived long enough, so why am I still craving for more? Why do I have to take dozens of pills just to be able to spend one hour looking at the sky?
I can barely move, eat, or talk to my neighbor Jian for a few seconds.
What am I clinging to so dearly? I don’t know… Who… is this old guy? He’s yelling at a tall woman… It must be… My daughter Sophia! Oh… But I would never yell at her! Or did I do it without noticing? I cannot remember… if I had ever done it, may God forgive me.
Sophia… If it weren’t for that fateful accident, you would have been here beside me, alive and well. You loved me from the bottom of your heart. Meanwhile, I only distracted you from pursuing your passion after I became pathetic and weak. Although I had told you that I could take care of myself, you insisted on visiting me every day, telling me in your soft voice, “Being with you is worth more than a billion pieces of art”.
Sophia, I’m sorry. If only I could find a way to bring you back… If somehow, I could go back in time and be the one to pass away instead… At least I would leave this world while knowing that you have lived on.
Ah, how much I missed those days! I used to sit in the living room while Sophia served me a delicious hot cup of tea! We talked and laughed happily —]
Philip opened his eyes as his thoughts suddenly stopped. He didn’t even know why he was crying.
Within a few minutes, Philip fell asleep, unable to focus on his counting.
Now…what should I do with this? An old man enjoying his morning with a woman… She may be his daughter… Hmm… What if I let it go…
Anyway, I should call it a day; it’s been a long one.
I have no idea how this power might be of use, but I may discover more things if I test it more.
Maybe I can finally find some peace in this insane world…
