Prologue - Unwanted Memories
Prologue - Unwanted Memories
Story by : Allen Owlferd
The gentle wind blew across my features, sending a shiver down my spine and left without a goodbye. The grass waved with the wind, as if gesturing a ‘hello’ to any presence attending to them. The leaves hanging above my head rustled as another gust of wind flew across the green, grassy land. Some of them left their brothers and sisters, and with the wind carrying their weightless form, they ventured on an adventure to the great beyond.
The leaves weren't the only one among the living that was being carried by the wind. A song; words of a message gliding across the world. Some decided to rest in my ears; some decided it would be best to hurry on with the rest of their journey. The sentences weren't complete, left with unfilled holes of questions. I could never understood what it said, but I didn't pay no heed to their childish plays.
This place looked familiar, and yet it’s nameless in my mind. Every drop of sweat had been squeezed dry by effort, as I tried to remember at least the start of the name. With or without a name, the beauty could never be forgotten. It was as if Mother Nature is showing off her grace, and I had acknowledged her handsomeness. Nothing else in this world could be compared with Her.
Except the loved ones. Of course, the beauty of a loved one would always be the most gorgeous of all. Why? Some people might say that love made a person blind; some might say love is everything for a human. Love can cover the lies from sights; love can fulfil the last missing piece of the soul to be complete. But it varies. Love can blind a person from the edge of a cliff, and yet, it accomplished the person’s true self, before crashing into the ground and shatters into glass shards.
The sudden gentle warmth of a smooth palm brushed across my arm and landed on my hand, startling me, returning my mind to its body. This warmth was like no other. The warmth of a loving creature; the warmth of the ones you don’t want to lose; the warmth of another half, whatever you want to call it, it is a warmth that we, humans, couldn't live without.
But I had already lost mine. Like a cold winter night without the warmth from the fire, I was lost and gone.
A wet drop of salty water flowed down my cheeks, and soon more of its buddies came with it. A family reunion of tears gathered on my shirt, as they stopped and dripped from my chin. As if the wind understood me, it engulfed around me and took me to its embrace.
The touch of skin felt so real, I thought the wind could be alive, in bones and flesh. I lifted my head and opened back my eyes, to prove my assumption to be false. My sight was blurred by the tears welling up in my eyes, but I could see a face. A face of an exquisite creature, more so than any flowers I had ever seen.
I reached out to brush its soft cheek. The touch sent a shock of remembrance. It was, as if, a baby’s cheek my fingers had grazed across. This… this can’t be…
“Why are you crying, my dear Lacky?” her lips moved and a voice of a tender-hearted reached my ears. It can’t be…
“M-Minette?” I called out, but the glob in my throat prevented me from speaking like a normal person would. I swallowed and blinked the tears out of my eyes, trying to see clearly, but my sight was only worsen as the image enhanced. Tears were growing in numbers again, but it didn't matter to me as I lunged forward and hugged its pleasing body tightly, afraid of losing the tingling affection in my heart again. “I thought I lost you!”
Above my head came a breathy chuckle, then the voice of an angel, who came down to restore my broken hope, spoke, “Why, oh wise one? Is it because I left too soon?”
I hated to admit, but at the time, my pride as a man was thrown into the scrap yard. I was supposed to act as the tough guy; the unrelenting statue. I nodded in her caress, agreeing with her statement and sniffed in the incoming horde of tears, ready to charge into battle. My arms squeezed around her waist, to give reality a test. Fortunately, she didn't 'poof' out of existence. I locked my arms into an impenetrable grip, not losing my only spark of light.
She placed her hand on my mess of hair and tenderly swept down to the back of my neck. A gesture of a loving mother to a child; no one had ever done this to me before. She reached down and lifted my face up to her eyes. Her eyes were like the clear sky, so full of freedom, like the birds flying without hesitant and fear. Rules wouldn't bring her down, not even God; not even anything. She’ll spread her wings and take off if she wants to.
“Do you remember our promise?” she asked, her eyes weren't focusing on mine, but something beyond my damp, brown-coloured eyes. Lies couldn't pass this locking gaze, nor escaping from my voice box.
We had made promises, but one stood above the others. This promise has chains of unbreakable material, surrounding my soul. It is more than a simple pinkie promise.
Just before I could nod my head, my sight darkened with shadows. I looked up as drops of water fell from the grey clumps of cloud that drifted to this magnificent scenery, dampening the world into a depressing grey. The wind packed up its belongings and rushed through the field, escaping from the incoming hazard. The leaves rustled even more violently, as if screaming out of fear. Flashes of light stroke the ground around us, lighting a circle of fire around us. We were trapped, like rats in a corner.
What’s going on? Why was this happening? We had a peaceful moment together, but why was it destroyed? What did I do wrong to deserve all these misfortunes? Our story could've ended with a ‘happily ever after’!
My body shook, with my hands clenched into hardened fists. My mind was clouded with hate, and rage flooded the entire parts of my body. If anyone dared to try to perish our bond, then he got what's coming for him! It won't be just fire raining on his house, but a never-ending burn of his soul, even his next life!
A quick snap of a strong grip on my chin pulled me back to those locking gaze. Her eyes had a hint of worry, but the seriousness was covering the evidence. “Luc, the world we’re living in is cruel and horrible!” she said hastily, loud enough to cover the storm booming around us and the flickering of fire burning the grass. “I want you to make another promise, whatever happens, even if the world falls apart, don’t give-”
Her words were halted, and I caught a glimpse of her face drifting out of my sight. Crimson blood spewed across me, darkening my shirt with its colour. The headless form flopped onto my legs and rolled to the ground.
Like a rocket impacted my head, I sat deathly still. All my thoughts were terminated, as if my mind had the event played time and again. Every detail was thoroughly rewound; the blood exploded out of her neck, soaking the world like a paper. Her eyes were popped wide with shock, resembling those who were turning tail from an aftermath. Her head snapped off of her neck, and dashed out of my sight.
A foggy figure jumped right before my eyes, but all I saw was those foggy legs. I wanted to raise my heavy skull, to see what abomination did what I had witnessed, but something stopped me. Not a force from the world, it’s inside of me. Another conscious halted me. The figure’s hands surrounded me. No, there’s more than two hands, but one grasped my neck, snapping my head towards the sky. I choked on my breath and tried to breathe in a new one, but all I could get out was a gasp.
My sight was averted back to the dark sky, with thunderous storms battling against each other. The sky twirled down, like a new-born tornado coming to face the world. But the world it wasn't facing, it was me those flashing red eyes were staring.
Like Thor sending down a lightning strike, it stroke into my body, sending an acute pain and knocked me breathless. Every muscle in my body twitched and expanded, like mini explosions going through my body. Hell, even my brain was sending ridiculous amount of emergencies, I feared I would explode with thoughts.
I felt my energy drained out of my body; my very soul was dragged out. The corners of my vision were taken over by black tentacles-like shadow. Just as my vision were snatched, my mind went blank, like a puppet master attached his strings to my limp body.
I struggled, trying to escape from the grasps of this horrendous creature, but my body wouldn't respond to my commands. All my thoughts and memories were milked from my brain, even my conscious. But before this powerless body with an emptying mind was cleaned out, not leaving a speck of dust, I was able to make out the hissing voice which whispered with the wind.
“YOU’RE MINE!”