The ponies and himby LeirfanChaptersIntroductionsThe shy forestChapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5: DreamChapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8IntroductionsHello. I'm Rick. I'm 21 years old. I'm a normal person, with a normal life, an university student, future psychologist, or that I wish. And I have normal friends, normal relationships, or that's what I thought. I was foolish to had thought that, but I can’t expect the unexpected Let me tell why. It all started when I was a kid 12 year ago. I had eight years. One of the things I loved doing was having a good time with my friends, do athletics, or run, and mock girls. A normal boy, right? But the there is a lonely memory that it's alive inside of me. A dream I thought it will never affect. But, oh boy, I was wrong. I shiver whenever a glimpse of that dream comes out. Maybe because of destiny, or just cruel, but lovely, coincidence. Nevertheless, that dream is special for me because it was one of the most vivid thing I have dreamed my whole life. That is one of the reasons. And also because of… a creature, an adorable, out of reality, dreamlike, with swollen-like tubes as limbs, big eyes almost occupying almost its whole head… one. What I’m trying to say is I dreamed with… ponies. At least, that the most similar animal I can come with. How could I dream that? I don´t know, but I can tell you. Like every dream, the usual person doesn’t remember when and where a dreams starts and end. In my case is different, that’s something I’ve learned with experience. I’ll tell it later. I was inside a room, an almost-cubic one, which was connected to other rooms. What made it special for a kid was that in the room I was in was an arcade room. And there were four arcade rooms surrounding mine. It was something I knew in that moment. Don’t ask me how. The first thing I noticed was I felt an ambient of happiness, silliness and playfulness, but it was dimly lit, making it difficult to see, but it was a detail I don't know why I paid it attention. But even with such detail, I was shocked to have at the reach of my hand so many games to enjoy. There were also kids everywhere. Well, a few kids were in there, but they were everywhere. Playing, jumping, running. Being happy. I didn't do anything as the excitement overwhelmed me. Shooter games, arcade games, racing games, any games a kid would have loved to have were there, waiting for me. It was a dream come true. But as I admired the arcades, I noticed a girl just a tiny shorter than me. She had a pink long straight hair, neatly brushed, part of it landing on her shoulder and the other way pointing to the floor. She also had a very white skin, a clean one with no visible marks or bruises, her skin matching with her yellow sweater with long sleeves covering her hands, accompanied. Also, she was holding a fluffy, foamy, white baby rabbit, a genuinely cute one. What really caught my attention from that girl was how she reacted to everything, from the lights appearing and disappearing from the arcades, to the movements of the other kids playing around. It was like she had an extreme shyness or was scared of everything she saw moving or showed signs of being alive. I noticed her passing by me, taking care of where she was stepping, always with her head down, seeing the floor as she walked. It looked like she was playing the floor is lava. I stared at her for a moment. She raised her head and looked to me, but then she lowered her head, seeing the floor again and went to a nearby door, opened it and left the place, all meanwhile others kids were running between us, playing without a caress for the world. I watched her leave, but I didn't do anything. I was already watching all the games my vision would capture, and one of them was catching my attention. A Pac-Man game. … After hours playing it, and getting bored by eating yellow points and get scared by ghosts, I went to the door the yellow-sweater girl previously opened, and as I did it, I saw in front of me games’ lights flashing crazy, more frantically than before. I was amazed by those lights. I closed my distance to them and observed they came from a game I wasn't interested in. I made a quick trail as I saw every game, every one of them as boring as watching paint dry, the only thing interesting from them were their lights. With every arcade game checked, I passed through the door that led to a different room, but just as I was opening, a girl stopped me from moving, grabbing me by my shoulders. She had a pink fluffy hair and smile on her face, a bright and white one. She was wearing a blue shirt, a bright pink watch, a girly one, and a short skirt. She talked to me in a way I was uncomfortable, as if I were an old friend, or, to add another example, like her best friend. "Hi!" She smiled even more, her white and big teeth showing up. "Hi...?" I answered with an insecurity in my voice, trying to see if she greeted the wrong person, "How are you feeling? Are you feeling right? Because I'm feeling right, so right and good that it was like that time I was playing in a museum, a closed one, with so muuuch things to play with, like a squishy loudy dinosaur looking at me as if he was scared! We just stared between each other with open eyes, screaming ‘Ah!’, and we just screamed along—” My mind stopped for a moment and I unconsciously reacted. “Stop.” "Stop?" "Yeah..., just, let me answer your question." I waited a moment to call my mind and answer. "I'm feeling... good, I guess. “After I said that, a wider smile appeared on her face and she let my shoulder free. "That's fantastic!" Her fluffy hair bounced. It bounced. I was getting teased, but I just stood there, seeing her, trying to seek inside my head where did I know her. "Well," she said, "I have a meeting, I hope to see you later!" And she ran past me, leaving me a astonished by the sudden move. I stood there a while, but I forgot about her quickly in order to keep my enjoyment running. I was inside a every child’s dream, where fun was my first priority, second priority and third priority. Amazing, eh? … After such event, which was still in my mind, I saw a game it caught my attention, it was called "Space Invaders". I remembered it, my pupils getting bigger by the excitement. I played it with my brother all the time, usually skipping someday classes just to rise my score, wanting to beat my brother. He would always win in score, but he cheated, I knew it. I was playing it as I felt an arising emotion, making me feel a need to play more and more. The sensation to keep my attention to the game was filling my head as I played it more and more. It was like… I don’t want to say it, but it was a drug. I was playing it with wide eyes, staring every movement of the aliens while destroying them. Maybe I had fun with it for hours, or just a few minutes, I don`t know, but I didn't care. I was viciously playing it. As the scored raised slowly but steady, I heard a voice at my right side. "Can I play? It seems really fun.” I almost didn’t catch her by the surrounding noise of the arcade. "Sure!" I said with a playful voice. The idea of competence raised my humor more than it was by just playing. "I think I can beat you. Wait, I know I'll beat you, so be prepared to give me a little of resistance, ha ha!" she said with an arrogant voice, but innocent, at the same time. She stood beside me and played by my side I was always seeing the screen as she was always laughing, a laugh that warmed me up, when I lost against her. The only thing I cared in that moment was that I wanted to play. … We played mindlessly. We enjoyed every bit of it as laughs had gone through the air. I stopped playing after I don't know how long. I had to stop before I got mad with her as she was always winning me in score She's even better than my brother. I turned around to say I wanted to play another game, and I would win. But I didn't. When I turned around, I saw… a… it’s strange to explain it, but it wasn’t human, for sure… The only animal that it can be as close as the animal I was seeing would be a pony, but, in truth, a cartoonish one, with its legs simplified to inflated balloons, a body with the same property as before, and its head had big eyes, oddly proportionated to its body… It was strange. And I was playing with a pony. A talking pony. My mind was shocked seeing her as she... smiled to me. I think she immediately caught my expression. "…Why are you looking at me with that face?" she asked with a little concerned voice. I was still shocked as I watched her. After a moment, I, or my visual sense, realized how she truly was, at least aside the anatomical part. She had a light blue coat, with big rose eyes, and what most was noticeable from her was her mane, her multi-colored mane. A rainbow. She seemed worried I stared at her blankly. There was an awkward silence as I tried to see if this was normal, or real, even if I dreaming, but she broke the silence. "You know...," she said, maybe wanting to get me out of the state I was, "I want to meet some of my friends that are here. Do you want to accompany me?" I saw her eyes for three seconds and answered with a whisper, "Sure, if you want.” She grinned. "Great! Come with me!" She touched my hand with her hoof. I felt her hoof touching my hand. It was odd. "Okay..." I said, still thinking if this was… normal. She trotted to a door that was steps behind her and opened it with her hoof. I don’t know how she did it, but she did it. I started following her, and as I was trying to see the new place adorned with pink, she ran into two girls that were relatively near us. As I stood in the middle of the room, I noticed those girls, and the pony, were waving to me come with them to be with them. When I looked to them, I recognized those girls. One was the shy girl, she was still holding her rabbit, and the other girl was the pinky girl, with the same smile that did to me when she said goodbye. But then I woke up. Or that's the last scene I remember. Anyway, carrying on with the dream’s topic… Well... how do I say it...? Since I was a kid, or even before, say my parents I have been always dreaming. I would create entire worlds in my mind in just few seconds. They were mostly fantastic worlds. Worlds were I would go in adventures with the people that resided there. From old, rusty guys with swords and shields, to women practitioner of magic. As I advanced in age, and as puberty hit, I would dream about other worlds, more complex ones, but always fantasy, fantasy worlds. I would create I had a friendship with a teenager of said world I was dreaming and I would go in quests with her. I would dream to sci-fi worlds where technology ruled everywhere to old villages lost in time. I would create worlds within worlds, I'd travel to space and surround planets, carefully land on them and search for lost civilisations. They were good dreams, if you ask me. They seemed to be simple, but, for me, they were relaxing. Well, as I was in my last year of high school, I would dream alternate realities about television series I was fan of at that moment, or anything I was watching in the TV, or about my own life, creating a total separated world, where mostly anything could happen if I just started to think about that. And it is something I still do, I say. An activity that my friends don't really... comprehend, or enjoy. "Hey... Rick, are you daydreaming?" said my friend who was at my side. We were walking through a wide corridor located in our university, just after we took a class. I didn't answer for a moment, but my head started to move erratically. He grabbed me from my shoulders and shook me. “Stop it! I’m awake, I’m awake!” “Were you dreaming about that girl?” "No! What? Which girl? I—there’s wasn't any girl. What made you think that?” I said and he released me. "I was only asking, I wasn't thinking anything. I didn’t led you to think that, did I?" He mischievously smiled.. I suspected he was just mocking me, so I let it pass, keeping myself shut. We walked down the corridor and I saw him led his gaze to a girl who was approaching us and he brushed his hair with his hand. I thought I recognized the girl, but I was interrupted before I confirmed it. "Well... I have to go, so...4 o’clock, in the evening?" He moved his shirt, checked his cell phone and smelled his breath. "Yeah," I said at the same time he greeted the girl. I waved my hand to him, leaving the wide corridor and leading to the front door of the building. I thought about what he did, leaving me alone to talk to another girl, that he was a wannabe Casanova, but I know he isn’t like that. And he isn’t really good with girls… We’ve known since high school. I've been with him since we were in high school. He is a little... eccentric. He is also someone that I can rest on, as he can rest on me, figuratively. It's mutual. He also helped me to choose what career I wanted to study, and he really helped me to discover one of my passions: Psychology. He’s my best friend. His name’s Christopher. While I was walking down the corridor, I hung my head, looking in my imaginary catalogue of activities what to do since I had all the day for me: no tests, no works, no study and no part-jobs I had to do. "What can I do?” I whispered as I saw my shoes. Sport shoes. I stopped in my tracks and I recalled something from my first day here. I vowed to myself that I would be with sportswear. And that was the case. I think I also vowed that I would bring a pillow to be more comfortable, but at least I haven’t done it…yet. I guessed I could use the sportswear for what I was created. I recalled that the campus had a stadium, so I reached the front door and started to jog to the stadium to warm up a little. When I arrived to the stadium I observed people with different physical complex working out. They were jogging, running, jumping and throwing objects that I can't remember how they were called. They were doing athletics, that’s for sure. They all were minding their own business, so, without thinking it twice, I started to jog at a quicker pace, doing the same that some runners were doing. As I jogged on the last track, I felt, somehow, I should go to my right side. It felt as an instinct. I did it, trusting my hunch, and in just a second after I saw a girl running at a mad pace. If I had not moved, we would crashed. Thinking, I tried to calm myself from what could had happened. I was a little shocked to see how she was running, how fast she was, and how effortless she seemed it to be. I watched her in wonder, and as she finished, she lowered her running pace until she was jogging. I saw her leading to me. She was wearing a sports shirt, tight shorts, and, from what I could see, spikes, but what most attracted me is she had her hair dyed like a rainbow. "You shouldn't be here," she stoically said, her rushed breath taking its toll to talk. "Why?" I asked, noticing her rushed breaths, and her not-so-friendly posture. "Well, first-” She pointed me with her hand, "-I almost tripped because of you, almost crashing you, and second: at this hours the athletic club trains, so... yeah, you shouldn't be here.” She said with rushed breaths. She wasn’t happy, at all. I did the first thing that came to my mind, apologize. "I'm sorry and I didn't really know you were training, It's just... I didn't know that. It's my first time here, in this track." I didn't want someone to yell at me or be angry at me. Not that day, or any day. I think something moved inside her head with what I said. She smiled, as if she achieved something, and asked, "Have you ever run... before?" "I...-what?" I mumbled out, not prepared for that question. "Well, have you ever run before?" she asked me again. "Yes, when I was—" "Great, you know something..." she interrupted me, seeing me with a thoughtful face, as if she were analyzing me. I don’t know if it’s me, but it’s hard to know what she’s thinking by just seeing her. Then, she asked me, "Can... you, like, come at this same hour, the next Friday?" Her voice was calmer and I could notice a trace of… arrogance in her voice. "...Yeah, I think I can..." I said as I considered to go or not. "Cool. I'm training right now, I’ll see you that day, OK?" she said and immediately a click sounded from her watch, making her run again. From what I could take from what I was seeing, she was maximizing her energy with long, strong strides. She seemed to be very comfortable running. With she stopping me dead track from my jog, and feeling I was getting cold, I claimed the day as ended for training. I leaved the track and went to my home, not before stretching on the way home. … I was in front of a door. A wooden door, nicely painted with cheap paint. It was located on the third floor of a residential building. I delicately opened the door and it revealed my department. I wouldn't call it the most pleasant place nor the worst, but it’s my place. It’s the typical student apartment: It has a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen and a living room. In my bedroom they are the usual things: a bed, a nightstand, and a wardrobe where I keep my clothes and my study books since it's the place I always keep important things. I usually keep the books I must study under my bed, so I mostly keep clothes in my wardrobe. In my bathroom, there is a shower, a sink and a toilet. Nothing too marvelous to have, I guess. In my kitchen there is an oven, a sink, a cooler and a refrigerator. It is just… a common kitchen. The living room has a table, two chairs and a musical instrument: a cello. It was by the side of the table. I could see it from where I stood. It's an instrument I love to play. None other instruments has taught me the value of art and music like the cello. I love to play it, it makes me feel at ease, it makes me feel better, and it makes me feel I have nothing to worry about. The cello gives me something to do in my life, besides studying, of course. Every time I play it—not only play in the sense of playing a note, but to authentically play it, to feel the emotion of every note within its scale, to search through the harmony and change the timbre of the tone to adequate it to the passage, to notice those little details pair with everything, to feel the bow match the intensity and passion of the piece's dynamic... I feel the world around me goes somewhere else and the only reason to live is to play. I walked to the living room, put the bag I was carrying on the table which it had my books, grabbed the cello and started to play it mindlessly as the night arrived, feeling four strings fit under my fingers. I closed my eyes and played suites that I had already learned through time, dedication and passion. … I played it not caring about the time it took to play it. I put the cello besides the chair and got up, noticing the strain in my wrist. I stretched my hand and my arms. While I was doing it, I noticed through my window the night. It was a beautiful night, cleared from any nocturnal cloud. The stars were shining a white glitter, distinguishing themselves from the artificial lights of our satellites. It was unusual at season of the year, making it more noticeable. I could recognize some constellations from where I was, like Virgo’s and Leo's. I felt exhausted, not knowing if it was by the cello or the arrival of the night. I verified my watch and it eleven and a half, late for what I’m used to. Knowing myself that I’m a morning person, I go to bed earlier than the usual person, not allowing myself that kind of convenience. It’s good when you are in classes or something alike, but when you want to rest…ugh… I looked the cello, loosened the bow’s crin, put the bow on the stand and moved to my bedroom. The bed was calling my name, and so I did its. I got off my clothes and embraced the tight and sweet mattress of the bed. o0o "We shall tell him, sister. I have to tell him." "No. We aren't sure if he wants, or if he is the one who has to do it." "But Celestia, sister, we ne-" "No. We have to wait." "Your kingdom will fall, sister. Even worse than now. If we don't do anyth-" "Just wait." The shy forestI woke up a slightly tired, my eyelids felt heavy. I didn’t mind as I had already gotten up without thinking twice. I checked my bedroom to see where my clothes were. I threw them everywhere before getting into the bed. I'm not someone who you can call neat, even within my own standards of what it's neat. But since there is no one else but me living in this apartment, I don't disturb anyone with that. I went to the kitchen to see if there was food. I checked the fridge and the cooler, they were both empty. There was absolutely nothing, not even ice. I stared at the fridge. What can I do…? An idea crossed my mind. I closed the fridge and started to count ten seconds. I don’t remember where, or how, or who, but I recalled that someone did this and it appeared food. I’m not a genius, that’s for sure. I opened the fridge again, expecting food! But I stared blankly at the fridge. To my misfortune, it was the same picture as before: emptiness. Yesterday, by having a busy day and encountering that rainbow girl, I forgot to buy food. I sighed, closed the fridge and moved to the living room. From a clock hanging on a wall, I saw the hour: it was seven past half. I figured out it should be, at least, one place open at this time to eat. I hope. I headed to my bedroom, grabbed my wallet and got dressed, but I felt a little dirty from yesterday’s jog. Not wanting to spread my… great scented body through someone’s nostrils, I went to my bedroom, wore off my clothes and threw them to the floor, grabbed a pair of towels and headed to the shower. I turned the shower on, and—by the holy strength of everything, it’s hot!—turned it off. "Ah!" I escaped from the shower and tested the water until it was tolerable to my body. I got in again, and, safely, put under the soft, relaxing and hot water. I stood there for, I don’t know, several minutes, just feeling and tracking how every part of my skin felt younger, inhaling and exhaling air in a lower and lower pace. I closed my eyes and hanged my head, liberating me from the stress of yesterday, from that girl I almost crashed with… That was a stressful event. … After I got out of the shower, I dried myself and put on my clothes: my snickers, jeans, blue t-shirt, dark hoodie and a Columbian blue cap. I generally wear that and sometimes people get scared when I walk through the city. Am I scary? Do I look I’m going to rob someone? Is it because my cap is from Colombia? That’s what the salesman said… I moved to the living room, opened the door of my department and went outside the building. I led my gaze up, noting the blue sky. Birds soared the cloudless sky. It was tinted bright blue with trails of orange coming from the rising sun. I checked my watch I always wear, even when I sleep, and it showed eight o’clock. The sky asked for its appreciation, and I answered seeing it just for a little more. I believe my body can resist half an hour without food, right? Even with this cold that observes the dawn with me? Right? … I reached the downtown in no time. I ran from my apartment by a third of the time I usually take to reach downtown. I was so hypnotized by those trails of orange I forgot about the existence of time, and it was already quarter past eight when I saw my watch. Why did I stop to see something so common...? I went in to the first open restaurant I saw and sit on the nearest chair I found. All in all, hunger exceed my endurance, so I didn’t care which place was open to have a quick breakfast. At least I made sure it was a place to eat. I looked around and noticed that the room had fancy furniture and expensive decoration, with paintings of food hanging on the walls. I sighed. I felt my body defeat to the weariness of my frantic run. My legs hurt, my lungs burned and my hands were tired. I heard two steps by my side and I reacted moving my head to a side. I saw a waiter tapping his foot and his arms crossed. "What would you like to eat, sir?" He brought from his back a notepad and a pen. "Can you… bring me a sandwich? Any kind, I just want it… fast, please." He put back the items he brought up and nodded, leaving me alone in the restaurant. I guessed he’s going to be fast with my food, but not enough to distract my hunger. I saw the place and fixed my vision to the furniture: it was all made of a brown wood, carved with figures of food and drinks. The chairs had the same design and they both, chairs and tables ,complemented. I didn’t notice, but I closed my eyes because of a light coming from my left. I searched for its origin and found it: it came from a window. It directed to the sidewalk, giving me a clean picture of the street. I wanted to distract from the hunger, so, the best option was to see the street. I had to cover the light with my hand to see the scenery. My view was invaded by the grey colors of the urban and by the cold scenery from the naked branches of the trees. How many times I passed by this local, seeing the trees caressing from winter’s detached cold? As the winter reached to its end, I looked traces of new-born flowers go besides the pavement, adorning the freezing morning. Blue, yellow, gray, and even purple, were the colors I noticed from the flowers. I could look and analyze trees and the flowers harmonized with each other. It is as if nature was alive, once again, returning from his hibernation. The rainy, snowy days that slowed the coming of summer were dying, and it showed. I don’t call myself someone appreciative of details, but… with this picture, I could appreciate the beauty of scene. But someone interrupted my tranquility. I heard a grunt beside me, a small growl. The waiter waiting with my food on hand. "Sir, here it is,” he said and left the dish on my table accompanied with a soda by the side of it. I didn’t ask for it, but I didn’t care. It was nothing that my wallet couldn’t stand. … I finished my sandwich in no time, and my soda too. I turned around and raised my arm. “Waiter, can you bring me the check? "I'll bring it now." "Thanks," I said, turning around and seeing the window again. The image was almost the same, the only difference was that a skinny guy was running on the sidewalk. I think it’s one of the guys I saw running yesterday… I recalled the events of yesterday. The chat I had with that athletic girl and the promise I made with her. Maybe I can go to the stadium and ask her why she wants me go to, but I don’t want to go there, to the stadium for that solely reason… I paid the bill and went out the place. I could smell the fragrance of the flowers from where I stood. I looked at the end of the road to see where the guy led. I noted, to the distance, at the end of the city and further, a forest. "Maybe I can go... there," I said, seeing the forest that was a little far from my sight. Maybe going there would be peaceful, so I moved to that direction. I live in a town, surrounded by a forest. Well, a town that is going to be a great city, so, probably, the forest will be cut down. But for now, it still has a forest, which is pleasant for me. ... I really underestimated the distance from where I was. I sit on the soft grass in front of the forest's entrance and let myself rest from the walk. I almost walked thirty minutes from the restaurant. I looked upside. The tops of the trees moved in an unhurried manner. Something I forgot in these days of stress is this forest. With the recent week full of exams, and the next one waiting me and calling me, I... have to relax, take a break, even if I have to study. That's what I did yesterday, and what I plan to do today. I sighed. This forest, makes me feel… in peace, in ease with myself. There’s a habit I do. It consists of going to the woods every weekend and relax myself in there, seeing the wonders of nature. And, inside of it, I do breathing exercises to calm myself. It is something I always do before going inside this forest. It is a way to control my behavior from everything and everyone; a method to ease myself. I'm someone who is stressed, not physically, but mentally. I always have to be thinking about something or someone, even if I don't want to. It's a trait of my personality I don't like. I always try to soften it, since it has already brought me many problems... I entered to the woods, watching where I stepped. I have a passage between the woods, a fictional route that leads me to a turquoise river, with animals drinking from the water, from squirrels to cats , to foxes and bugs. I even watched a bear once! Damn, I almost got a limb out that time. But I decided it was better to go through another road this time, leaving my route for a next occasion. I went between bushes and trees, hearing the birds sing, with no direction to follow. The place felt eerie. I saw dots swiftly fall through the trails of lights, between the branches. I traveled between the green, brown and red flourished forest as I whistled the bird’s croon. I saw birds leaning on the trees' branches, bugs of every color flying and crawling their way to the outside. Forest’s life never dies in any season As I saw and felt the wonders of the wood, like the animals it had, or the sweet and woody scent, I saw a clearing. The grass was whiter than the forest’s. I went in, stopped in the middle of it, felt how calm it was, and touching the ground, noticed how soft it was. There was no sound except the song singed by the birds. I could sense this was the place the forest had for itself, for contemplation. It was... peacefulness naturalized. It sounds strange, or silly, but I believe the forest has a life, and lives. I sit down and let my muscles loosen, all while I heard the birds singing a different melody. It was, somehow, a rhythmic song. My musical sense got inspired and I tapped to the rhythm of the song. As the song advanced, I started to relax more, letting my mind go blank. I remembered a method from a psychology book. It taught a breathing method to let out the stress from your body. In this situation, it was perfect to do it. I went to check every one of my senses: the smell of the soaked grass was nostalgic. My hand were trying to find a dried spot to rest on. The taste of the sandwich was still swirling in my mouth, and my vision was up to the great trees, with its foliage starting to grow again. I inhaled four seconds, keep my breath eight seconds and exhaled eight seconds, doing it several times, all while I was closing my eyes to the song of the birds. I was starting to fell asleep. I put on my cap on my face, went to my back, and closed my eyes. Time passed and I relaxed more and more, more and more… I saw a blurry image with my eyes closed, my imagination speaking through one of my senses. I saw a dark blue lake lost between mountains and snow, all lighted by a whitened blue light. The lake reflected the snowed mountains perfectly, appearing as if there was a second world inside of it. I closed my distance to that lake. In the coast there was a rock with a gritty texture, standing alone. I took it on my hand, and threw it high to the lake. As it fell, I heard someone behind me. It was a femme voice, whispering to me. "Finally." I tried to see who was, but blackness surrounded me before. I heard a little voice. Somehow, I knew it was outside my dream. "Mm... he-hello?" I opened my eyes, but they were covered with the cap. I answered, "Hello?" I removed my cap and put it on my head, while I slowly straightened from the ground. "Oh, I'm sorry I interrupted your sleeping, sorry..." she whispered "I don't think that matters now. I shouldn't have slept here, anyway.” I rubbed my eyes, trying to brush off the drowsiness. I turned my head and saw her. She was a girl with a slender body. She was wearing a yellow sweater with a pair of blue jeans with white shoes. What most attracted of her was her face and her hair. Her face was something... angelical, clean, like nothing has hurt her. With great blue eyes, white skin, great eyelids, and her long, straight… pink hair, she had her hands closed together, as if she was praying. She seemed to be familiar, at least for the look she gave me at that moment. I wanted to answer my doubts, from where it came that familiarity, until I noticed she was blushing. Blushing is a soft word; she was burning. I was staring her intently. “Oh, I’m sorry, I… just-was thinking,” I said and stood up, a little soaked. "I-I..." She tried to speak, but I saw her struggle. Something made her hold herself. "Do you want to talk?" I asked. "I-I..." She turned around and went away. What? I sighed and stood up, seeing her leave the clearing. I didn’t mind she left, but something drop from the grip of her hand. Before I said something, she was already gone. I grabbed the thing and noticed it was a pink cell phone. "Hey, your cell phone, you forgot your cell phone!" I screamed to the way she led, but I didn’t receive an answer. But I saw, between the trunks of the wood, a glimpse of pink. I followed her, taking care of where I stepped. In a moment I could see her completely. “Hey!” She turned and stopped to see me. But she started to run. With that reaction, I quickened my pace. “Stop! Your cell phone!” I ran, trying to catch her as escaped from me, taking random passages through the woods. We were going nowhere, running erratically. But I heard a crack and she fell. I sprinted to reach her. She was on the ground, dusted, and with a part of her jeans ripped with a tiny trail of blood coming of it. “Are you alright? Does it hurt?” I asked her. She shivered. "I... I'm sorry..." "It's not your fault. Here, let me get you up." I showed my hand. She lowered her head and whispered, “My knees hurt…” "Well... are you sure you can stand up?" I said, still showing my hand. She grabbed my hand. When she stood with her legs stretched, she yelped. I said, “Do you need help?” She, ignoring what she heard, looked me with teary eyes. "Why... did you follow me?" Not knowing how to answer with her mood, I just brought up her cell phone. "I just wanted to bring you this." "Oh." She blushed. "I'm sorry for... what I did.” She hid her face under her long hair, seeing me between glances. "It doesn't matter know, what does matter is you," I said. She locked eyes with me and quickly looked away, blushing, again I realized she interpreted in a wrong way. "Oh-no, I meant that what it's important now is that you're hurt, your knees are wounded,” I said with a rushed voice, wanting this to get over. She finished blushing, something that made me a bit at ease, and asked me something. "Why... are you here?" I frowned with said question. "Why am I here?" "Yes, why?" she whispered once again. "Why am I here at the forest?" I answered with an alike question. "Yes..." she said, enduring my repeating questions. "I wanted to feel relaxed," I said, waiting for her response. But there was none. I inclined to see better her wound. “Do you feel… pain?” She didn’t answer. We just stood there, in an awkward silence accompanied by the chirps of some animals. Seconds passed and I couldn't stand it anymore. "Do you... want to do something?" I tried to see her knees, but she just stood there, escaping from my gaze and observing the scenery, like she didn't know what to do. She moved her left hand and touched her elbow. By my surprise, she asked me with the same question, "Do you want to do something?" "Well... I want to leave this place. I'm not feeling very... secure," I said, recalling the event with the bear. She nodded and we started to go back to the forest’s entrance, searching for our way back. Minutes passed in silence. Hearing nothing but the chirps and the breaking branches from our steps. Restlesness flirted with me, and I didn't like it. I wanted to start a conversation “So… what’s your name?” I wasn’t feeling very comfortable with a silence that felt… —loud can be a way to say it. "It's... Mary." "That's a cute name." I told her, trying to move the conversation. “Do you… like the weather?” “Yes.” “So… what do you do in your free time?” She hasn’t looked at me since we started our walk. I don’t know how to break the ice with her. “I like animals…” “What do you do with them?” Her face livened up when I asked her that. “I take care of them, help them from their health problems.” I noticed she smiled. A progress. “And you’re studying to be a veterinary, right?” “Yes... What do you want to be?” She looked at me, waiting to answer. “Psychology.” When I answered, I didn't notice a rock in our path. I almost tripped over. After I accommodated myself, I looked her and she went back to her submissive self, trying to hide behind her hair. I sighed. She isn't a talkative person. … We reached the entrance. We didn't after I almost tripped over. "Well... I think it's time to go," I said to her, trying to get her attention. "So... goodbye, I guess?" I asked her, successfully getting her attention again. "Yeah..." she said, looking to the ground. I don’t know how she can be so shy. "Do you want me to call a taxi to take you to the hospital?” Her silence was the answer. “Well… goodbye, take care of yourself,” I said and walked away, leading to the downtown. But, in the midway to it, I felt something strange in one of my pockets. I searched it and felt an object. I brought it up and it was her cell phone. I forgot to give her. I came back to the entrance jogging, but I didn’t see her wherever I seek her within my sight. It seems I have a new cell phone by accident... I have to see her again. Chapter 3"Jesus christ, I want to sleep!" Cristopher said while he tried to knock out the alarm. He forgot to put it off yesterday. He wanted to sleep more, but he couldn't. He tried to set off the alarm again, but he noticed that his arm wasn't even touching the night table that was on the "devil alarm" (or that's how he call his alarm), so he went closer and closer toward the edge of the bed, until he could reach the night table with his arm, and the alarm too. He, once again, tried to stop the alarm, but ocurred something that he couldn't expect or miss at all. He fell of the bed, and saw that the floor was approaching him, or that he was approaching the floor. "God da-" He tried to stood up after that, but he was entangled with the sheets. "It's 12:00." Said the alarm, while he tried to extricate himself from the sheets. "It's time for your local pray, people!." Said the voice of a minister through the alarm. "And today, people, today, is a special day! Because we have more time to attend your plegaries!. Pray for your sons, for your parents, for y-" The alarm went off. He could unravel and turn off the alarm. "Finally..." "Now...let's get a shower, I..." He went silent for a few seconds, remembering something. "...I have a meeting with Rick..." He said to himself, as he freaked out, and started putting the first clothes that he could came across. He found a tight shirt, a pair of loose brown pants, a pair of sneakers and his glasses. He thought that he had to show to Rick his new drawings that he did yesteday, so sketchbook under his arm, and went out of his room running. "Oh," He said, looking to the door of his living room. "I almost forgot." He went to the dinning table of his living room, and grabbed his Ipod and headphones. He went out of his house, and started to run to the place that he thought where Rick would be. He reached the place that he will meet with Rick. It was square with a few wooden benches, a few trees, a statue on the middle, and besides everything else the square was just an open green space. He went to the nearest bench and sit down, catching his breath. He waited there for a moment, seeing the sky, and then seeing the statue. "I think that I...will draw something." He said that, while he thought that he even didn't know what time was it, but he would wait for Rick. He took under his arm his sketchbook, put it on his lap, and took a few cheap pencils from his pockets, and started to draw some random lines, hoping that he would draw something decent. After moment of drawing, he saw the lines. They were vaguely forming a human body "...what is this?" He said while he saw his drawing, It was, somehow, a teenager, something that he never draw before. "Well, I can do something with it" He said while he started to draw some clothes on her, like a cap, some jeans, and others thing. He finished some of the clothes, he was going to keep drawing, but he heard a voice behind him. A voice with a little of accent, refined accent. "That is a sketch, isn't it?" She asked, without him turning around. He didn't answer, and started to draw again. "You don't seem to be talkative." She said, while he was drawing some details to the cap. "So, are you here because...?" She asked, trying to get something out of him. He didn't answer, as she expected. She waited behind him for a while, while he was still drawing the teenager, with more details. "It looks good, I must say." She said to him" I also draw, if you want to know." "That's good." He said with a mumbling voice. "So you finally answered.." She said, with a more relaxed voice. She took a deep breath. "So, if you answered me, can you, at least, tell me what's your name?" "My name's Christopher" He said. "Mine's Rossary" She said, a little happy to know his name, as she touched his shoulder. "That's a cute name" He said, as he finally turned around to see her. He just stared with his mouth open as he looked to the young women standing behind her. It was, in his eyes, beautiful: purple eyes, long dark hair, her white shirt, and skinny white jeans. He didn't believe what he was seeing. For him, she was an angel, in terms of beauty. "Why...?" He whispered to himself, while he thought that he was a real stupid to hadn't talked to her before. As he stared to her, she sit besides him, asking him something that he didn't catch. "Hey, are you listening-" She waved her hand in front of his eyes. "- ,Christopher?" She asked, trying to get him out of his current state. "Oh... what? What did you ask?" He said as he remembered that he was still seeing her. "I asked if you have other drawings." "Well...I have other drawings, but aren't like the one you saw." He said, lending her his sketch book. "Oh, let me see them." She said as she started to pass through all the pages, trying to find something like the teenager she recently saw. There were mostly graffiti. She simulated to seem to be interested on them, as she noticed that he was with a smile seeing her what she would say about them. "I think they are good, but I think you are better at drawing people". She said. "Do...you think that?" He said, trying to see why she said that. "Yeah, I think that you can enjoy a lot more drawing people than drawing graffiti." She said, trying to convince him. "...Alright, if you say so" He said, and after that he made a smile. "Good!" She said with a cheerful voice, but that changed until she saw something. "...what happened?" He asked. "Is that...a cheap shirt?" She asked. He couldn't respond because he didn't understand what she asked. "Answer, is that a cheap shirt?" She asked again. "No...?" "Really?" "Yes..., why do you ask?" "Because it's just awful! Look at yourself!" She screamed. And he did that what she told him to do. "I see nothing wrong at all." "Really? I can help you if you can." She said with a concerned voice. And as she said that, he giggled. "Why are you laughing? I'm trying to help you, you know." She said. "I mean, really, look at those pants, they`re pathetic!" "What are you saying? Hahahahaha!" He said as he laughed. "Why are you laughing?!" She exclaimed. "I can't understand why you are saying that, really, I mean, why? Why would you criticize my clothes? Haha!" He said, trying to explain her. "Because I want to help you!" She said. "But why?" "Maybe because I can?" "What? Haha!" I reached the place that I had to be, and saw my friend talking with a girl. Or mostly laughing. It seemed that he was enjoying it, so I waited a little to see what would happen. "Again, why do you want to help me?" My friend said to the girl. "Why? Maybe because you look horrible, really, but, can you, just..." She took a deep breath. "let me help you?" He saw her for a few seconds. "Okay, I'll let you help me." I thought that it was the time to get in, since I saw that I would had to wait more if this went on. "Hey, Christopher!" I said to him, appearing in front of him. He looked a little surprised by that greeting. "Hi, Rick" He said as he stared to me. "It seems that you invited your girlfriend, right?" I moved my sight to the girl. "I mean, I saw you two arguing, so I though that-" "NO! no no no, no!" My friend said, blushing, while the girl did the same, hiding her face with her hands. It's so easy to make him blush... I smiled seeing this, and waited a moment to calm the situation. "So, what your name?" I asked her. "Rosetta. Her name's Rosetta." My friend said. I though for a moment what to say, since I wanted to do a joke, but I remembered that the thing I did was enough for today. "And what's yours?" Said the girl, still blushing a little. "Mine? Rick." "So...are you Christopher's friend?" She asked me. "Yep". "So...can I ask you something, just for...asking?" "Why yes, you can." "Why do you smell like grass?" I kept quiet for a moment, thinking what I should say, but I couldn't think of anything. "...Does it matter?" She raised an eyebrow. "Yes." "...If you want to know, I was taking a nap on the grass. So, yeah, that's why I have this smell." I waited for her to say something, but she didn't say anything. Many seconds passed before someone talked. That was my friend. "Hey, Rick, I think we have to go..." "Bu-" My cellphone started to rang. "Wait a moment, I have to answer." I said as I walked away. Well...that helped me a lot. "Don't worry about him, he's like that" Christopher said to Rosetta. "Don't worry, I think I understand him...except his joke" She said with a reassuring voice, as she saw Rick. Christopher blushed a little. "Well...what I really wanted to say is that we have to go." "Why?" She asked him. "It's because we decided to get together today to do something, and this is exactly the hour that we agreed to meet." "Oh...so, it's a goodbye?" "Yeah." He said a little sad, thinking that he would never talk to her never again. She smiled as she recalled something. "I think I have something." She said, lending him a card. "And...what is this?" He asked her. "It's my business card." "What?! You have a business?" He screamed, attracting the attention of Rick. "It's just a small business, it's design-related. Call me when you need something, ok?" She winked him. "I'll do it!" He said, excited. "The sooner, the better." She said to him. She looked her watch. "Well, I think I have to go too. Goodbye Christopher!" She said, and then kissed his cheek. He didn't answer. He was thinking when to call her, how, and why. "Well, Christopher, it seems that your beloved one is gone, haha!" I said, trying to mocking him, but he didn't answer. I stood in front of him, seeing him drooling. You have to be kidding me... "So...can we go now?" I asked him. He didn't answer. I repeated it several times, but it was the same thing. He was standing there, like an idiot. It seems that I need something more drastic... Chapter 4"What was that, man?!" He screamed "I just woke you up from your dream, that's all." I said with a relaxing voice. "But you didn't have to SLAP me!" "I had to do it. It was just that." "It wasn't just that, you have to explain me why..." I didn't hear him after the "why" since I just started get out of this place. I wanted to do something else. "Don't leave me here talking alone!" He screamed. I turned around, and answered him. "Let's go somewhere else!" "But wait for me!". I sighed. "Okay..." We went to the shops, and, in our travel, talked about anything, like how it rained the last week, what we did think about the new president, anything. "...And, besides, I just bought this thing," My friend showed me an album. "It's Knife party's new album." "You know, you can download it, si-" Before I kept going, my friend was giving a deadpanned look. "What?" "You have to support your favorites artists, man" He said. trying to correct me. "You know that I'm not someone correct, right?" I said. "Even then, you have to, and you know why." "Why, if I can ask you?" "They have to have their money. That's how you reward them for their work." "And so, with a rightful voice, said the man who makes the right things, and goes to rescue damsels from their towers." I said. "Every time I ty to give you advice, you do that!" "You wasn't giving me an advice, you were telling me to do something!" "But it was an advice, and a good one, if you want to keep hearing your favorites artists." "If I agree with you, will you just tell me advices and NOT tell me what to do with my life?" "Only if you listen." "Ok, ok, I will hear you, from now." I sighed, since he always react like that when I say that joke, or when he tries to correct me, or both. We reached our destiny: A McDonalds. We went in, and stood on the line to of the cashier to request our food. "So...what do you want to eat, Cristopher?" I said, trying to change the subject. "Well, I think I would like some mozzarella dippers." He said. "What about you?" He asked. "I think I would have some 20 chicken macnugets, a big coca-cola, two big macs, and...any salad, I guess. No more, no less" I said, as I noticed that my friend was giving a skeptically face. "Really? No, really, man?" "Yeah. I didn't have lunch." "Ok..." He said, keeping his mouth shout. ... We sat in a near table with our food. "You have to be kidding me..." My friend said, looking at my food. "No. Just watch me, and see how my mouth works, ok?" I said, trying to make him believe that I can eat all my food. But he just stared me for a few moments, and started to eat his dippers. I started to do the same. We spent there a few minutes just eating, and I started to talk to him. "So...?" "So...what?" "So...how is your new girlfriend?" He chocked on his food, and drank from my drink. "It seems that you love her a lot, right?" I said, smiling him as he drank my drink. It also seems that I have to buy another drink. "Shut up! What made you think that!?" He screamed. "Maybe because of how you saw her...? Haha!" "You don't know anything, I just meet her today!" "When, exactly?" "Today!" "I love it when you are like this, haha!" He growled when he heard my comment, but didn't do anything. "So...," He smiled to me. "Why did you get a nap on the grass, uh?" "In a forest, specifically" He leaned closer to me, whispering. "So...is that related to your new cellphone?" I didn't understand. "Eh...what?" He returned to his normal position. "Bring everything out of your pockets." Did he... "Why?" ...saw it? "I want to see your pink cellphone, nothing more." Yep, he did. I pulled of the pink cellphone, and put it on the table. "Do you want to tell me why you have that cellphone, Rick? Uh?!" He said, trying to mocking me. "I do not have a girlfriend, if you want to know that." "Really?" "Yes." "So you don't care explaining why you have that?" He pointed to the cellphone. "I...don't think so." God damnit. "Well," I said, closing my eyes and trying to recall what happened. "I...went to the forest, trying to get relaxed after all the tests I had this week, and I reached a cleaning in the middle of the forest. I felt...em...tired, if I can say it like that, and I just took a nap." I saw him looking me with a odd face, but I continued. "Then I heard a little voice, waking me, and I ju-..." I opened my eyes, as I heard something strange. "What is that?" I and my friend looked to the table where was the pink cellphone. It was ringing. We saw it for a few seconds. "Do you want to answer it?" He asked me. "I think I should." I said as I grabbed the cellphone and answered it. "Hello?" "H-Hello?" It was a delicate voice. A voice of a young woman. "Yes...?" I said, but no one answered. "Is someone there?" "Yes...and...this is my cellphone..." "Oh, are you the girl from the forest?" "...Ho-how did you know?" "I know because I'm the guy you met there." "And...why do you have my cellphone, if I can.." I couldn't hear anything after "can". "Do you want it back, right?" I asked. "She wants it back, you know, it something...obvious." Said my friend. "Yes. Can we, like, meet?" Said the voice from the cellphone "Of course. Tell me when and where." "Are you...at the McDonalds?" "Yes...I'm, actually." "Can you turn around?" "...Ok" I did that. "Now turn your head to the right." I did that, and saw her. I identified by characteristic hair. "I can see you, what do I do now?" I said, waving my hand to her. "Just...come closer." "What?" "Come closer." I turned off her cellphone, and put it down. "Why did you do that?" He asked me. I turned around to face him. "I don't think that I need to answer that, you know." "Maybe, but...," He leaned closer. "can I meet her?" "You don't even know how she is." "So...?" He said. I gave him a deadpanned face. "Ok, ok, just...go with her, I'll just wait here." He said I smiled. "That's great, so-...wait, you aren't going to go there after I talked to her, right?" "...How do you know me so well, Rick? Haha." He laughed. "I've known you for almost a decade, you know." I stood up as I said that "That may be." He smiled. "Good luck" I turned around, and went to the table that the girl was. I remembered that she was shy, as I saw her this morning, so I tried to approach to her not so sharply. "Hi, Mary!" I said, raising my voice. Well, I tried. "Hi...?" She asked with a whisper. I sit down on one of the chairs that was near her, and put her cellphone on the table. She smiled, and grabbed it, without saying anything. "You...don't really are talkative..." "I'm...sorry." "Don't worry, if you are like that, it's okay." She smiled, and asked me something that I didn't hear at first. "What did you say?" "What's your name?" She said. "My name's Rick." She saw me for a moment, and then she frowned. "Is it...something wrong?" "My knee... it hurts..." "You...didn't go to the hospital?" She blushed as I said this, and looked down. "No..." "Where did you go, then?" "I...just went to the forest, again." I sighed. "Look...promise me something, okay?" She raised her eyes."After this conversation, you are going to the hospital." "But...I don't want to worry anyone." "You won't worry anyone if you go to the hospital and wait to see what you have, really." She looked down again. "...Ok." I thought about how she wanted to anyone to worry about her. It was something...good, something that you don't see usually... "Are you...smiling?" She said. I focused my sight, and noticed that I zoned out looking at her, and smiling. I blushed, and looked to the other side. "I...didn't want to do that." She just laughed as I said that. "Well...I have to go, to the hospital." She said, standing from her chair and went to the door that led outside the store. "Be okay, and be careful, too, Mary." I said to her, as I saw her leaving. Well...there she goes. "So...is she going to call you?" Said a familiar voice behind me. "No, Christopher, she is not going to call me." "Are you sure? "Yes...I'm sure, I mean, I just met her twice, only talked to her for less than a few minutes, and she doesn't has my number." "That's where you're wrong, my friend." Said my friend, and I turned around. "...What? Does she has my number?" I asked him. "Yes." "...Did you add my number to her cellphone?" He smiled. "Yes." "How did you do it?" "It was when you were telling me about how you encountered her. You were focused telling me that, and, also, you closed your eyes, so...when you were telling me that, I just added your number." You're going to pay that... "I know that face, Rick" My friend said. "What? What face?" "The face of revenge." "Haha! You're just imagining things." I said, and he laughed. "So...are we going?" He said, patting my shoulder. "Where?" I stood up. "To buy some clothes, I want to look better." "And where did that idea cross your mind, if you can tell me?" "Today." I didn't think about it. "Ok, let's go." .. After few hours shopping... .. My friend stretched his back, and snapped a few bones. "I think that's enough for today" "For me, especially, since I had to carry your clothes." I said. "I will try to return you that favor." I sighed, and looked my watch. "I think it's late, Christopher." "How late?" "10:00 p.m." "Well, time passes fast. I though we spend shopping for just a few hours." "For me, inside that store, it was days." I said as I pointed to the store that we recently went out. We were standing on the sidewalk. "Maybe for you. So, do you want to go to your deparment?" "Yes, I want to rest. I think I've had enough time standing still for today." "Well, sorry for you, but I'm invited to a party tonight, so..." He shook my hand. "I'll see you the monday. Goodbye, Rick." He said, and started to run with bags on his hands. "Goodbye, be careful!" I said, as he leaved me on the middle of the sidewalk, alone. I started to see around. It was already dark, with the light streets illuminating poorly the streets. There was no one except me. It was calm, there was no breeze. It was enjoyable. I looked to the dark sky, and saw the stars. I thought that even if I could see thousand of stars, there were millions out there, born, growing, and dying. And the moon. It was a full moon, bright white, with all its craters exposed, forming vaguely a face. For me, that night, the moon and the space were something beautiful to see. A felt a shiver through my body, and felt cold. I knew that I had to go to my home before the temperature dropped down more. I started to move through the cold, empty streets. It was deserted, and without any noise. .. I stopped at the front of my door, the door that leds to my department. ... Again, at the front door of my door. A wooden door. It does seem to be nothing, it seems to be just a door, but, for me, it's where my world can be accessed. It's something important; it's part of my soul...this door. Why, you ask?... Several years ago, when I was a teenager, I lived in another plave from where I'm right now. Not so far away. One day, my mother said that I could go in a exchange program, that she could afford it. She just said it like it was nothing, and I though about it like that, until someone made me change my mind: my father. He said that I should go, that it was something I was going to enjoy, and that I was going to remember when I grow older. With what my father told me I thought about it with another point of view, and I really thought about it. If I recalled right, I thought it every day for a month, thinking where I should go. One day, I decided where I wanted to go: USA. A country where I always wanted to go. I wasn't sure why, maybe because of its culture, or its people, but I knew that I wanted to go. There, in the year I stayed in USA, I met Christopher. From there, all changed... We made friends almost immediately, and did so many things. One day, before going out back to my country, I asked him if he wanted to go to my country, in a exchange program. He said yes, and the other year, he was staying at my house. And, this door, always reminds me about that exchange. I don't know why, maybe because it looks to the door of the house I stayed. Maybe..., but, this door, regardless of the reason, makes me smile. ... I stood there, thinking. After a moment thinking, I opened the door. I went inside, closed the door, dropped the bags of the shopping I did on the nearest table, and went to the kitchen to cook something. I remembered that I didn't had anything on the fridge, but I also remembered that I bought food, so I went to the table, grabbed the bags, pulled out the food, came back to the kitchen, and started to cook a lasagna that was pre-made. When it was done, I grabbed a dish, and put the lasagna on it. I went to the living room, sit on a chair, and put the dish on the table. "God damnit, I forgot the cutlery." I said, thinking that I had to stood up. My legs were hurting as hell, so I did not wanted to stand again. It's going to be a little long night... ... After the dinner, I went to my bedroom, threw myself on the bed, turned on the TV and watched some shows. Well, mostly I just browsed until I found a show, that was one of my favorites: CSI. "Let's see what it's happening." I said, focusing on the show. But after a few minutes I couldn't focus. My eyelids were closing, so I just turned off the TV, undressed, and into bed. "Sister, you must know that we're going to do it." "Okay, Luna...do it, just do it." Chapter 5: Dream"Why didn't I throw this away?" I said to no one, as I saw the rock that I had on my hand. The sky was blue and dark, there was a lake in front of me, a violet one, with a blue forest on the horizon. I was at the side of the lake. It was...strange. "Damn, why do I dream these things? I mean, can't I just dream about...I don't know, about being a magician, a wizard, with a magic pet, going on adventures, or a freaking dream where I can go anywhere?" I said this as I threw the rock to the lake, but it bounced, going back to me. A bouncing lake?! I bent down, evading the flying rock. "That was close." "But it almost hit me." Said a voice behind me. Well...let's see what my mind has created to me this time... I stood up, turned around, and saw something new. Damn, you never disappoint me, brain, never. It was a...pony, dark blue...pony, it had dark blue wings, a dark blue...horn? and..., well, everything that she had was dark blue, except a collar that she had. It had the symbol of the moon. You NEVER dissapoint me, never... It moved a little, approaching to me, closing the distance that was between us, and bowed. "It seems that I hadn't introduced myself. I'm Luna, princess of Equestria, and you are...?" It, or she, asked. "Rick..., wait, did you talk?" I said. "Yes, why do you ask?" "Are you...a real being?" I asked, again, not believing that my mind had done something so...independent, autonomous. "Why do you ask that?" "Maybe because you are not real...? I mean, just maybe, I'm in a dream, that I know I'm in, and you're just...something that doesn't exist?" "I think I will reach to that point later, but now...I have to tell you something, but first, what...what are you doing?" She asked as I closed more the distance we had. "I'm just trying to get a better look, nothing more." I said, as I got a better view of her coat. It was neat and brushed, and it also glittered a little. I stared to her for a minute. While I was still seeing her, I asked her something. "So...why are you here, Luna, if I can ask you?" "Well, first, before we answer, can you...please move your sight from me?" She said. "Why? I just want to watch you." I said still looking carefully her coat. "It's...annoying." "Ok." I said, but I didn't really caught what she said, so I just kept looking at her coat. It's really...nice, maybe if I can... I raised my hand, and touched her wing. It was soft, really soft, but I didn't have enough time to enjoy that, since I heard a really big yell, almost leaving me deaf. "You shall not touch me!" I screamed because of the recently adquired pain in both ears, stepped back a meter, and tripped, hitting my head with the ground. Surprisingly, it was very soft, so it really didn't hurt. Well, the fall, but it wasn't the same thing with my ears. "Why did you do that?!" I screamed as I was lying on the floor, bitting my teeth. "I'm so sorry, I-I didn't want to do that!" She said as she tried to get me up with her muzzle, bitting my clothes, and standing me up. She did stood me up, but I didn't really stand up a long time, since I fell on my knees, closed my eyes, and bring my hand to my ears, still feeling the damned pain. "Why did I do that? Why?! What do I do now?!" She screamed, or that I heard from what I remained from my hearing. "Why did you do it?!" "I didn't want that!" After I knew that I couldn't get a real answer, I just waited there for a moment for the pain to be bearable. ... After a few minutes (and I did count the time), I dropped my arms, heavily sighed, opened my eyes and looked to the alarmed pony. "So...why are you here, exactly?" "I-I don't want to say it rushed, or say it with little information, but...Rick, " She gave me a serious look, looking that she was trying to get more comfortable with what happened, but, even then, her voice was still rushed. "do you remember in which you met a pony? A blue one?" "What...dream?" I asked. "A dream you had when you were little." She said Oh, that dream. "Yes, I remember." "From that dream, and what I'm going to say it's something that you won't understand now, but you shall understand: you, Rick, you are important." "...Ok, yeah..." I said, remembering that I was in a dream. "You have a mission. Time's tight, so I shall speak to you later, in another dream, but you have been meeting some girls. Those girls...you have to make them friends. I'll try to say who they are, since you only know only three of them." "Ok, yes, yes, I understand everything you are saying" She gave me a surprised look. "Really?" I gave her a serious look "No. I know this is a dream." She giggled. "Well, about that, Rick, when you wake up, can you...get up from your bed, open the door of you bedroom, and go to the living room?" What? "Yes...I can." "When you do that, you will realize that this is not just a dream. But now the time's over. Goodbye, Rick, we shall see you soon." "Wai-" And with that, I woke up. "What a dream..." I said to no one, staring at the blank ceiling of my bedroom. I stood up, and stretched. I think I'll take a shower. I went to the bathroom, and started to shower. .. After that little shower, that I didn't like because of the cold water, I dried myself, went to my bedroom, and put on clean clothes. Then, thinking that I would have a normal morning, I went to the kitchen to make myself a good breakfast, but when I passed through the living room, I noticed something on the table. I stopped at the front of the table, and looked it for a few seconds. "What the..." I said, trying to understand how these things would get...here. There was eight plushies of...ponies. Each one of them was unique. There was one that it was purple. It had her mane dyed with dark purple. It also had a horn on the top of its head, and a book on its back. There was one that it was orangish, with a cowboy hat. There was another one that was white, with a purple mane. It was also more... stylized, comparing it with the others plushies. There it was also another one that it was totally pink, with a really big smile on her face. There was one, with its face buried on its mane. It was yellow, and with a pink mane. And there was another plushie that was the tallest of all. It seemed to be...royal, in a way. It was like Luna, but white, with a crown on its head. And a slightly larger. But there were two plushies that I recognised immediately: A blue one, that it was exactly like Luna, the pony that I recently dreamed of, and another plushie, that it was a pony with its mane dyed with the colors of the rainbow. It really seemed like the girl from the stadium, with that colorful mane. "This is NOT something that I bought yesterday." I said as I leaned closer to the table, still seeing the plushies. Then, I noticed something between the plushies: a piece of paper. I pulled out from the plushies, and saw that something was written on it. It said: Dear Rick: I hope that now you can believe that the dream you had was real, and that my sister is also real. Also, I highly recommend you to keep those plushies in a safe place. Celestia. "Now...this is something that I can't understand... at all." Chapter 6The first thing that went through my mind was to check the front door. "Nope. It's closed," I said as I tried to open the front door. I didn't bother to check the windows because I lived on the third floor. I went back to the table where the plushies were, and thought where I can keep them. I grabbed four of the plushies of eight, and moved to my bedroom. "Now where can I keep them?" I said to myself as I was looking everywhere. But then, I saw a door. My wardrobe. I opened the door, and saw my clothes thrown on the floor. I threw the plushies between all my clothes, and then I came back to the living room where were the remaining plushies and did the same... I was hungry. My stomach started to grunt, so I went to the kitchen and started to prepare my breakfast. I prepared some milk with cereal, with a banana. I went to the table of the living room, put down my breakfast, and i would had eaten if I hadn't noticed about the letter... That letter... Wait, wait, wait... Why do I react so...normal? Would not be someone, in my place, already freaked out about this? I read the letter again, trying to understand what has happened. So... I met a princess, a pony, of someplace. Somepleace that I may never go. Also, I met that princess in a dream. That does mean, for me, atleast, that everything that happened in my dream is not real. Everything that happens in a dream shouldn't move to reality. The oniric world shouldn't move to my reality. But... the plushies, and the letters... There is no possibility that someone went in my apartment last night. I know that I haven't given my keys to no one, and there is no copy of my keys. Also, I live on the third floor, so I'm sure that nobody can get in to my apartment through any window. So..., by logic deduction, and for being the only viable reasoning, everything that happened in that dream was real. Everything... I stared blanky at the letter for an undetermined time. Why does this happen to me? After have looked to the letter for I don't know how much time, I resumed my eating. My stomach doesn't forgive me if I don't eat. ... "Well, I hope that the situation I'm in...resolves," I said reading (again) the letter as I finished my breakfast. I brought the dirty plate to the kitchen and cleaned it. I went to the living room and grabbed the letter, went to my bedroom, and put it in my nightstand. "And now," I said to myself and sighed, "I have to study for the test for tomorrow." I put my hand under the bed, and grabbed a big book titled "Introduction to Psychoanalysis". ... After that really boring reading, I closed the book, dropped it besides the bed, and checked my watch. 2:00 p.m. "Now what do I do?" I said as I searched through my bedroom something to do. As I was doing that, I remembered what my friend did yesterday. That idiot... He gave my number to that girl. That girl... was she... Wait a moment. I stood up, opened the wardrobe's door and grabbed one of the plushies. "Now.. this is something really... interesting," I said as I had one of the plushies, the one that was yellow, with pink hair and its face hidden under its mane. "This plushie seems to be like that girl..." I stood up there for a moment, watching the plushie. "So...from what I remember, Luna said that I have already met some girls. Are this plushies related to those girls?" I said to myself as I saw the plushie. Let's go with that... ... No, wait, what? Why am I even...Argh! "This is not...real." I threw the plushie where it was, and closed the door. I need help. I cannot even decide what is real and what it's not. Knock Kock Knock. And, also, there is someone at the door. Knock! Knock! "I'm coming," I said as I went to the front door. "Come on, Rick, open the freaking door!" said a voice from the other side of the door. "I'm coming, I said!" I opened the door, and saw my friend Christopher. "Hello!" he said as he hugged me. "Stop it, please," I said as tried to free myself from that hug. "Oh, sorry," he said as he freed me from the hug, and gave me a wide smile. "So...what do you need now?" I said. "What do you mean with that?" He answered "I know what happens with you when you do that." "Do what?" He shrugged. "When you give me hugs and give me wide smiles," He laughed as I said that. "It's nothing. I'm just happy!" He smiled even wider than before. "Really...?" I said with doubt. "Yeah!" "And why are you happy?" "Well..." He stood besides the door, showing me a person that I didn't see before. "My sister came from the USA!" "Hi!" she said. She was a young woman. She was wearing, from what I saw, a purple sweeter and a dark shirt. She had a dark hair with a dyed purple stripe. She was also wearing jeans and a pair of dark brown shoes. She gave me an air of nostalgia, like if I had met her before... "She isn't so talkative with strangers, but she's a very good person to be with when you gain her confidence!" my friend said euphorically, making her a little uncomfortable. "Christopher, that isn't truth." She moved Christopher to a her left side "Now, let me present myself." She shook my hand. "My name's Angela McKing." "And mine's Rick Bach." I answered to her greeting. "So..." I addressed to Christopher. "do you want to go in?" "Absolutely," he said as he was already inside my apartment, behind me. I turned around. "How did you do that?" "I don't know. How did I do that?" My friend smiled and I sighed. "Nevermind," I said. "Get in, Angela, if you don't mind." "Thanks." Once inside, I saw Cristopher took a sit on one of the chairs of the living room. I did the same, and Angela too. "I can bring you the notebook, Christopher, if you want," I said to my friend. "No thanks, I don't need it. Maybe my sister need it." I led my gaze to Angela, and she nodded without uttering a word. "Alright," I stood up. "I'm going to get it." I went to my room, grabbed my notebook that was hidden between the pillows (I don't know how it got there), and came back to the living room. "Here you got it." I lend my notebook to Angela. "Thanks." "You're welcome." I smiled, and said something to Christopher, trying to get his attention. "What?" "I need you to come." "What?" "Come to my room." "What? Right now?" "Yes," I said, "just...come on." I went to my room, closed the door, and waited for Christopher to come. He did it after a minute. "Now, what do you want?" "You're going to call me crazy, but... I need your help." "Why do you need my help?" I opened the door that leds to the wardrobe, and pointed to the plushies. "This." He just stared at the plushies. "... In al seriousness, Rick, you don't go to the other side, right?" he said with a lowered voice, trying to be serious. "No, you idiot. I'm showing you this because... these plushies weren't yesterday. They just appeared from...thin air!" He looked me with a unreadable face. "What?" "Rick?" "What?" "Do you know what you're saying, right?" "Yes, I know what I'm saying." "You're one of the most rational persons I've met. Hearing you saying that is just..." He just shrugged and raised his hands a little. "unbelievable." "I know. But, you have to believe me, please, I'm really telling you the truth. I have already thought about all the posibilities of how these plushies could have been brought here, and no one is logical at all." "So you don't think that someone went in your apartment the last night and bring these plushies?" "Nope. There's no copy of the keys." "The windows?" "I live in the third floor." "Ok. And you don't think that someone may have forget that he bought these plushies, and brought them here?" "You're saying that I bought them and that I don't remember?" "Em... yes?" "You know how I am, Christopher. You know that I wouldn't buy these things." I grabbed one of the plushies. "Also, I don't think that I can afford to buy these plushies. They seem to be of great quality." I brushes with my hand the mane of the plushie. "Well, they really seem to be expensive. And they are eight..." "So... can you help me, please?" "I think I can. I can't see why not." I sighed, and shaked his hand with the plushie. "Thanks, really, this situation is really giving me a problem." "What do you mean with this situation?" I heard the door open. I lend my gaze to the door, still shaking Christopher's hand with the plushie, and saw her sister, watching us with wide eyes. "... Christopher, when we get home, you'll have to explain me lots of things." We couldn't make an answer. We just stood there, silently. "I'm done with the notebook, Rick" she said. "How do you know my name?" Was the only thing that I could say. "My brother said your name earlier." "Oh." There was a really long awkard silence. A really, really long awkard silence... But I broke the silence. "Cristopher, lets go to the living room." "Ok," he said as I threw the plushie inside my wardrobe, and closed the door. I passed by her sister and moved to the living room. They followed me. "Ok," I said, trying to forget the situation. "does any of you want to eat?" "Maybe. We didn't eat lunch," said Angela. "I can take you to a place to eat, since I don't have so much food for three people." My friend talked, "You don't have to do that." "I don't care, I just want to do it," I said. "See, Christopher? You should have done this when I got here instead of only asking me how was the trip. Hehe." Her sister said playfully as she looked to Christopher. He just looked to the side, acting like he didn't listen. I smiled at this. It was really... cute. "So, let's go?" I said. "Yes, please," he said as he just opened the door and went out the apartment. ... "Rick, this is a nice place, if I have to say," said Angela as she went in the local. "And I just discovered it yesterday," I said as I went in the restaurant that I visited yesterday to take a breakfast. Angela took a sit on a nearby table while Christopher was outside the restaurant looking blankly to the local. I was standing besides the table. "Is he like this?" Angela asked. "He is odd, but no this odd," I answered her. "But I don't think that something that you should think about him. I think you know how he is, right?" "Yeah, even if we hadn't met in a long time." I led my gaze to her as she answered. "How long, if I can ask?" "Several years," she said blunty, with a frown on her face. That's not a very cheerful answer... "Hey, what were you doing?" Christopher said as he was suddenly besides us. "Just... talking, nothing more." I sat on a chair. "Take a sit." "Like if I need your permission," my friend said as he sat. "So, what do you want to eat? I invite, if you remember." "Something. I don't care what to eat," my friend said as he was seeing through the glass the urban landscape, the same I saw yesterday. "You choose. I don't know what they serve here," said Angela with a little smile. "Ok," I said as I saw the waiter getting closer to our table. I called him and said, "Can we get the menu, please?" The mozzo nodded, turned around, took three menus that were besides the cashier , and give it to us. "Christopher, now you can see what you want to eat," said Angela as Christopher was seeing with a blank face the landscape. "Meh, I did the same when I first came here. It is a beautiful scene, isn't it?" I retorted to Angela, and started to see what was in the menu. They have everything... I stared to the menu for a few minutes, looking what to eat for myself and for the others, if they didn't choose. "I'm ready, Rick," she said as she touched my shouldder. I was startled for this, and I made a little jump, hoping from the chair. This made me hit my knees, and I think this made Christopher a little scared. "Jesus Christ what the hell was that?!" Christopher screamed at me with open eyes. Just a little... "I just... hit with the table, nothing more," I answered him as I was massaging my knees. "And, also," I pointed to the menu in front of Christopher. "you should see what you want to eat." "You're paying it, right?" he said. "Yes." I was still massaging my knees. "Ok, let me just take a look at this, and I will decide," he said as he grabbed the menu and started to see it, "And I'm sorry about that... yell." "It's nothing, really," I said as I saw my friend staring intently to the menu. Why is he like this? I felt someone touching my shoulder. "Rick," I heard Angela whispering, "can I talk to you?" "If you want to," I retorted whispering. "Christopher, " she said, "can I leave you alone for a while? I need to take some air." "Uh huh." It was the only thing I heard him say. She gestured me with her hand to go outside. I stood up and went out of the restaurant, hearing Angela standing up and doing the same. "So, what do you want to talk about?" I asked her as we were standing sidewalk in front of the restaurant. "I'm a little worried about Christopher. He is... he is acting very autistic." She looked through the window. I did the same, and I saw Chistopher still looking to the menu, but now with a frown on his face. "Yeah, he isn't like this normally...," I said as turned my gaze to her. She seemed very concerned. "I think I can fix this, if you give me a hand." She turned to see me. "How?" "Just... make him talk, and I do the rest." I saw her shivering a little as I said that. "Is something... wrong?" "It's just that... I'm not someone very... talkative. I mean, since I was a little girl I only had Christopher to my side, so I didn't need to make friends." she said. "This made me feel very... uncomfortable with others. And even now, being an adult, still... it just happens, again. It's happening right now, even if-" She scared a little as I put my hand on her mouth. "Don't worry about that, just... talk," I said as I pulled out my hand. I didn't want to make her feel worst by making her talk about her own problem. She looked down, and then gave a little smile. "Ok." "So, let's go to make your brother happier?" I said as I tried to make her feel better. "Yeah, let's go," She said as she looked to my eyes. Does she has...purple eyes? Chapter 7I put that thought aside and saw that Angela was entering to the restaurant. I made the same thing and went inside the restaurant. "Hey, Christopher, are you done?" I said and sit besides him. "Not now, but I'm close to be done." He put the menu down and started to see something behind my back. I turned around and saw Angela opening the bathroom's door. "Chris," – I turned around to address him – " I... we are... preoccupied of you." I got as soon as possible to the point. "You don't seem to be... fine." "Why? Is it something wrong with me?" He made a frown. "Yes. You are not behaving as you normally are." "It's... –" He led his gaze to the ground. "– nothing, you shouldn't feel preoccupied." "I know that sometimes you feel... bad, but, right know, with your sister here, you shouldn't be like this." I patted his back and he returned his gaze to me. "Really, you should feel fine. We've been friends for many years. Because of that, you can tell me anything." "I'll tell you later." He returned his gaze to the floor. "You don't really should care." "But your sister does care, from what she told me." He didn't answered, but when he heard the creak of the door opening, he sighed, smiled, gazed up and waved. He was trying to hide his feelings. It is not going to happen. I saw Angela taking her position on her chair. "So, what do you want to eat?" I said to Angela. "I'll just have a black coffee, for now," she answered. "I'm not feeling very... hungry". "And for you, Christopher?" I said. "I think I'll ask for a blunt meal: noodles." I chuckled to his order, since he always eat that when he's alone in his house, but I just nodded. "Ok." I raised my hand and turned around to get the waiter's attention. He came and I gave him the orders. I asked for a soup with a salad. He wrote down the orders and returned to his spot near the cashier, waiting for the dishes. "Angela, are you fine with just a coffee?" I asked her, thinking that her order wasn't something filling. She just nodded. "So how was the party?" Angela asked to Christopher. "Oh well, it was... good, I guess. Why do you ask?" He looked with a uncertain face to his sister. "I don't know, I just wanted to know." "Hey, Christopher, " I said. " did you go to a party?" I imagined my friend going to the dance floor and trying to get lady. I think I put a face of disgust at that picture. "Well, yeah, a few days ago I went to a party, a rave party." To imagine my friend, a very quiet person, and a very uncoordinated one, who can't even follow a beat with his head, going to a rave party... it wasn't something to be in accordance to him. I mean, he even didn't go to the prom party! "Were you asked to go?" I asked. "Yeah, by someone." He closed his arms, and looked away. "And who is that 'someone', if I can ask?" He didn't answer. He didn't even tried to mutter something, so I tried another tactic to make him answer. "Is that person a... –" I leaned forward to close the distance. "– crush?" "No! She's not a crush!" he yelled as I saw him tight his neck. I leaned backwards, and sitting on my chair, again, and said, "So what is she?" "She is a... a... " he muttered, but didn't answered. "Christopher, I know you, and I know what you feel, so... let it be," Angela spoke. It took me by surprise, but then I saw Christopher looking down. "It's up to you, but, if you want help, I can give you. You're my brother, after all." She smiled to him, but I saw that she was really nervous. Christopher sighed, and dropped his arms. "Thanks." He lifted his head, and smiled. "What... I really wanted to say, is that..." He lowered his head again. "she... -you got it all wrong, she's just a friend, but... I'm a little scared because of something she did to me." "And what did she do, Christopher?" Angela asked. “I don't want to say,” he said stubbornly. “Come on, Christopher, tell us what she did. We can to help you,” she said. He sighed. "Ok, I'll tell you, but I think it'll be better if I tell the whole story. "Well, a day before the party, my friend invited me to go to a party. She made me promise that I had to go as she said that it was very important for her that party. Since I didn't want to break that promise, I just went to the party. "She told me that we would meet outside Independence’s at eleven o'clock, the day after she told me that. I arrived there twenty minutes earlier, and waited for her outside the place that I recognized as a disco by the looks of it. "She arrived a few minutes after. She told me, very enthusiastically, that she was very happy to see me. And she didn't only tell me, but she she showed it, by starting to bounce. That... was a little odd. "We went into the local. The first thing I saw, or heard, was the spectacle that was at the end of the disco. They were blasting music like crazy, with smoke and everything that is used for entertainment. That wasn't really my ambient. Surprising me, my friend grabbed my hand and led me to a side, where it was a bar. I forgot to say that the music was blasting like crazy, and, now, I'm amazed by how it didn't leak out the local when I was outside.” My friend put a finger on his left ear. “I think I lost some hearing after that night. "So, she nudged me and I saw that she already bought me some drinks. I refused them, saying that I don't drink. She put a sad face, and told me that she really, really wanted to me to drink. I couldn't... resist that face, so I had to do it. Then, immediately after that, she put a smile, one of the biggest smiles that I have seen, and told me, almost singing, that she was happy to see me drink and that I was going to have a great time. I was getting afraid of being there. So... I told her that I had to go, that I really didn't want to be there. And not only because of her, but also because I think I had already loosed too much hearing. "And in that moment was when I really didn't want to be there.“ He put a scared face. ”She started to say that I should stay with her because I made a promise, that I had to stay with her. I answered saying that I didn't want to be there because I was getting really tense. She didn't listen to me, and started to slowly raise her voice, telling me that I should be there, and that I made a promise. As she raised her voice, I was also getting more afraid of being there. I didn't even heard the music because of the loudness of her voice. I don't know how she could scream that loud... That was the moment that I went out there, running, and... never came back there." He slowly finished, and then he shivered. "I still remember her screaming. I... never thought that someone would be so mad at me. I mean, she really is someone very cheerful and very playful, almost as a little child." "I... don't really think that you said everything,” I said. ”I don't think that someone, no matter what, would get mad because of a broken promise. Well, you told her that you didn't want to be there, so she shouldn't had reacted like that, like you said she reacted.” I thought for a moment. “ I don't think that you told us everything.” My friend laughed as he heard the last sentence. "I know you'd say that, but, really, that is what happened," My friend retorted. "Your dishes are here, sir." I heard a voice behind me. I recognized him as the waiter and he started to put down our dishes on the table. I turned my head, and confirmed what I thought. I waited for him to put all the dishes and said that I would pay everything. He nodded and went back to where he was. "I think we should relax and eat, alright?" I said to Christopher and Angela. I grabbed my spoon, and started to eat. It was a good soup, a tomato soup. But something brought my attention. A woman, a really young one, was in front of the window, seeing through it like she was hypnotized. That, as itself, was odd, but what really brought my attention was that she was staring attentively at Christopher. Maybe, just maybe, she is... "So... how is she, Christopher?" Angela asked to his brother before taking a sip of his coffee. "What do you ask with that?" "Well, how she is, physically?" "Oh, I forgot about that. And I don't think that you're going to believe what I'm going to say, seriously." He stopped in the middle of his sentence to eat his noddles. "She had her hair dyed with the color p-" "Pink?" I said as I looked through the window. "How... how did you know?" "And she has bright with teeth, always wear pink clothes, and has a curly hair?" "… how?" I grinned, still looking at the woman. "Maybe, just maybe, she is behind you." Christopher didn't move a muscle of his body. He stared at his noddles for a minute straight, not even breathing. Then, he opened his mouth. "Can you talk to her, please?" he asked. "Come on, Christopher, you're overreacting." I said as he was still looking to his noddles. "I guess, but" – he raised his head – "can you still talk to her?" "Ok, ok, I will," I said as I took the last sip of my soup. Damn I was hungry. "I think I'll go with him," said Angela as I saw she was looking through the window at the woman. I stood up as I finished the soup and put down the spoon. I saw Angela doing the same with her coffee. She said, "Let's go." I nodded, and led the way to the door, minding my steps to not break the trance that it was Christopher, but I stopped in front of the door. I looked through the window, and saw that the woman, the pinky woman, was still looking at my friend with a unalterable smile. It was something... scary. It gave me a chill to had looked her. "Rick, are you alright?" Angela asked me as she put a hand on my shoulder. "You shivered." "It's nothing." I looked away and turned around. "But... how do we talk to her, Angela? I mean, this never happened to me before, to see my friend like this." I gave a movement with my head to point my friend, to back up what I say. "Like I said, I didn't really believe what he said about making her angry just because of that, but, if that really went like he said, I... don't know what to do, or say, or ask, or" – I started to talk more frantic and frantic as I tried to found and answer – “ even think! I don't-” But I couldn't finish my little rant. Angela had placed her hand in front of me. She put it down after a moment. "And like you said when I was talking you out there, just talk." She smiled. She gave me a hand. She did the same thing I did to her. I relaxed, and dropped my shoulders. "Thank... you." Why did she comfort me like... that? "It's nothing." She said as I led my gaze, again, to the window. The woman was still there, but, my friend, was looking us with a terrifying face. He knew that she was there but he still was reluctant to look behind his back where her "friend" was. "Let's go." I opened the door and stepped out while Angela followed me. “Let's talk to her.” I got closer to the woman that was, literally, pressing her face to the window, with a wide grin. "Emm, miss, can we talk to you?" I touched her arm. I blinked twice, and she was already in front of us with a wide smile. "Oh sorry, sorry sorry sorry! I didn't know that you were there!" She shook my hand with a firm grip. "My name's Felicity!" she screamed while she brought up her arms to the air, and making a little jump. “Ouh ouh ouh.” She didn't notice that she was still holding my hand, so when she leapt she got me really close to her. So close that I hit my nose with her head. I released myself from the grip, and brought both hands to my nose. I went back to where it was Angela. "Are you okay?" Angela asked me as she looked my nose. Or at least she tried, since I was covering it with both hands. "Yeah, I'm okay, it just hurts." As I answered my voice got a little whimpered. "Are you crying?" she asked me. I felt that through my hands something watery was going through. "It's nothing, don't wo-worry." I turned around, and saw that Felicity was whimpering. She threw her arms around me, and hug me tightly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have done that!" "Ok, ok, I'm ok." I tried to get out of her hug, but it was something impossible to do. "Angela, please help me..." I said as my voice went out as a yelped. "Ehem." Angela cleared her throat. "Excuse me, miss, but can you, please... em... un-hug my friend?" "Yes, please..." I also said, barely. She released me from that tight hug. I breathed and tried to catch as much air as I could. I was stunned by how that woman was behaving. I felt that Angela went to my side, and looked me with a quizzical face. It seems that the both of us didn't expect this. She recovered in no time from the whimpering, and now she was with both hands on her back and a smile on her face. “So... what are your names?” she asked. I said, "Well, my name is-" "Rick Bach," She her tongue out, "isn't that right?" "How did you..." "You silly boy, I already knew it!" Wait what, what wait? "What?" I babbled. "But how?" She put one hand on her chin, and made a thinking face. Then, she beamed with a smile. "Your friend told me, obviously!" she said as she pointed to the window. I led my gaze were the finger was pointing, and saw my friend looking me with a frightened face. A face of utterly terror. He said some words, but I couldn't catch it because I was outside. I heard a voice behind me, and it wasn't brighten with a beautiful tone. "So... you are the one who made my brother go away, running from you?” I turned around, and saw Angela with a frown, almost spitting venom to Felicity. But Felicity didn't seem notice this. She was with a smile on her face. "What did you do to my brother?" Angela asked. "I don't really know what you are talking about -wait –“ she made a pause, “– ooohh!" and gasped. "Is my friend your brother?" "Well, yes, he is my brother, and I'm worried about him. I'm worried because you –“ Angela pointed to Felicity. “– screamed at him.” "Really?" Angela glared her and blunty said, “Yes.” I cringed at the tone of her voice. “Reeeally?” Felicity innocently asked again, and, from my point of view, not noting Angela's mood. I heard Angela take a deep breath. “Let me ask you this: what did you do a few nights ago with Christopher?” "Oh oh oh! I remember! I invited him to a rave party a few days ago. We went to that party and I encouraged him to drink something, since he seemed to be a bit bored. He did it, but after a while he said that he didn't want to be there. I said that he had to be there, with me, since he promised me even if I asked him. Nevertheless, we passed a really good time!" she said with a cheerful voice. "Wait... didn't you get angry with him because he broke a promise with you?" Angela asked, lowering her voice. "Well... maybe a little, but just a little." Felicity said with a smile, while she looked directly to Angela. "Did you yell at him?" Angela asked with the same tone. "Em... no?" "Really? Because that was what he told me." "Well..." She looked around, not trying to look at Angela's eyes. "I may had screamed, but it was nothing.” "Really?" Angela said with a deadpanned face. She pointed to Christopher and said, "Is that a face of someone who was screamed a little?” Felicity looked to Christopher for a moment, who still had a scared face, one of utterly terror, and then she made a face that it made me feel sad. It was one of... repentance, guiltiness. Sadness, overall. "I-I-I... didn't want to yell him. That's how I am when I am, I am..." She dropped her head. "I went here to find him since I found you talking with him, walking through town a days ago. I passed just and hour ago through this street, and I found you talking with Rick, so I thought that Christopher was with you. It was a hunch. And I was right. And... I came here because I want to apologize with Christopher. I didn't-didn't want to make him scared, I never wanted that. I'm sorry." Felicity sneezed a few times as she looked up. She had watery eyes. I saw that Angela made a confused face as she tried to say something, but I talked first. "Felicity," I said to catch her attention. "Wh-what?" She muttered. "If you really want to apologize him, and if you really mean it, you can do it. But, please, don't do it again, at least not to Christopher." And idea passed through my head. "And I want you to promise it, alright?" "Ok." She took a deep breath. "I promise that I will never make him feel bad because of a broken promise." I smiled. I knew that she wouldn't break that promise. A hunch that I felt. "I think you can go." I pointed with my hand to the window, and approached it as I still looked at Felicity. "Thanks." She smiled me, passed through my side, through the restaurant, and went to Christopher, who still was looking her with a frightened expression. Felicity opened her arms, and threw them around Christopher, while she made a leapt. From where I was, I could see her face. She was happy. Christopher almost tripped with a chair, and that made him wander for a while, while he was still holding Felicity. He couldn't hold her enough, so he fell on his back. Felicity fell with him too, but she was on top of him. "I think I have to apologize, too." I heard Angela say. She went by my side, and looked to her brother. "Why? Because the way you treated her?" She looked at me and nodded. "I think I was too... stern, with her, since she made my brother feel... like he felt." I think she zoomed out for a moment, and then she cracked a smile. "I think that's great that my brother has someone who is her friend. Someone who he can trust." "You are his friend, too, Angela." She put a thoughtful face. "I think you're right." "You cared for him more than I do every day, even if I saw you interact with him a few hours." "Really?" "Yep." "It's nothing." She chuckled. We didn't say a word after that. We saw that Felicity was now sitting on a chair, while Christopher was cleaning himself . She was saying something, maybe apologizing from what she did. "Can I ask you something, Angela?" I said. She gave me a odd look. "Why did you help me like... a friend, when I was nervous before talking to Felicity?" "Well, when you helped me when we were here, a few hours ago, when I started to... talk about my problem, you lend me a hand. So, naturally, I did the same with you. That's the reason." She smiled. "I think that makes you my friend." I smiled. I never thought she would give me an answer like that. I just met her today. And now, she just said that she was a friend. My friend. "Rick, can you help me?" she asked me. "Of course," I said. "Can you give me a hand when I try to apologize with Felicity?" "Yes, I can, but I can't see why you would need my help." "Just in case I'm lost of words. It can happen." "Ok," I said. I waited for a moment to think about something to say when I heard the door of the restaurant open. I turned around, and saw that Christopher and Felicity were outside. I heard Angela gulp, and gave her a pat on her shoulder and whispered, "It's okay." She nodded, and we heard Christopher laughing as he approached us. The first thing he did was give a hug to Angela, and then shook my hand, while he said thanks to both of us. I chuckled. "It's... nothing, Christopher," I answered "But you improved my mood with what you did." Felicity appeared behind Christopher. "You did the same with me!" "It was something that I had to do, help you, I guess," I said as I rubbed the back of my head. "I can say the same." Angela smiled. "And you know what? I'm going to pay for the food, Rick." Christopher put a hand on my left shoulder. "Don't worry." I grinned. "Thanks." "So, Felicity, did you have lunch?" He turned around and asked. She rubbed her stomach, and it started to made a sound. She made an apologetic smile. "Em... no?" "Don't worry. I invite you something. And –" He turned around, went a few steps back, and smiled. " – I want you to give you a dessert, ok?" He pointed to Angela and me, and smiled. The biggest smiled that I saw him make. It seems that I really improved his mood. I mean, we. "Come on, get in!" He said as he trotted to the restaurant, and sit on the table that we were in just a few seconds, looking to us. He motioned us to sit him. "Well, shall we go?" I said to both girls. Angela nodded, and Felicity was already heading to the table. I didn't see her leaving, actually. "I didn't see her move," I said. "Me neither," Angela retorted. I stood there for a few seconds, trying to understand how Felicity moved. Then, something crossed my mind. "You didn't apologize to her, Angela." "I don't think that there has been a moment for that." "Well..." I said and went to the door of the restaurant. "I think that you want a dessert, don't you?" I smiled as I led my gaze to her. "You want a dessert, too, haha," She said as she went in. I smiled and went in. I saw that Christopher was talking with the waiter while Felicity was seeing the menu. I zoomed out for a moment as I saw Angela and Felicity. They look... alike to something. I don't know what... "Hey, Rick, come here!" Felicity said as I tried to remember to what they were alike. Meh, maybe later. ... "Thanks for the meeting, Rick. I'll see you soon!" said Felicity as she waved me. She was with Christopher and Angela at the front of my department's building. "Okay, see you soon!" I said as I opened the door of the building. I went up the stairs of the building, since I couldn't use the elevator because it was in "reparations" since a month a go. I reached the third floor, and pulled off my keys to open the door of my apartment. I opened the door and went in as I closed the door in one motion. I raised my wrist to see my watch. "7:30," I said as I went to the kitchen to prepare myself a snack for the evening. I opened the fridge, brought out a cereal box and a box of milk. Wait, why did I put the cereal in the fridge? ... Never mind. I prepared the snack, and brought it to the table of the living room. I ate it in just a few minutes. I was really hungry since I talked with my friends like... for hours. I recalled what just happened, by remembering what we talked. I know that we talked about university: Angela is doing a major on something related to the field of science, and that Felicity is studying cooking in a University near my apartment. "I can already see Felicity here, inside my apartment, inviting me to a party." I said to myself and laughed as I recreated the scene in my head. Also, I knew, from what Christopher said as a comment, that Angela is going to spent all her whole holiday here, with Christopher. I think she said she is going to stay here like 2 months and something more. We mostly just talked about ourselves and what we do, and what we think about trivial things, like the weather, the news, odds things that had happened to us, etc. I exhaled, and leaved the dirty dish in the sink of the kitchen. I went to my bathroom, and started to wear off my clothes. I went in the shower. It was cold, but it didn't matter, I just wanted to clean myself. I tried to relax my muscles as I felt the water pass on my skin, but it was too cold. I tried to level the cold water with the hot one, but I couldn't. I was only getting cold water. I stood there, washing myself with a freezing temperature until an image came to my head. "The plushies," I muttered as I went out the shower and dried myself. "Are they really... real? I mean, are the REALLY real?" I said as I put on my clothes. I went to my bedroom, and opened the wardrobe. The plushies were there, scattered around. As I saw every plushie, two got my attention. The pinkie one with a very curly mane, and one with diverse shades of purple. I grabbed them, and put them on my bed. I sit down on my bed, and started to think about something. They gave me a strange sense of nostalgia... if I had seen those plushies before, but on another place. Then, it hit me. It really hit me, in that moment. "No, no no no, it can't be." I said to myself as I stood up and leaned against the nearby wall, wondering if I had gone mad. "I mean, no, they... how can a dream be real, and how a princess relayed on me a task like that? A princess pony?!" I recalled where I had seen those plushies. I knew that I saw them. I talked to them, I made physical contact with them, and one of them called me a friend. Those plushies, are those girls. Those girls, Angela and Felicity, are ponies. Ponies! "Am I crazy?" I said to no one, still trying to figure out if those ponies are real, if these plushies, in another place that it's not here, really existed, and then disappeared, as Luna said... I have to relax. I went out my bedroom. I tried to relax. I tried to think about something else. My studies, psychology, about the test I had to do in three days more. But even then, even if I tried to leave out the topic of the plushies out of my mind, it was still there. I was still tying to comprehend everything. Then, something grabbed my attention as I walked through my apartment. The cello. The only thing that can relax me, no matter what occasion occurs. Right now, playing the cello was the solution to my problem. It didn't really solve it, but at least I would forget about it for an hour. "I have to relax." I grabbed the cello, put on the music stand the score of Bach's Suite in G minor, I put a little of resin to the bow, and started to play. I didn't even tune it. I just wanted to play the cello. I just wanted to let me take for the music. I just wanted to feel the pressure of the strings as I passed through the positions, to feel the bow on the strings, to feel my fingers touch the neck of the cello. I closed my eyes. I just wanted to feel the music. And that's what I did. ... After I don't know how many hours of playing the cello, I dropped the bow. I couldn't feel my right arm, and, after a second, the pain flourished, surrounding my whole right arm. I hadn't have played the cello like that for 3 months, and in that moment I felt what it can do to my arm to play that long without practicing for that time. I led my gaze to the window of my living room. It was obscure outside. It was already night. "What time is it?" I raised my wrist, and saw the watch. "11:30. What?" I said as I couldn't believe that I played for almost 4 hours without stopping. And also because it was getting too late. I put down the cello, grabbed the score and put it away. I got up, and started to do everything that I do before going to my bedroom to sleep: make myself dinner, clean the dirty dishes, brush my teeth and then going to bed. It's a routine that I always do. I prepared myself a beef with smashed potatoes. It wasn't the greatest dish, but at least I had food. I eat it. Then I cleaned the dirty dishes, that it wasn't little in amount and brushed my teeth. But when I was going to bed, I saw that the two plushies that I had brought out earlier from the wardrobe were standing still on my bed. It was like they were laughing at me. But I knew what to do with them. I grabbed them, and put them inside my wardrobe, in just a few seconds. I wore off my clothes, and got in my bed, not trying to think about the plushies, just trying to fool myself, at least for a night, that the didn't exist. I felt my body too tired as I touched the soft bed sheet, and fell sleep in no time. Chapter 8Several days later... "God damnit. God! Damnit!" I threw the piece of paper into the bin of trash. I couldn't believe the percentage of the score I got. I studied almost every day for a month just Freud. Freud every day. Freud through Monday to Sunday. I even started to dream Freud two days ago! Even then, I couldn't get the sufficient score to pass the test, which leads me that I failed the semester. And today I started with the right feet out of the bed. I went out the classroom. It had already finished, but, in my rant, like saying that I didn’t deserve this score to the teacer, and saying that I would do something, I forgot that everyone went out of class, except me. "I'm the only one here," I said as I led my gaze through the empty hall. I thought about the test, and how it will affect to my parent's budge to pay me another semester of university. "Not know!" I heard a voice by my right side. I turned my head to that direction and found a person going out through a door that led to somewhere else. Seeing him made me recognize him. I knew him: chubby contexture, brown to dark hair, tan skin and rounded face. Sebastian. He is a good guy. I know him since a year ago from a friend. I haven't meet with him many times to have the trust to call him my friend, but nevertheless, he's a good guy. "Hello, Sebastian, it's good to see you," I said as I gave him a brofist. "Me too, friend, me too," He cheerfully agreed. Although he always call me a friend. "And why are you here, exactly?" I asked since he shouldn't be here at this hour, at least from what little I know of him. "I was passing through my last class' classroom to find something I forgot, but then I remembered that you were still here, in class, so I waited a moment “He made a thoughtful face. "I saw that everyone but you were heading out of the class, so I peered if you were still there."- He smiled shyly, -"and you were still there, but you were angry, I saw it in your face, so I waited in my classroom until you relaxed yourself a little." He nudged me as I looked to the side in embarrassment. I blushed as I heard that. "I'm sorry for that," I embarrassedly said, "I don't think that you should-" He threw his right arm around me, interrupting me. "Don't worry, mate. Sometimes, people get mad, and it's normal to get mad. You can't control your emotions in total extense," he said reassuring me while he motioned with his hand to remark his last phrase. I chuckled at his display of trust. "Yeah, thanks for that. But, can you release me?" He heartily laughed and put more force on his arm on me. "Oh but why, Rick, why?" He's like that. He's always behaving like a brother to anyone, from what people have told me. That's why we always greet each other with a brofist. I saw someone at the end of the hall, and, regrettably, I recognized him. "Because my teacher is leading here?" He looked to where I was looking, and released his embrace. I recognized that the teacher had a frown on his face. He was not happy, whatever the reason. "Well," My teacher said, "I don't see an answer to the question of why are you here." I tried to contain my anger that was, again, alive. He was the teacher of my last class. He was the one who gave me the score. I felt a touch on my arm. "We were just searching for a thing that I forgot. Don't worry, we're leaving know," my friend said as he put his arm around me and started to walk out there. But I almost stopped as I heard a comment leaving out from my teacher's mouth. "Do best next semester, Rick." I think Sebastian noticed the strain in my muscles, so he accelerated the pace of his walk. As we walked out from the building and from the campus, Sebastian said, "Dude, relax." I sighed. "Sorry, but I think you know why I am mad, and why I almost hit my teacher, right?" I asked with a hint of anger as we stood up outside the campus. "I think I know, but there's nothing that we can do about it, Rick. Except one thing." "What?" He pointed across the street to a place. "Take something to eat." I looked and chuckled. It was a café. "How is that going to help me now?" He patted my back and smiled. "You're going to relax, my friend. And that's something you should do know," he said as he signed to follow him. I did it. We crossed the street and reached the cafe. It was a little crowded since it was a common spot where university students spent their time after classes to eat something, to talk, and to know each other and talk about trivial topics. We reached a near table and sit down. I zoomed out for a while to think about the score, and to think how my fathers would react to that. How am I going to say that they have to pay more for me? For MY education? I can say that, can’t I? How am I going to say that my sco- Sebastian touched me. "Dude, what do you want to eat?" I came back to reality and said the first thing that came to my mind. "Score." I gave him a confused face as he loudly laughed. "Were you thinking about your score, right? Forget it!" he said as he threw me the menu. "Just forget about that and order something.” He put both hands behind his head and leaned back. "Ok, ok, I'll forget about it, but only because you say it." My gaze passed through the dishes that were listed on the menu. "I think I'll have... –" I put a finger the menu. "–Grilled cheese." "Excellent choice," he said as he stood up and walked to the waiter that was heading to us. He doesn't wait for his food, apparently. I put my back on the chair and looked up, trying to relax and calm my mind. I closed my eyes, and started to wander through the machinations of my imagination. I started to imagine that I was in my department and started to recreate various scenes, like what would I do if Felicity went in my apartment without me noticing, or what would happen if Christopher came to my apartment with Angela and Felicity, saying that they were just "passing by". They would happen to carry some system of audio with them, just "because". We would install it in the middle of the living room, and Felicity would plug in an iPod she would had on her pocket. It would start to sound dance music, and we would gradually start to move our hands in synchrony to the music’s beat. I would slowly start to tap with my feet on the floor and Christopher would start to clap. Angela would start whistle to the melody and Felicity would start to move her body in a slow manner, until she would start to dance on the middle of the floor, while Cristopher, out of nowhere, would bring out a DJ system and put it on my living’s table. I would grab some earphones, and start to DJ as more people would get in my apartment without me noticing, to see what was happening in my apartment, and they would be dancing with Felicity as she would be leading the choreography, dancing, dancing and dancing until the sun would be setting on the horizon. Meanwhile, Angela would had already put some neon lights around the apartment to attract more people. I have a great imagination, or at least I can recreate scenes in my head quickly, and sometimes I imagine those things while dreaming. I started to recreate the scene again in my head, as if it were really there. I heard a voice in front of me. I opened my eyes and saw that the roof I was seeing was moving in various motions. "Dude, can you hear me? Dude, really, stop doing that, you're drooling!" "What-what did you say?" I babbled as I broke my daydreaming and came back to reality. I headed my gaze down and saw my friend with a scared face looking at me like he just saw the death in person. I watched him for a second time and then saw around. Everyone was looking me. I felt something out from my mouth and put my hand on my mouth. I noticed a trail of saliva going down my face. I gazed down, and saw that my shirt was completely damped .I stared my shirt for ten seconds, and then realized what happened. I put my face on the table, and slowly I started to feel more red and red. I want to kill myself. That was something that I didn't like of daydreaming. I would drool tons of saliva when I daydreamed. Every time. No exception. I really want to kill myself. But I noticed something hot on my face. Very hot, and it wasn't the blushing that was arising, that was sure. I retreated a little from the table I met with my face, and saw my chilled cheese. Really. Before that, everything was silent. After I noticed the chilled cheese, everything was laugh. Even Sebastian was laughing, almost falling from the chair. I shouldn't have gone out from the department today. After five minutes of laughing from everyone but me, everybody went to what they were doing initially. I took a deep breath, and calmly said, "Sebastian-" "You should have seen seen your face." He restrained his laugh as he saw that I wasn't laughing. "Yeah..." I took another breath. "Can you really not tell anyone about this?" "I think that I'll try." He seriously said, and then started to laugh again. One of the things that I really like about him is his laugh: loudly and heartily, almost contagious. But I didn't like it in that moment. I saw some gazes upon me, and I started to bury myself in the chair, even more I didn’t do it before. "Don't worry." He patted my shoulder. "I don't think that you should worry about that. I don't think what happened is going to be known, don’t worry. Meanwhile eat your-oh I can't! Hahaha!" He started to laugh even more loudly than before. But now, he stood up, and wandered through the café as he tried to get out, all while he was laughing like he never laughed before. I buried in the chair more and more, just hoping that nothing of this would leak out of the cafe. Really hoped that it wouldn't leak out. I started to eat my crushed chilled cheese, thinking that I didn’t hear nothing since Sebastian was still laughing, but now he was outside the cafe. I could hear it from where I was. He really has a loud laughing. ... As I finished my grilled cheese, Sebastian came in and sit in his spot. "Well, well, well, I think that was enough.” He took several deep breaths, closed his eyes, and relaxed as I took the last bites of my chilled cheese. Then, he opened his eyes and said, “Oh, almost I forgot, can you come with me to a meeting?" "Emmm, what? A meeting?" I said before I drank a Coca-Cola that I bought when Sebastian was still outside. "Yeah, a familiar reunion. At first, I didn't want to invite you since we never went out once to know each other better, but now -" He scrambled my hair like if I were a kid. "- you showed me that you're a good guy." He smiled, and glared to the table where his food should had been. "What th-" "I don't think they gave your food," I plainly said. "Oh right, they said they didn't have my sandwich. Not enough ingredients or something like that." He stared blankly to an empty space for a few second and then zoomed in. "Anyway, I want you to come with me to this reunion, if that it's okay with you." I said, "I think I can. In a few days I'm going to end all the tests, and then I'm going to have a little rest." I thought for a moment. "But, why me?" "Because you're a good guy, Rick, and also because I think you're a good comedian." He repressed a laugh. "What? Oh, oh..." I said with a deadpanned tone. "And... about what is the family reunion?" I asked with a more normal tone. "It's just a reunion that we do every year. Oh yeah, do you remember the time I told you about my family, right?" "Eeeemmm." I just shrugged. "Don't worry, I'll tell you again.” He put both hands on the table, and put his eyes on me, to listen carefully to him. “My family is mostly... rural. So they're pretty conservative, and they're mostly all farmers, except my parents, because, do you know that I'm studying agricultural engineering, right?" "Nope." "Well, now you know it." He smiled. "And... how they're, Sebastian?" "How “how they’re are”?” "How is your family? Lovely, or grungy people?" "Oh!" He smiled. "They're one of most friendly persons that you're going to meet in your life. Really, I can assure you that." I smiled. I thought that I can trust him. "So... when is the reunion?" "Today." "What?" "Today." "But… when?" He pulled off his cellphone. "Being sincere, we're are already late." What? "Come on, we have to go." He stood up, grabbed my arm, and took me out of the local without any strain from me. "But you didn't even pay!" I loudly remarked him. "They know me, they know that I'll be back." He said as he raised his hand to catch a taxi’s attention that was passing by. The taxi stopped in front of us, and we got in. I mean, Sebastian got me in and then he got in. I was startled because of how my friend behaved in just a matter of a minute. It wasn't something I expected. "Why did you do that?" I raised my voice without being authoritative. "Well, sometimes I'm impulsive, you know, but don't worry." He smiled at me. In that moment I thought about something I learned in my classes, and from personal experience. A person has a personality, and traits of that personality are hereditary. From that think, I thought about Sebastian, and I hoped that he hadn't inherited the impulsive traits from his parents, because if that was like that, it would probably be like that for his family. I cringed at that thought. ... "Here we are, mah friend!" He said as we stood up in front of a barn of the size of freaking three houses by side, and I don't know by how much of length, that was in the middle of the country like 5 km outside the town. "...The reunion is in that thing?" I babbled as I saw the most grand barn that I have ever seen. "Eeeyup!" "Why did you start to talk like that?" "I don't know, really. I think it's just the ambient." He shrugged. "Anyway, let go in?" "Ok, as you say." I saw my friend open a door besides the building and I followed him. Well... what I saw was... Have you ever seen a stereotypic film about farm people? How the film show them? Well, if I hadn't been with “mah friend” by my side, I would have thought that I was in the middle of the recording of a film of that kind. But that wasn't the case, and Sebastian nudged me out of the trance of seeing all that people in just a barn, even if it was a big one. I thought I counted, at least, forty people. At least. "Hey, come on, wake up." He started to move me from side to side. "What?" "So...?" "So...?" "What do you think?" He said. "What should I think?" I muttered. "I don't know, that's why I asked." "Well... being sincere, I really didn't expect to be so much people here." I tried to count again how much people were there, but I couldn’t do it. "Don't worry.” He made a malicious smile. "You're going to meet them now." "What?" He raised his hands, and clapped as loud as he could twice. Everyone's attention were now held on him. Oh... "My family," He put down his arms and put one around me. "I want you to meet one of my friends. He's a really good guy, and I want him to be greeted for that. So..." He leaved that phrase in the air, and people slowly started to gather around us. It was like an infestation. They were slowly getting closer and closer. Then, the only thing I could saw were heads and Stetson hats. And hands that wanted to be greeted. ... "I think that my hand would need a nice hydrotherapy." I said as I started to shake it because of the greetings that I had to make. "Some of the men here are oddly strong, though." "Years and years of work,” he nonchalantly said as he leaved my side and grabbed me by my arm to follow him. "Wait, where are we going?" "To serve us something." He pointed to a table near us. It was loaded with various kind of food, from what I could see. We got there and what I saw from before was nothing compared to what I could encompass with my sight. There was ANY kind of food. Pies, bread, fruits, vegetables, soups, BBQs, fried chicken, and other foods that I couldn’t recognize. I’m not a chef, so I didn’t care. "Hey," my friend say, "The food was made to eat, not to be seen." He grabbed a piece of bread and melted some liquid butter on it. Wait, liquid butter? "Is that... butter?" "Why, yes." He smiled and went to a near table that was three meters away from us and started to eat. Actually, there was any kind of food. I shrugged, and grabbed some fruits and a piece of apple pie. Just when I grabbed the apple pie, a hand stopped me in mid-way. I heard a strong accented feminine voice by my left side. "I don't recommend yah to eat that apple pie, darling. The apples weren't too good this season." I turned by my left side, and saw a woman with a Stetson hat. That was probably what most attracted me most from her, and also that she was holding my wrist with a soft but strong grip. "I think I got it, miss." I said as I tried to get off the grip of this woman. "Oh, sorry about that." She released me, and I carefully rubbed my wrist. It hurt me like hell. "You have strong hands," I said. "Well, working in a farm is hard work. I think you know that, even if you don't look... toned." She said as she was looking me from top to bottom. "You... have never worked on a farm, haven't you?" she asked me with a doubtful tone of voice. "No, I haven't." "So why are you here, then?" "My friend invited me." I did a smile as I tried to hide the pain from her. "Oh, so you're Sebastian's friend?" She asked with natural curiosity and smiled. "Nice to meet yah, darling. I'm Jackie!" She started to shake my hand, and a wave of pain from my hand, through my arm and shoulder, went to my spinal cord. I cringed. "It's nice to meet you too, Ja-Jackie, I'm Rick." I tried to get off the shake, but she was firmly shaking it. After a few seconds she released me, and I sighed that I wasn't suffering anymore. "Are you okay? You don't look too good," she said as I sighed as the pain was quickly perishing. "It's nothing, really. It just my hand hurts." I massaged the palm of my hand. A question crossed my mind as I did that, remembering something. "Didn't I greet you before? I mean, I had to greet everyone here, so that's why my hand hurts." "Ah don't think I was in the moment when you arrived, darling. I just got here because I had to take care of some crazy cows that were outside." When she was talking I noticed how she was physically in more detail. I took a quick glance up and down and made a mental image of her. She had a slender but toned body from the work she does, I guess. She had a long, blonde hair that was knotted as a pony tail from what I could see where I was standing, and she had a Stetson hat on her head. She had a white but tanned skin, but not too much because I could see that she had freckles on her cheeks. She was wearing a buttoned shirt with short sleeves and with red squares on all the shirt. She was also wearing some light blue jeans, and boots. "Hey, Rick, are you there?" She waved my hand in front of me. "Hey, Earth calling Rick, Earth calling Rick." I zoomed out again. "Sorry, I just zoomed out." "Oh, I thought I lost you there, darling." "Sorry, it's just something I do." I said, and added as I sighed, "Too much." "Don't worry, it just happens, right?" She said as put her hand on the hat, and adjusted it. "Well, I think I have to go. I just made a break from work by being here, but I have to work. Goodbye, Rick, it was nice to meet yah." And with that, she turned around and leaved me there. A few seconds later, and I felt a hand on my shoulder. I said, "Sebastian." "What's up, friend?" "Nothing, I just knew that it was you." "I think you just met my cousin Jackie, am I right?" He put in front of me. "What do you think of her?" He smiled deviously. "Is she hot?" "I just met her, as you said. How can I determine if she's hot or not?" "By looking her as you did. From up and down." He noted his last phrase by moving his finger up and down. He saw me. "Well... I was just... looking her because I... she seemed to be like a person that I used to know!" I nervously said. Yeah, that'll do, that'll do. "I wish I knew you better to know when you're lying or not." He smiled and sighed. "Well, do you want to eat something after your little talk?" He gestured to the table. "Just eat anything. Everything's great," He leaned forward and whispered. "From personal experience." He leaned backward, laughed heartily and gave me a pat on the shoulder. "I think I can trust you in that." I put on my hand the plate that I grabbed before and started to gather a variety of foods, like lettuce, a roasted beef, tomatoes, potatoes, a glass of water and a piece of the apple pie that Jackie said that it wasn't good, just to taste how it was. We went to a table near the banquet of food, put our dishes there, and sit down. I put a piece of the apple pie in my mouth and a sour taste hit my tongue. "This IS bad," I said as I grabbed the glass of water and drank of it. "What? The apple pie?" Sebastian asked. "Yeah, it is sour, not sweet." "Meh, sometimes happen. Don't eat it." He grabbed a piece of my apple pie and eat it. "It isn't that bad, actually." "Yeah, but that doesn't mean that you can eat it." I put my arm around the apple pie. "Oh, sorry for interrupt your legally precious personal space that was bounded with your apple pie, Sir Rick." He said with a strong hint of sarcasm and laughed. I sighed and laughed with him. “When did you make that?” “I don’t know.” He grabbed a lettuce from his dish and ate it. We spent there for an hour just eating and chatting about his life. He told me that all his family except his parent and him are farmers, and that all his childhood was spent in a farm. He doesn't know why he doesn't has southern accent, though. And he also told me he wants to be a farmer, but not only be a farmer, but have a degree, too, so that's why he's studying agricultural engineering. "Well, I think we finished." I said as I brought up my watch and saw the hour. "Em, Sebastian, can you say how we are going to get back to the city?" I nervously said since I didn't want to get late to my apartment. I remembered that I had another test tomorrow. "Why? It's early, you know. Now we have a dance party, and it just 6 p.m. Why are you so eagerly to leave early, Rick?" He smiled as he said that. "I don't want to make you worried, but I have a test tomorrow." "Worry? Nah, I think you can guess how I am. I don't worry." "So... can you say how can I go?" "I can call you a taxi, if you want." "Ok, thanks." I waited for him to call it, but he just sit there, smiling. "So... aren't you going to call him?" "I said that I can, not that I’m going to actually do it." He smiled. I gave him a deadpanned expression. "Really?" I said. He still was smiling, but then he brought up his cellphone. "I was joking." He said and called the taxi. "Ok, ready. I think it's going to be here soon, the operator told me that he was close here." He stood up, and I did the same and shook his hand. "So goodbye, Sebas-" "Hey, I'm going with you. I have a test tomorrow, too." He took a breath. "But first, can you wait for me outside? I want to say goodbye to some members of my family." He said that and I saw that he went through the mass of people that were chatting or doing something. I went out and I was struck by the sun’s lights that were leaking through the tick tree branches. Seeing it was… calming, seeing the end of the day- It was beautiful. I wondered through the periphery while I still waited. I saw a big house at the distance inside the forest that was brighten with a dim light. I didn’t care about the taxi in that moment, I wanted to know better the place if in a near future I would return. I got closer and saw the house with a better eye. It was a nice house. It was two story tall built with only wood and painted with varying shades of red. It also had square windows, and a double front door. I got closer and closer seeing better the details of the house. It had signs that it have been used by a very long time. I was in front of the house, still seeing it. I though I heard someone inside, but instead I heard some footsteps behind me and a known trademark hand on the shoulder was felt. "Hey, Rick, the taxi is already here,” said Sebastian as put his arm around my neck and put besides him seeing the house. "Thanks, Sebastian." “So… do you like this house?” he asked as he lazily pointed it. “It’s just a house, I guess, why do you ask?” I turned my head and saw my friend with a malicious face. Again. “That’s my cousin’s house, you know.” I smiled and let out a chuckle. “You’re always going to be like this, right?” “Until you’re closer with her.” He draw his arm and gave a pat on my back. “Come on, let’s go.” He led me to the car and we got in the back of the car. I positioned myself in a comfortable position, leaning my back on sit while, without a care of the world, Sebastian put his back on the door, and put his feet on my knees. I said with incredulity, “Dude, seriously?” “I want to relax.” He put both hands on his hind head, and closed his eyes. He really got in trust with me. I led the driver through the streets, giving him directions like where to go and pass through. Meanwhile, Sebastian was at the edge of reality and the oniric world with his snoring. We arrived to my apartment’s building. “Sebastian, I have to go.” I moved him around, but he didn’t wake up. An idea crossed my mind. Maybe if I… I got out of the taxi from the opposite door that was Sebastian. I went to the other side, and, slowly, very slowly, started to open the door. “Please, let me sleep.” He shuffled on his position. “Nope.” I opened the door fully and he got flat on the floor with his back on the concrete and full open eyes. “Jesus Christ!” he screamed, I don’t know if it was by pain or by the surprise. “I told you that I was going.” I held a smile as I said that. He stood up, and stayed there motionless, seeing me as if he was trying to kill me by just the gaze of his eyes. I should have thought that it better… I think I feared for my life in the meantime. I didn’t really think that he would react that way. I could see the fire inside his eyes. I was seeing myself there, screaming for help. Then, suddenly, he started to chuckle. “That was a good one,” he said, like if it was nothing. Like if it was nothing. So what did I saw in his eyes?! I forgot that thought, and sighed as he started to laugh more. After a moment waiting for him to calm down, he asked me, "So... this is the place where you live?" "Yep... it isn’t the best apartment here, but, for me, it is,” I said turned around and saw the apartment’s building. I don’t know the reason, but it brought me little memories about what has happened there. Birthdays, parties with old friends, after-weddings. “So, this is a goodbye?” Sebastian said as I still was looking the building. “I guess so. I have a test tomorrow, so…” I turned around. “Goodbye, Sebastian. "Goodbye, Rick, see you other day," he said and moved before I could shake his hand. He went in the taxi, and I went to my apartment but in the middle of the way I was interrupted by Sebastian’s voice. I turned around and heard him. "Hey, Rick, the next time, you- "He pointed me.”-Will dance with Jackie. I promise." I made a grin. "Yeah, if that's going to happen." "I promise it, mah friend, I promise," he said with his half of his body out of the window while the taxi was starting. I heard a yell from the driver and Sebastian got in fast. I laughed and entered the building, going through the floors until I reached my apartment. I opened the door, turned on the lights and went to the kitchen to prepare a quick snack for the long night that was waiting for me. Damn tests. I prepared myself a bowl of cereal with milk and headed to my bedroom, grunting on my way to the thought of studying again. ... "1 a.m." I threw the interpersonal relationship's book on the floor and put on my back on the bed. "1 a.m.," I said again. I looked my watch and confirmed the hour. "1 a.m." I closed my eyes and coolly took a breath. "Inhale and exhale "Inhale and exhale." I though as I did it. I let myself go with the flow of my breath. I attentively listened to my breath as I relaxed on my bed, not trying to think about the test. Darkness slowly started to appear in my vision. I knew that I was asleep in that moment, but something, in that darkness, in the dark void, slowly started to appear. It had a figure, a body, and a head. It appeared in front of my, and something, or someone appeared. Luna. I am dreaming. "Hello, Rick." She coldly said. "Hello, machination of my imagination." She gave a faint smile. "I'm sure that you don't have a great image of myself, Rick." "That's not the problem," I bluntly said as I recalled the past moment that Luna and I had lived. "The problem is that you shouldn't exist; you shouldn’t be real." "Why?" she said while maintaining a relaxed tone, but I could see that she was surprised by my answer. "Because you're just a dream! You have only appeared in my dreams.” "But I think you already saw the... plushies I send to you," she said. She struggled with the word "plushies", as if it were a foreign word. "The problem is..." I took a deep breath. "The problem is not what you think. The REAL problem is that... I can't believe you, even if I have the proof in front of me." She coldly stared at me, and then softened her expressions. "I think I can understand you." "So... can you show me? Can you make me believe?" A she heard that, she made a very serious face like if I asked her a life-or-death question. There was an awkward silence between us for a few minutes. I started to tap the non-existent floor as I waited for an answer. I saw that the dark void we were in started to change gradually and Luna spoke, "I don't think I can persuade to believe me, but I can show you something." In that moment, the black void changed completely. "I... can my mind dream this, Luna?" I said as I couldn’t believe the scenery that we were in.
IntroductionsHello. I'm Rick. I'm 21 years old. I'm a normal person, with a normal life, an university student, future psychologist, or that I wish. And I have normal friends, normal relationships, or that's what I thought. I was foolish to had thought that, but I can’t expect the unexpected Let me tell why. It all started when I was a kid 12 year ago. I had eight years. One of the things I loved doing was having a good time with my friends, do athletics, or run, and mock girls. A normal boy, right? But the there is a lonely memory that it's alive inside of me. A dream I thought it will never affect. But, oh boy, I was wrong. I shiver whenever a glimpse of that dream comes out. Maybe because of destiny, or just cruel, but lovely, coincidence. Nevertheless, that dream is special for me because it was one of the most vivid thing I have dreamed my whole life. That is one of the reasons. And also because of… a creature, an adorable, out of reality, dreamlike, with swollen-like tubes as limbs, big eyes almost occupying almost its whole head… one. What I’m trying to say is I dreamed with… ponies. At least, that the most similar animal I can come with. How could I dream that? I don´t know, but I can tell you. Like every dream, the usual person doesn’t remember when and where a dreams starts and end. In my case is different, that’s something I’ve learned with experience. I’ll tell it later. I was inside a room, an almost-cubic one, which was connected to other rooms. What made it special for a kid was that in the room I was in was an arcade room. And there were four arcade rooms surrounding mine. It was something I knew in that moment. Don’t ask me how. The first thing I noticed was I felt an ambient of happiness, silliness and playfulness, but it was dimly lit, making it difficult to see, but it was a detail I don't know why I paid it attention. But even with such detail, I was shocked to have at the reach of my hand so many games to enjoy. There were also kids everywhere. Well, a few kids were in there, but they were everywhere. Playing, jumping, running. Being happy. I didn't do anything as the excitement overwhelmed me. Shooter games, arcade games, racing games, any games a kid would have loved to have were there, waiting for me. It was a dream come true. But as I admired the arcades, I noticed a girl just a tiny shorter than me. She had a pink long straight hair, neatly brushed, part of it landing on her shoulder and the other way pointing to the floor. She also had a very white skin, a clean one with no visible marks or bruises, her skin matching with her yellow sweater with long sleeves covering her hands, accompanied. Also, she was holding a fluffy, foamy, white baby rabbit, a genuinely cute one. What really caught my attention from that girl was how she reacted to everything, from the lights appearing and disappearing from the arcades, to the movements of the other kids playing around. It was like she had an extreme shyness or was scared of everything she saw moving or showed signs of being alive. I noticed her passing by me, taking care of where she was stepping, always with her head down, seeing the floor as she walked. It looked like she was playing the floor is lava. I stared at her for a moment. She raised her head and looked to me, but then she lowered her head, seeing the floor again and went to a nearby door, opened it and left the place, all meanwhile others kids were running between us, playing without a caress for the world. I watched her leave, but I didn't do anything. I was already watching all the games my vision would capture, and one of them was catching my attention. A Pac-Man game. … After hours playing it, and getting bored by eating yellow points and get scared by ghosts, I went to the door the yellow-sweater girl previously opened, and as I did it, I saw in front of me games’ lights flashing crazy, more frantically than before. I was amazed by those lights. I closed my distance to them and observed they came from a game I wasn't interested in. I made a quick trail as I saw every game, every one of them as boring as watching paint dry, the only thing interesting from them were their lights. With every arcade game checked, I passed through the door that led to a different room, but just as I was opening, a girl stopped me from moving, grabbing me by my shoulders. She had a pink fluffy hair and smile on her face, a bright and white one. She was wearing a blue shirt, a bright pink watch, a girly one, and a short skirt. She talked to me in a way I was uncomfortable, as if I were an old friend, or, to add another example, like her best friend. "Hi!" She smiled even more, her white and big teeth showing up. "Hi...?" I answered with an insecurity in my voice, trying to see if she greeted the wrong person, "How are you feeling? Are you feeling right? Because I'm feeling right, so right and good that it was like that time I was playing in a museum, a closed one, with so muuuch things to play with, like a squishy loudy dinosaur looking at me as if he was scared! We just stared between each other with open eyes, screaming ‘Ah!’, and we just screamed along—” My mind stopped for a moment and I unconsciously reacted. “Stop.” "Stop?" "Yeah..., just, let me answer your question." I waited a moment to call my mind and answer. "I'm feeling... good, I guess. “After I said that, a wider smile appeared on her face and she let my shoulder free. "That's fantastic!" Her fluffy hair bounced. It bounced. I was getting teased, but I just stood there, seeing her, trying to seek inside my head where did I know her. "Well," she said, "I have a meeting, I hope to see you later!" And she ran past me, leaving me a astonished by the sudden move. I stood there a while, but I forgot about her quickly in order to keep my enjoyment running. I was inside a every child’s dream, where fun was my first priority, second priority and third priority. Amazing, eh? … After such event, which was still in my mind, I saw a game it caught my attention, it was called "Space Invaders". I remembered it, my pupils getting bigger by the excitement. I played it with my brother all the time, usually skipping someday classes just to rise my score, wanting to beat my brother. He would always win in score, but he cheated, I knew it. I was playing it as I felt an arising emotion, making me feel a need to play more and more. The sensation to keep my attention to the game was filling my head as I played it more and more. It was like… I don’t want to say it, but it was a drug. I was playing it with wide eyes, staring every movement of the aliens while destroying them. Maybe I had fun with it for hours, or just a few minutes, I don`t know, but I didn't care. I was viciously playing it. As the scored raised slowly but steady, I heard a voice at my right side. "Can I play? It seems really fun.” I almost didn’t catch her by the surrounding noise of the arcade. "Sure!" I said with a playful voice. The idea of competence raised my humor more than it was by just playing. "I think I can beat you. Wait, I know I'll beat you, so be prepared to give me a little of resistance, ha ha!" she said with an arrogant voice, but innocent, at the same time. She stood beside me and played by my side I was always seeing the screen as she was always laughing, a laugh that warmed me up, when I lost against her. The only thing I cared in that moment was that I wanted to play. … We played mindlessly. We enjoyed every bit of it as laughs had gone through the air. I stopped playing after I don't know how long. I had to stop before I got mad with her as she was always winning me in score She's even better than my brother. I turned around to say I wanted to play another game, and I would win. But I didn't. When I turned around, I saw… a… it’s strange to explain it, but it wasn’t human, for sure… The only animal that it can be as close as the animal I was seeing would be a pony, but, in truth, a cartoonish one, with its legs simplified to inflated balloons, a body with the same property as before, and its head had big eyes, oddly proportionated to its body… It was strange. And I was playing with a pony. A talking pony. My mind was shocked seeing her as she... smiled to me. I think she immediately caught my expression. "…Why are you looking at me with that face?" she asked with a little concerned voice. I was still shocked as I watched her. After a moment, I, or my visual sense, realized how she truly was, at least aside the anatomical part. She had a light blue coat, with big rose eyes, and what most was noticeable from her was her mane, her multi-colored mane. A rainbow. She seemed worried I stared at her blankly. There was an awkward silence as I tried to see if this was normal, or real, even if I dreaming, but she broke the silence. "You know...," she said, maybe wanting to get me out of the state I was, "I want to meet some of my friends that are here. Do you want to accompany me?" I saw her eyes for three seconds and answered with a whisper, "Sure, if you want.” She grinned. "Great! Come with me!" She touched my hand with her hoof. I felt her hoof touching my hand. It was odd. "Okay..." I said, still thinking if this was… normal. She trotted to a door that was steps behind her and opened it with her hoof. I don’t know how she did it, but she did it. I started following her, and as I was trying to see the new place adorned with pink, she ran into two girls that were relatively near us. As I stood in the middle of the room, I noticed those girls, and the pony, were waving to me come with them to be with them. When I looked to them, I recognized those girls. One was the shy girl, she was still holding her rabbit, and the other girl was the pinky girl, with the same smile that did to me when she said goodbye. But then I woke up. Or that's the last scene I remember. Anyway, carrying on with the dream’s topic… Well... how do I say it...? Since I was a kid, or even before, say my parents I have been always dreaming. I would create entire worlds in my mind in just few seconds. They were mostly fantastic worlds. Worlds were I would go in adventures with the people that resided there. From old, rusty guys with swords and shields, to women practitioner of magic. As I advanced in age, and as puberty hit, I would dream about other worlds, more complex ones, but always fantasy, fantasy worlds. I would create I had a friendship with a teenager of said world I was dreaming and I would go in quests with her. I would dream to sci-fi worlds where technology ruled everywhere to old villages lost in time. I would create worlds within worlds, I'd travel to space and surround planets, carefully land on them and search for lost civilisations. They were good dreams, if you ask me. They seemed to be simple, but, for me, they were relaxing. Well, as I was in my last year of high school, I would dream alternate realities about television series I was fan of at that moment, or anything I was watching in the TV, or about my own life, creating a total separated world, where mostly anything could happen if I just started to think about that. And it is something I still do, I say. An activity that my friends don't really... comprehend, or enjoy. "Hey... Rick, are you daydreaming?" said my friend who was at my side. We were walking through a wide corridor located in our university, just after we took a class. I didn't answer for a moment, but my head started to move erratically. He grabbed me from my shoulders and shook me. “Stop it! I’m awake, I’m awake!” “Were you dreaming about that girl?” "No! What? Which girl? I—there’s wasn't any girl. What made you think that?” I said and he released me. "I was only asking, I wasn't thinking anything. I didn’t led you to think that, did I?" He mischievously smiled.. I suspected he was just mocking me, so I let it pass, keeping myself shut. We walked down the corridor and I saw him led his gaze to a girl who was approaching us and he brushed his hair with his hand. I thought I recognized the girl, but I was interrupted before I confirmed it. "Well... I have to go, so...4 o’clock, in the evening?" He moved his shirt, checked his cell phone and smelled his breath. "Yeah," I said at the same time he greeted the girl. I waved my hand to him, leaving the wide corridor and leading to the front door of the building. I thought about what he did, leaving me alone to talk to another girl, that he was a wannabe Casanova, but I know he isn’t like that. And he isn’t really good with girls… We’ve known since high school. I've been with him since we were in high school. He is a little... eccentric. He is also someone that I can rest on, as he can rest on me, figuratively. It's mutual. He also helped me to choose what career I wanted to study, and he really helped me to discover one of my passions: Psychology. He’s my best friend. His name’s Christopher. While I was walking down the corridor, I hung my head, looking in my imaginary catalogue of activities what to do since I had all the day for me: no tests, no works, no study and no part-jobs I had to do. "What can I do?” I whispered as I saw my shoes. Sport shoes. I stopped in my tracks and I recalled something from my first day here. I vowed to myself that I would be with sportswear. And that was the case. I think I also vowed that I would bring a pillow to be more comfortable, but at least I haven’t done it…yet. I guessed I could use the sportswear for what I was created. I recalled that the campus had a stadium, so I reached the front door and started to jog to the stadium to warm up a little. When I arrived to the stadium I observed people with different physical complex working out. They were jogging, running, jumping and throwing objects that I can't remember how they were called. They were doing athletics, that’s for sure. They all were minding their own business, so, without thinking it twice, I started to jog at a quicker pace, doing the same that some runners were doing. As I jogged on the last track, I felt, somehow, I should go to my right side. It felt as an instinct. I did it, trusting my hunch, and in just a second after I saw a girl running at a mad pace. If I had not moved, we would crashed. Thinking, I tried to calm myself from what could had happened. I was a little shocked to see how she was running, how fast she was, and how effortless she seemed it to be. I watched her in wonder, and as she finished, she lowered her running pace until she was jogging. I saw her leading to me. She was wearing a sports shirt, tight shorts, and, from what I could see, spikes, but what most attracted me is she had her hair dyed like a rainbow. "You shouldn't be here," she stoically said, her rushed breath taking its toll to talk. "Why?" I asked, noticing her rushed breaths, and her not-so-friendly posture. "Well, first-” She pointed me with her hand, "-I almost tripped because of you, almost crashing you, and second: at this hours the athletic club trains, so... yeah, you shouldn't be here.” She said with rushed breaths. She wasn’t happy, at all. I did the first thing that came to my mind, apologize. "I'm sorry and I didn't really know you were training, It's just... I didn't know that. It's my first time here, in this track." I didn't want someone to yell at me or be angry at me. Not that day, or any day. I think something moved inside her head with what I said. She smiled, as if she achieved something, and asked, "Have you ever run... before?" "I...-what?" I mumbled out, not prepared for that question. "Well, have you ever run before?" she asked me again. "Yes, when I was—" "Great, you know something..." she interrupted me, seeing me with a thoughtful face, as if she were analyzing me. I don’t know if it’s me, but it’s hard to know what she’s thinking by just seeing her. Then, she asked me, "Can... you, like, come at this same hour, the next Friday?" Her voice was calmer and I could notice a trace of… arrogance in her voice. "...Yeah, I think I can..." I said as I considered to go or not. "Cool. I'm training right now, I’ll see you that day, OK?" she said and immediately a click sounded from her watch, making her run again. From what I could take from what I was seeing, she was maximizing her energy with long, strong strides. She seemed to be very comfortable running. With she stopping me dead track from my jog, and feeling I was getting cold, I claimed the day as ended for training. I leaved the track and went to my home, not before stretching on the way home. … I was in front of a door. A wooden door, nicely painted with cheap paint. It was located on the third floor of a residential building. I delicately opened the door and it revealed my department. I wouldn't call it the most pleasant place nor the worst, but it’s my place. It’s the typical student apartment: It has a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen and a living room. In my bedroom they are the usual things: a bed, a nightstand, and a wardrobe where I keep my clothes and my study books since it's the place I always keep important things. I usually keep the books I must study under my bed, so I mostly keep clothes in my wardrobe. In my bathroom, there is a shower, a sink and a toilet. Nothing too marvelous to have, I guess. In my kitchen there is an oven, a sink, a cooler and a refrigerator. It is just… a common kitchen. The living room has a table, two chairs and a musical instrument: a cello. It was by the side of the table. I could see it from where I stood. It's an instrument I love to play. None other instruments has taught me the value of art and music like the cello. I love to play it, it makes me feel at ease, it makes me feel better, and it makes me feel I have nothing to worry about. The cello gives me something to do in my life, besides studying, of course. Every time I play it—not only play in the sense of playing a note, but to authentically play it, to feel the emotion of every note within its scale, to search through the harmony and change the timbre of the tone to adequate it to the passage, to notice those little details pair with everything, to feel the bow match the intensity and passion of the piece's dynamic... I feel the world around me goes somewhere else and the only reason to live is to play. I walked to the living room, put the bag I was carrying on the table which it had my books, grabbed the cello and started to play it mindlessly as the night arrived, feeling four strings fit under my fingers. I closed my eyes and played suites that I had already learned through time, dedication and passion. … I played it not caring about the time it took to play it. I put the cello besides the chair and got up, noticing the strain in my wrist. I stretched my hand and my arms. While I was doing it, I noticed through my window the night. It was a beautiful night, cleared from any nocturnal cloud. The stars were shining a white glitter, distinguishing themselves from the artificial lights of our satellites. It was unusual at season of the year, making it more noticeable. I could recognize some constellations from where I was, like Virgo’s and Leo's. I felt exhausted, not knowing if it was by the cello or the arrival of the night. I verified my watch and it eleven and a half, late for what I’m used to. Knowing myself that I’m a morning person, I go to bed earlier than the usual person, not allowing myself that kind of convenience. It’s good when you are in classes or something alike, but when you want to rest…ugh… I looked the cello, loosened the bow’s crin, put the bow on the stand and moved to my bedroom. The bed was calling my name, and so I did its. I got off my clothes and embraced the tight and sweet mattress of the bed. o0o "We shall tell him, sister. I have to tell him." "No. We aren't sure if he wants, or if he is the one who has to do it." "But Celestia, sister, we ne-" "No. We have to wait." "Your kingdom will fall, sister. Even worse than now. If we don't do anyth-" "Just wait."
The shy forestI woke up a slightly tired, my eyelids felt heavy. I didn’t mind as I had already gotten up without thinking twice. I checked my bedroom to see where my clothes were. I threw them everywhere before getting into the bed. I'm not someone who you can call neat, even within my own standards of what it's neat. But since there is no one else but me living in this apartment, I don't disturb anyone with that. I went to the kitchen to see if there was food. I checked the fridge and the cooler, they were both empty. There was absolutely nothing, not even ice. I stared at the fridge. What can I do…? An idea crossed my mind. I closed the fridge and started to count ten seconds. I don’t remember where, or how, or who, but I recalled that someone did this and it appeared food. I’m not a genius, that’s for sure. I opened the fridge again, expecting food! But I stared blankly at the fridge. To my misfortune, it was the same picture as before: emptiness. Yesterday, by having a busy day and encountering that rainbow girl, I forgot to buy food. I sighed, closed the fridge and moved to the living room. From a clock hanging on a wall, I saw the hour: it was seven past half. I figured out it should be, at least, one place open at this time to eat. I hope. I headed to my bedroom, grabbed my wallet and got dressed, but I felt a little dirty from yesterday’s jog. Not wanting to spread my… great scented body through someone’s nostrils, I went to my bedroom, wore off my clothes and threw them to the floor, grabbed a pair of towels and headed to the shower. I turned the shower on, and—by the holy strength of everything, it’s hot!—turned it off. "Ah!" I escaped from the shower and tested the water until it was tolerable to my body. I got in again, and, safely, put under the soft, relaxing and hot water. I stood there for, I don’t know, several minutes, just feeling and tracking how every part of my skin felt younger, inhaling and exhaling air in a lower and lower pace. I closed my eyes and hanged my head, liberating me from the stress of yesterday, from that girl I almost crashed with… That was a stressful event. … After I got out of the shower, I dried myself and put on my clothes: my snickers, jeans, blue t-shirt, dark hoodie and a Columbian blue cap. I generally wear that and sometimes people get scared when I walk through the city. Am I scary? Do I look I’m going to rob someone? Is it because my cap is from Colombia? That’s what the salesman said… I moved to the living room, opened the door of my department and went outside the building. I led my gaze up, noting the blue sky. Birds soared the cloudless sky. It was tinted bright blue with trails of orange coming from the rising sun. I checked my watch I always wear, even when I sleep, and it showed eight o’clock. The sky asked for its appreciation, and I answered seeing it just for a little more. I believe my body can resist half an hour without food, right? Even with this cold that observes the dawn with me? Right? … I reached the downtown in no time. I ran from my apartment by a third of the time I usually take to reach downtown. I was so hypnotized by those trails of orange I forgot about the existence of time, and it was already quarter past eight when I saw my watch. Why did I stop to see something so common...? I went in to the first open restaurant I saw and sit on the nearest chair I found. All in all, hunger exceed my endurance, so I didn’t care which place was open to have a quick breakfast. At least I made sure it was a place to eat. I looked around and noticed that the room had fancy furniture and expensive decoration, with paintings of food hanging on the walls. I sighed. I felt my body defeat to the weariness of my frantic run. My legs hurt, my lungs burned and my hands were tired. I heard two steps by my side and I reacted moving my head to a side. I saw a waiter tapping his foot and his arms crossed. "What would you like to eat, sir?" He brought from his back a notepad and a pen. "Can you… bring me a sandwich? Any kind, I just want it… fast, please." He put back the items he brought up and nodded, leaving me alone in the restaurant. I guessed he’s going to be fast with my food, but not enough to distract my hunger. I saw the place and fixed my vision to the furniture: it was all made of a brown wood, carved with figures of food and drinks. The chairs had the same design and they both, chairs and tables ,complemented. I didn’t notice, but I closed my eyes because of a light coming from my left. I searched for its origin and found it: it came from a window. It directed to the sidewalk, giving me a clean picture of the street. I wanted to distract from the hunger, so, the best option was to see the street. I had to cover the light with my hand to see the scenery. My view was invaded by the grey colors of the urban and by the cold scenery from the naked branches of the trees. How many times I passed by this local, seeing the trees caressing from winter’s detached cold? As the winter reached to its end, I looked traces of new-born flowers go besides the pavement, adorning the freezing morning. Blue, yellow, gray, and even purple, were the colors I noticed from the flowers. I could look and analyze trees and the flowers harmonized with each other. It is as if nature was alive, once again, returning from his hibernation. The rainy, snowy days that slowed the coming of summer were dying, and it showed. I don’t call myself someone appreciative of details, but… with this picture, I could appreciate the beauty of scene. But someone interrupted my tranquility. I heard a grunt beside me, a small growl. The waiter waiting with my food on hand. "Sir, here it is,” he said and left the dish on my table accompanied with a soda by the side of it. I didn’t ask for it, but I didn’t care. It was nothing that my wallet couldn’t stand. … I finished my sandwich in no time, and my soda too. I turned around and raised my arm. “Waiter, can you bring me the check? "I'll bring it now." "Thanks," I said, turning around and seeing the window again. The image was almost the same, the only difference was that a skinny guy was running on the sidewalk. I think it’s one of the guys I saw running yesterday… I recalled the events of yesterday. The chat I had with that athletic girl and the promise I made with her. Maybe I can go to the stadium and ask her why she wants me go to, but I don’t want to go there, to the stadium for that solely reason… I paid the bill and went out the place. I could smell the fragrance of the flowers from where I stood. I looked at the end of the road to see where the guy led. I noted, to the distance, at the end of the city and further, a forest. "Maybe I can go... there," I said, seeing the forest that was a little far from my sight. Maybe going there would be peaceful, so I moved to that direction. I live in a town, surrounded by a forest. Well, a town that is going to be a great city, so, probably, the forest will be cut down. But for now, it still has a forest, which is pleasant for me. ... I really underestimated the distance from where I was. I sit on the soft grass in front of the forest's entrance and let myself rest from the walk. I almost walked thirty minutes from the restaurant. I looked upside. The tops of the trees moved in an unhurried manner. Something I forgot in these days of stress is this forest. With the recent week full of exams, and the next one waiting me and calling me, I... have to relax, take a break, even if I have to study. That's what I did yesterday, and what I plan to do today. I sighed. This forest, makes me feel… in peace, in ease with myself. There’s a habit I do. It consists of going to the woods every weekend and relax myself in there, seeing the wonders of nature. And, inside of it, I do breathing exercises to calm myself. It is something I always do before going inside this forest. It is a way to control my behavior from everything and everyone; a method to ease myself. I'm someone who is stressed, not physically, but mentally. I always have to be thinking about something or someone, even if I don't want to. It's a trait of my personality I don't like. I always try to soften it, since it has already brought me many problems... I entered to the woods, watching where I stepped. I have a passage between the woods, a fictional route that leads me to a turquoise river, with animals drinking from the water, from squirrels to cats , to foxes and bugs. I even watched a bear once! Damn, I almost got a limb out that time. But I decided it was better to go through another road this time, leaving my route for a next occasion. I went between bushes and trees, hearing the birds sing, with no direction to follow. The place felt eerie. I saw dots swiftly fall through the trails of lights, between the branches. I traveled between the green, brown and red flourished forest as I whistled the bird’s croon. I saw birds leaning on the trees' branches, bugs of every color flying and crawling their way to the outside. Forest’s life never dies in any season As I saw and felt the wonders of the wood, like the animals it had, or the sweet and woody scent, I saw a clearing. The grass was whiter than the forest’s. I went in, stopped in the middle of it, felt how calm it was, and touching the ground, noticed how soft it was. There was no sound except the song singed by the birds. I could sense this was the place the forest had for itself, for contemplation. It was... peacefulness naturalized. It sounds strange, or silly, but I believe the forest has a life, and lives. I sit down and let my muscles loosen, all while I heard the birds singing a different melody. It was, somehow, a rhythmic song. My musical sense got inspired and I tapped to the rhythm of the song. As the song advanced, I started to relax more, letting my mind go blank. I remembered a method from a psychology book. It taught a breathing method to let out the stress from your body. In this situation, it was perfect to do it. I went to check every one of my senses: the smell of the soaked grass was nostalgic. My hand were trying to find a dried spot to rest on. The taste of the sandwich was still swirling in my mouth, and my vision was up to the great trees, with its foliage starting to grow again. I inhaled four seconds, keep my breath eight seconds and exhaled eight seconds, doing it several times, all while I was closing my eyes to the song of the birds. I was starting to fell asleep. I put on my cap on my face, went to my back, and closed my eyes. Time passed and I relaxed more and more, more and more… I saw a blurry image with my eyes closed, my imagination speaking through one of my senses. I saw a dark blue lake lost between mountains and snow, all lighted by a whitened blue light. The lake reflected the snowed mountains perfectly, appearing as if there was a second world inside of it. I closed my distance to that lake. In the coast there was a rock with a gritty texture, standing alone. I took it on my hand, and threw it high to the lake. As it fell, I heard someone behind me. It was a femme voice, whispering to me. "Finally." I tried to see who was, but blackness surrounded me before. I heard a little voice. Somehow, I knew it was outside my dream. "Mm... he-hello?" I opened my eyes, but they were covered with the cap. I answered, "Hello?" I removed my cap and put it on my head, while I slowly straightened from the ground. "Oh, I'm sorry I interrupted your sleeping, sorry..." she whispered "I don't think that matters now. I shouldn't have slept here, anyway.” I rubbed my eyes, trying to brush off the drowsiness. I turned my head and saw her. She was a girl with a slender body. She was wearing a yellow sweater with a pair of blue jeans with white shoes. What most attracted of her was her face and her hair. Her face was something... angelical, clean, like nothing has hurt her. With great blue eyes, white skin, great eyelids, and her long, straight… pink hair, she had her hands closed together, as if she was praying. She seemed to be familiar, at least for the look she gave me at that moment. I wanted to answer my doubts, from where it came that familiarity, until I noticed she was blushing. Blushing is a soft word; she was burning. I was staring her intently. “Oh, I’m sorry, I… just-was thinking,” I said and stood up, a little soaked. "I-I..." She tried to speak, but I saw her struggle. Something made her hold herself. "Do you want to talk?" I asked. "I-I..." She turned around and went away. What? I sighed and stood up, seeing her leave the clearing. I didn’t mind she left, but something drop from the grip of her hand. Before I said something, she was already gone. I grabbed the thing and noticed it was a pink cell phone. "Hey, your cell phone, you forgot your cell phone!" I screamed to the way she led, but I didn’t receive an answer. But I saw, between the trunks of the wood, a glimpse of pink. I followed her, taking care of where I stepped. In a moment I could see her completely. “Hey!” She turned and stopped to see me. But she started to run. With that reaction, I quickened my pace. “Stop! Your cell phone!” I ran, trying to catch her as escaped from me, taking random passages through the woods. We were going nowhere, running erratically. But I heard a crack and she fell. I sprinted to reach her. She was on the ground, dusted, and with a part of her jeans ripped with a tiny trail of blood coming of it. “Are you alright? Does it hurt?” I asked her. She shivered. "I... I'm sorry..." "It's not your fault. Here, let me get you up." I showed my hand. She lowered her head and whispered, “My knees hurt…” "Well... are you sure you can stand up?" I said, still showing my hand. She grabbed my hand. When she stood with her legs stretched, she yelped. I said, “Do you need help?” She, ignoring what she heard, looked me with teary eyes. "Why... did you follow me?" Not knowing how to answer with her mood, I just brought up her cell phone. "I just wanted to bring you this." "Oh." She blushed. "I'm sorry for... what I did.” She hid her face under her long hair, seeing me between glances. "It doesn't matter know, what does matter is you," I said. She locked eyes with me and quickly looked away, blushing, again I realized she interpreted in a wrong way. "Oh-no, I meant that what it's important now is that you're hurt, your knees are wounded,” I said with a rushed voice, wanting this to get over. She finished blushing, something that made me a bit at ease, and asked me something. "Why... are you here?" I frowned with said question. "Why am I here?" "Yes, why?" she whispered once again. "Why am I here at the forest?" I answered with an alike question. "Yes..." she said, enduring my repeating questions. "I wanted to feel relaxed," I said, waiting for her response. But there was none. I inclined to see better her wound. “Do you feel… pain?” She didn’t answer. We just stood there, in an awkward silence accompanied by the chirps of some animals. Seconds passed and I couldn't stand it anymore. "Do you... want to do something?" I tried to see her knees, but she just stood there, escaping from my gaze and observing the scenery, like she didn't know what to do. She moved her left hand and touched her elbow. By my surprise, she asked me with the same question, "Do you want to do something?" "Well... I want to leave this place. I'm not feeling very... secure," I said, recalling the event with the bear. She nodded and we started to go back to the forest’s entrance, searching for our way back. Minutes passed in silence. Hearing nothing but the chirps and the breaking branches from our steps. Restlesness flirted with me, and I didn't like it. I wanted to start a conversation “So… what’s your name?” I wasn’t feeling very comfortable with a silence that felt… —loud can be a way to say it. "It's... Mary." "That's a cute name." I told her, trying to move the conversation. “Do you… like the weather?” “Yes.” “So… what do you do in your free time?” She hasn’t looked at me since we started our walk. I don’t know how to break the ice with her. “I like animals…” “What do you do with them?” Her face livened up when I asked her that. “I take care of them, help them from their health problems.” I noticed she smiled. A progress. “And you’re studying to be a veterinary, right?” “Yes... What do you want to be?” She looked at me, waiting to answer. “Psychology.” When I answered, I didn't notice a rock in our path. I almost tripped over. After I accommodated myself, I looked her and she went back to her submissive self, trying to hide behind her hair. I sighed. She isn't a talkative person. … We reached the entrance. We didn't after I almost tripped over. "Well... I think it's time to go," I said to her, trying to get her attention. "So... goodbye, I guess?" I asked her, successfully getting her attention again. "Yeah..." she said, looking to the ground. I don’t know how she can be so shy. "Do you want me to call a taxi to take you to the hospital?” Her silence was the answer. “Well… goodbye, take care of yourself,” I said and walked away, leading to the downtown. But, in the midway to it, I felt something strange in one of my pockets. I searched it and felt an object. I brought it up and it was her cell phone. I forgot to give her. I came back to the entrance jogging, but I didn’t see her wherever I seek her within my sight. It seems I have a new cell phone by accident... I have to see her again.
Chapter 3"Jesus christ, I want to sleep!" Cristopher said while he tried to knock out the alarm. He forgot to put it off yesterday. He wanted to sleep more, but he couldn't. He tried to set off the alarm again, but he noticed that his arm wasn't even touching the night table that was on the "devil alarm" (or that's how he call his alarm), so he went closer and closer toward the edge of the bed, until he could reach the night table with his arm, and the alarm too. He, once again, tried to stop the alarm, but ocurred something that he couldn't expect or miss at all. He fell of the bed, and saw that the floor was approaching him, or that he was approaching the floor. "God da-" He tried to stood up after that, but he was entangled with the sheets. "It's 12:00." Said the alarm, while he tried to extricate himself from the sheets. "It's time for your local pray, people!." Said the voice of a minister through the alarm. "And today, people, today, is a special day! Because we have more time to attend your plegaries!. Pray for your sons, for your parents, for y-" The alarm went off. He could unravel and turn off the alarm. "Finally..." "Now...let's get a shower, I..." He went silent for a few seconds, remembering something. "...I have a meeting with Rick..." He said to himself, as he freaked out, and started putting the first clothes that he could came across. He found a tight shirt, a pair of loose brown pants, a pair of sneakers and his glasses. He thought that he had to show to Rick his new drawings that he did yesteday, so sketchbook under his arm, and went out of his room running. "Oh," He said, looking to the door of his living room. "I almost forgot." He went to the dinning table of his living room, and grabbed his Ipod and headphones. He went out of his house, and started to run to the place that he thought where Rick would be. He reached the place that he will meet with Rick. It was square with a few wooden benches, a few trees, a statue on the middle, and besides everything else the square was just an open green space. He went to the nearest bench and sit down, catching his breath. He waited there for a moment, seeing the sky, and then seeing the statue. "I think that I...will draw something." He said that, while he thought that he even didn't know what time was it, but he would wait for Rick. He took under his arm his sketchbook, put it on his lap, and took a few cheap pencils from his pockets, and started to draw some random lines, hoping that he would draw something decent. After moment of drawing, he saw the lines. They were vaguely forming a human body "...what is this?" He said while he saw his drawing, It was, somehow, a teenager, something that he never draw before. "Well, I can do something with it" He said while he started to draw some clothes on her, like a cap, some jeans, and others thing. He finished some of the clothes, he was going to keep drawing, but he heard a voice behind him. A voice with a little of accent, refined accent. "That is a sketch, isn't it?" She asked, without him turning around. He didn't answer, and started to draw again. "You don't seem to be talkative." She said, while he was drawing some details to the cap. "So, are you here because...?" She asked, trying to get something out of him. He didn't answer, as she expected. She waited behind him for a while, while he was still drawing the teenager, with more details. "It looks good, I must say." She said to him" I also draw, if you want to know." "That's good." He said with a mumbling voice. "So you finally answered.." She said, with a more relaxed voice. She took a deep breath. "So, if you answered me, can you, at least, tell me what's your name?" "My name's Christopher" He said. "Mine's Rossary" She said, a little happy to know his name, as she touched his shoulder. "That's a cute name" He said, as he finally turned around to see her. He just stared with his mouth open as he looked to the young women standing behind her. It was, in his eyes, beautiful: purple eyes, long dark hair, her white shirt, and skinny white jeans. He didn't believe what he was seeing. For him, she was an angel, in terms of beauty. "Why...?" He whispered to himself, while he thought that he was a real stupid to hadn't talked to her before. As he stared to her, she sit besides him, asking him something that he didn't catch. "Hey, are you listening-" She waved her hand in front of his eyes. "- ,Christopher?" She asked, trying to get him out of his current state. "Oh... what? What did you ask?" He said as he remembered that he was still seeing her. "I asked if you have other drawings." "Well...I have other drawings, but aren't like the one you saw." He said, lending her his sketch book. "Oh, let me see them." She said as she started to pass through all the pages, trying to find something like the teenager she recently saw. There were mostly graffiti. She simulated to seem to be interested on them, as she noticed that he was with a smile seeing her what she would say about them. "I think they are good, but I think you are better at drawing people". She said. "Do...you think that?" He said, trying to see why she said that. "Yeah, I think that you can enjoy a lot more drawing people than drawing graffiti." She said, trying to convince him. "...Alright, if you say so" He said, and after that he made a smile. "Good!" She said with a cheerful voice, but that changed until she saw something. "...what happened?" He asked. "Is that...a cheap shirt?" She asked. He couldn't respond because he didn't understand what she asked. "Answer, is that a cheap shirt?" She asked again. "No...?" "Really?" "Yes..., why do you ask?" "Because it's just awful! Look at yourself!" She screamed. And he did that what she told him to do. "I see nothing wrong at all." "Really? I can help you if you can." She said with a concerned voice. And as she said that, he giggled. "Why are you laughing? I'm trying to help you, you know." She said. "I mean, really, look at those pants, they`re pathetic!" "What are you saying? Hahahahaha!" He said as he laughed. "Why are you laughing?!" She exclaimed. "I can't understand why you are saying that, really, I mean, why? Why would you criticize my clothes? Haha!" He said, trying to explain her. "Because I want to help you!" She said. "But why?" "Maybe because I can?" "What? Haha!" I reached the place that I had to be, and saw my friend talking with a girl. Or mostly laughing. It seemed that he was enjoying it, so I waited a little to see what would happen. "Again, why do you want to help me?" My friend said to the girl. "Why? Maybe because you look horrible, really, but, can you, just..." She took a deep breath. "let me help you?" He saw her for a few seconds. "Okay, I'll let you help me." I thought that it was the time to get in, since I saw that I would had to wait more if this went on. "Hey, Christopher!" I said to him, appearing in front of him. He looked a little surprised by that greeting. "Hi, Rick" He said as he stared to me. "It seems that you invited your girlfriend, right?" I moved my sight to the girl. "I mean, I saw you two arguing, so I though that-" "NO! no no no, no!" My friend said, blushing, while the girl did the same, hiding her face with her hands. It's so easy to make him blush... I smiled seeing this, and waited a moment to calm the situation. "So, what your name?" I asked her. "Rosetta. Her name's Rosetta." My friend said. I though for a moment what to say, since I wanted to do a joke, but I remembered that the thing I did was enough for today. "And what's yours?" Said the girl, still blushing a little. "Mine? Rick." "So...are you Christopher's friend?" She asked me. "Yep". "So...can I ask you something, just for...asking?" "Why yes, you can." "Why do you smell like grass?" I kept quiet for a moment, thinking what I should say, but I couldn't think of anything. "...Does it matter?" She raised an eyebrow. "Yes." "...If you want to know, I was taking a nap on the grass. So, yeah, that's why I have this smell." I waited for her to say something, but she didn't say anything. Many seconds passed before someone talked. That was my friend. "Hey, Rick, I think we have to go..." "Bu-" My cellphone started to rang. "Wait a moment, I have to answer." I said as I walked away. Well...that helped me a lot. "Don't worry about him, he's like that" Christopher said to Rosetta. "Don't worry, I think I understand him...except his joke" She said with a reassuring voice, as she saw Rick. Christopher blushed a little. "Well...what I really wanted to say is that we have to go." "Why?" She asked him. "It's because we decided to get together today to do something, and this is exactly the hour that we agreed to meet." "Oh...so, it's a goodbye?" "Yeah." He said a little sad, thinking that he would never talk to her never again. She smiled as she recalled something. "I think I have something." She said, lending him a card. "And...what is this?" He asked her. "It's my business card." "What?! You have a business?" He screamed, attracting the attention of Rick. "It's just a small business, it's design-related. Call me when you need something, ok?" She winked him. "I'll do it!" He said, excited. "The sooner, the better." She said to him. She looked her watch. "Well, I think I have to go too. Goodbye Christopher!" She said, and then kissed his cheek. He didn't answer. He was thinking when to call her, how, and why. "Well, Christopher, it seems that your beloved one is gone, haha!" I said, trying to mocking him, but he didn't answer. I stood in front of him, seeing him drooling. You have to be kidding me... "So...can we go now?" I asked him. He didn't answer. I repeated it several times, but it was the same thing. He was standing there, like an idiot. It seems that I need something more drastic...
Chapter 4"What was that, man?!" He screamed "I just woke you up from your dream, that's all." I said with a relaxing voice. "But you didn't have to SLAP me!" "I had to do it. It was just that." "It wasn't just that, you have to explain me why..." I didn't hear him after the "why" since I just started get out of this place. I wanted to do something else. "Don't leave me here talking alone!" He screamed. I turned around, and answered him. "Let's go somewhere else!" "But wait for me!". I sighed. "Okay..." We went to the shops, and, in our travel, talked about anything, like how it rained the last week, what we did think about the new president, anything. "...And, besides, I just bought this thing," My friend showed me an album. "It's Knife party's new album." "You know, you can download it, si-" Before I kept going, my friend was giving a deadpanned look. "What?" "You have to support your favorites artists, man" He said. trying to correct me. "You know that I'm not someone correct, right?" I said. "Even then, you have to, and you know why." "Why, if I can ask you?" "They have to have their money. That's how you reward them for their work." "And so, with a rightful voice, said the man who makes the right things, and goes to rescue damsels from their towers." I said. "Every time I ty to give you advice, you do that!" "You wasn't giving me an advice, you were telling me to do something!" "But it was an advice, and a good one, if you want to keep hearing your favorites artists." "If I agree with you, will you just tell me advices and NOT tell me what to do with my life?" "Only if you listen." "Ok, ok, I will hear you, from now." I sighed, since he always react like that when I say that joke, or when he tries to correct me, or both. We reached our destiny: A McDonalds. We went in, and stood on the line to of the cashier to request our food. "So...what do you want to eat, Cristopher?" I said, trying to change the subject. "Well, I think I would like some mozzarella dippers." He said. "What about you?" He asked. "I think I would have some 20 chicken macnugets, a big coca-cola, two big macs, and...any salad, I guess. No more, no less" I said, as I noticed that my friend was giving a skeptically face. "Really? No, really, man?" "Yeah. I didn't have lunch." "Ok..." He said, keeping his mouth shout. ... We sat in a near table with our food. "You have to be kidding me..." My friend said, looking at my food. "No. Just watch me, and see how my mouth works, ok?" I said, trying to make him believe that I can eat all my food. But he just stared me for a few moments, and started to eat his dippers. I started to do the same. We spent there a few minutes just eating, and I started to talk to him. "So...?" "So...what?" "So...how is your new girlfriend?" He chocked on his food, and drank from my drink. "It seems that you love her a lot, right?" I said, smiling him as he drank my drink. It also seems that I have to buy another drink. "Shut up! What made you think that!?" He screamed. "Maybe because of how you saw her...? Haha!" "You don't know anything, I just meet her today!" "When, exactly?" "Today!" "I love it when you are like this, haha!" He growled when he heard my comment, but didn't do anything. "So...," He smiled to me. "Why did you get a nap on the grass, uh?" "In a forest, specifically" He leaned closer to me, whispering. "So...is that related to your new cellphone?" I didn't understand. "Eh...what?" He returned to his normal position. "Bring everything out of your pockets." Did he... "Why?" ...saw it? "I want to see your pink cellphone, nothing more." Yep, he did. I pulled of the pink cellphone, and put it on the table. "Do you want to tell me why you have that cellphone, Rick? Uh?!" He said, trying to mocking me. "I do not have a girlfriend, if you want to know that." "Really?" "Yes." "So you don't care explaining why you have that?" He pointed to the cellphone. "I...don't think so." God damnit. "Well," I said, closing my eyes and trying to recall what happened. "I...went to the forest, trying to get relaxed after all the tests I had this week, and I reached a cleaning in the middle of the forest. I felt...em...tired, if I can say it like that, and I just took a nap." I saw him looking me with a odd face, but I continued. "Then I heard a little voice, waking me, and I ju-..." I opened my eyes, as I heard something strange. "What is that?" I and my friend looked to the table where was the pink cellphone. It was ringing. We saw it for a few seconds. "Do you want to answer it?" He asked me. "I think I should." I said as I grabbed the cellphone and answered it. "Hello?" "H-Hello?" It was a delicate voice. A voice of a young woman. "Yes...?" I said, but no one answered. "Is someone there?" "Yes...and...this is my cellphone..." "Oh, are you the girl from the forest?" "...Ho-how did you know?" "I know because I'm the guy you met there." "And...why do you have my cellphone, if I can.." I couldn't hear anything after "can". "Do you want it back, right?" I asked. "She wants it back, you know, it something...obvious." Said my friend. "Yes. Can we, like, meet?" Said the voice from the cellphone "Of course. Tell me when and where." "Are you...at the McDonalds?" "Yes...I'm, actually." "Can you turn around?" "...Ok" I did that. "Now turn your head to the right." I did that, and saw her. I identified by characteristic hair. "I can see you, what do I do now?" I said, waving my hand to her. "Just...come closer." "What?" "Come closer." I turned off her cellphone, and put it down. "Why did you do that?" He asked me. I turned around to face him. "I don't think that I need to answer that, you know." "Maybe, but...," He leaned closer. "can I meet her?" "You don't even know how she is." "So...?" He said. I gave him a deadpanned face. "Ok, ok, just...go with her, I'll just wait here." He said I smiled. "That's great, so-...wait, you aren't going to go there after I talked to her, right?" "...How do you know me so well, Rick? Haha." He laughed. "I've known you for almost a decade, you know." I stood up as I said that "That may be." He smiled. "Good luck" I turned around, and went to the table that the girl was. I remembered that she was shy, as I saw her this morning, so I tried to approach to her not so sharply. "Hi, Mary!" I said, raising my voice. Well, I tried. "Hi...?" She asked with a whisper. I sit down on one of the chairs that was near her, and put her cellphone on the table. She smiled, and grabbed it, without saying anything. "You...don't really are talkative..." "I'm...sorry." "Don't worry, if you are like that, it's okay." She smiled, and asked me something that I didn't hear at first. "What did you say?" "What's your name?" She said. "My name's Rick." She saw me for a moment, and then she frowned. "Is it...something wrong?" "My knee... it hurts..." "You...didn't go to the hospital?" She blushed as I said this, and looked down. "No..." "Where did you go, then?" "I...just went to the forest, again." I sighed. "Look...promise me something, okay?" She raised her eyes."After this conversation, you are going to the hospital." "But...I don't want to worry anyone." "You won't worry anyone if you go to the hospital and wait to see what you have, really." She looked down again. "...Ok." I thought about how she wanted to anyone to worry about her. It was something...good, something that you don't see usually... "Are you...smiling?" She said. I focused my sight, and noticed that I zoned out looking at her, and smiling. I blushed, and looked to the other side. "I...didn't want to do that." She just laughed as I said that. "Well...I have to go, to the hospital." She said, standing from her chair and went to the door that led outside the store. "Be okay, and be careful, too, Mary." I said to her, as I saw her leaving. Well...there she goes. "So...is she going to call you?" Said a familiar voice behind me. "No, Christopher, she is not going to call me." "Are you sure? "Yes...I'm sure, I mean, I just met her twice, only talked to her for less than a few minutes, and she doesn't has my number." "That's where you're wrong, my friend." Said my friend, and I turned around. "...What? Does she has my number?" I asked him. "Yes." "...Did you add my number to her cellphone?" He smiled. "Yes." "How did you do it?" "It was when you were telling me about how you encountered her. You were focused telling me that, and, also, you closed your eyes, so...when you were telling me that, I just added your number." You're going to pay that... "I know that face, Rick" My friend said. "What? What face?" "The face of revenge." "Haha! You're just imagining things." I said, and he laughed. "So...are we going?" He said, patting my shoulder. "Where?" I stood up. "To buy some clothes, I want to look better." "And where did that idea cross your mind, if you can tell me?" "Today." I didn't think about it. "Ok, let's go." .. After few hours shopping... .. My friend stretched his back, and snapped a few bones. "I think that's enough for today" "For me, especially, since I had to carry your clothes." I said. "I will try to return you that favor." I sighed, and looked my watch. "I think it's late, Christopher." "How late?" "10:00 p.m." "Well, time passes fast. I though we spend shopping for just a few hours." "For me, inside that store, it was days." I said as I pointed to the store that we recently went out. We were standing on the sidewalk. "Maybe for you. So, do you want to go to your deparment?" "Yes, I want to rest. I think I've had enough time standing still for today." "Well, sorry for you, but I'm invited to a party tonight, so..." He shook my hand. "I'll see you the monday. Goodbye, Rick." He said, and started to run with bags on his hands. "Goodbye, be careful!" I said, as he leaved me on the middle of the sidewalk, alone. I started to see around. It was already dark, with the light streets illuminating poorly the streets. There was no one except me. It was calm, there was no breeze. It was enjoyable. I looked to the dark sky, and saw the stars. I thought that even if I could see thousand of stars, there were millions out there, born, growing, and dying. And the moon. It was a full moon, bright white, with all its craters exposed, forming vaguely a face. For me, that night, the moon and the space were something beautiful to see. A felt a shiver through my body, and felt cold. I knew that I had to go to my home before the temperature dropped down more. I started to move through the cold, empty streets. It was deserted, and without any noise. .. I stopped at the front of my door, the door that leds to my department. ... Again, at the front door of my door. A wooden door. It does seem to be nothing, it seems to be just a door, but, for me, it's where my world can be accessed. It's something important; it's part of my soul...this door. Why, you ask?... Several years ago, when I was a teenager, I lived in another plave from where I'm right now. Not so far away. One day, my mother said that I could go in a exchange program, that she could afford it. She just said it like it was nothing, and I though about it like that, until someone made me change my mind: my father. He said that I should go, that it was something I was going to enjoy, and that I was going to remember when I grow older. With what my father told me I thought about it with another point of view, and I really thought about it. If I recalled right, I thought it every day for a month, thinking where I should go. One day, I decided where I wanted to go: USA. A country where I always wanted to go. I wasn't sure why, maybe because of its culture, or its people, but I knew that I wanted to go. There, in the year I stayed in USA, I met Christopher. From there, all changed... We made friends almost immediately, and did so many things. One day, before going out back to my country, I asked him if he wanted to go to my country, in a exchange program. He said yes, and the other year, he was staying at my house. And, this door, always reminds me about that exchange. I don't know why, maybe because it looks to the door of the house I stayed. Maybe..., but, this door, regardless of the reason, makes me smile. ... I stood there, thinking. After a moment thinking, I opened the door. I went inside, closed the door, dropped the bags of the shopping I did on the nearest table, and went to the kitchen to cook something. I remembered that I didn't had anything on the fridge, but I also remembered that I bought food, so I went to the table, grabbed the bags, pulled out the food, came back to the kitchen, and started to cook a lasagna that was pre-made. When it was done, I grabbed a dish, and put the lasagna on it. I went to the living room, sit on a chair, and put the dish on the table. "God damnit, I forgot the cutlery." I said, thinking that I had to stood up. My legs were hurting as hell, so I did not wanted to stand again. It's going to be a little long night... ... After the dinner, I went to my bedroom, threw myself on the bed, turned on the TV and watched some shows. Well, mostly I just browsed until I found a show, that was one of my favorites: CSI. "Let's see what it's happening." I said, focusing on the show. But after a few minutes I couldn't focus. My eyelids were closing, so I just turned off the TV, undressed, and into bed. "Sister, you must know that we're going to do it." "Okay, Luna...do it, just do it."
Chapter 5: Dream"Why didn't I throw this away?" I said to no one, as I saw the rock that I had on my hand. The sky was blue and dark, there was a lake in front of me, a violet one, with a blue forest on the horizon. I was at the side of the lake. It was...strange. "Damn, why do I dream these things? I mean, can't I just dream about...I don't know, about being a magician, a wizard, with a magic pet, going on adventures, or a freaking dream where I can go anywhere?" I said this as I threw the rock to the lake, but it bounced, going back to me. A bouncing lake?! I bent down, evading the flying rock. "That was close." "But it almost hit me." Said a voice behind me. Well...let's see what my mind has created to me this time... I stood up, turned around, and saw something new. Damn, you never disappoint me, brain, never. It was a...pony, dark blue...pony, it had dark blue wings, a dark blue...horn? and..., well, everything that she had was dark blue, except a collar that she had. It had the symbol of the moon. You NEVER dissapoint me, never... It moved a little, approaching to me, closing the distance that was between us, and bowed. "It seems that I hadn't introduced myself. I'm Luna, princess of Equestria, and you are...?" It, or she, asked. "Rick..., wait, did you talk?" I said. "Yes, why do you ask?" "Are you...a real being?" I asked, again, not believing that my mind had done something so...independent, autonomous. "Why do you ask that?" "Maybe because you are not real...? I mean, just maybe, I'm in a dream, that I know I'm in, and you're just...something that doesn't exist?" "I think I will reach to that point later, but now...I have to tell you something, but first, what...what are you doing?" She asked as I closed more the distance we had. "I'm just trying to get a better look, nothing more." I said, as I got a better view of her coat. It was neat and brushed, and it also glittered a little. I stared to her for a minute. While I was still seeing her, I asked her something. "So...why are you here, Luna, if I can ask you?" "Well, first, before we answer, can you...please move your sight from me?" She said. "Why? I just want to watch you." I said still looking carefully her coat. "It's...annoying." "Ok." I said, but I didn't really caught what she said, so I just kept looking at her coat. It's really...nice, maybe if I can... I raised my hand, and touched her wing. It was soft, really soft, but I didn't have enough time to enjoy that, since I heard a really big yell, almost leaving me deaf. "You shall not touch me!" I screamed because of the recently adquired pain in both ears, stepped back a meter, and tripped, hitting my head with the ground. Surprisingly, it was very soft, so it really didn't hurt. Well, the fall, but it wasn't the same thing with my ears. "Why did you do that?!" I screamed as I was lying on the floor, bitting my teeth. "I'm so sorry, I-I didn't want to do that!" She said as she tried to get me up with her muzzle, bitting my clothes, and standing me up. She did stood me up, but I didn't really stand up a long time, since I fell on my knees, closed my eyes, and bring my hand to my ears, still feeling the damned pain. "Why did I do that? Why?! What do I do now?!" She screamed, or that I heard from what I remained from my hearing. "Why did you do it?!" "I didn't want that!" After I knew that I couldn't get a real answer, I just waited there for a moment for the pain to be bearable. ... After a few minutes (and I did count the time), I dropped my arms, heavily sighed, opened my eyes and looked to the alarmed pony. "So...why are you here, exactly?" "I-I don't want to say it rushed, or say it with little information, but...Rick, " She gave me a serious look, looking that she was trying to get more comfortable with what happened, but, even then, her voice was still rushed. "do you remember in which you met a pony? A blue one?" "What...dream?" I asked. "A dream you had when you were little." She said Oh, that dream. "Yes, I remember." "From that dream, and what I'm going to say it's something that you won't understand now, but you shall understand: you, Rick, you are important." "...Ok, yeah..." I said, remembering that I was in a dream. "You have a mission. Time's tight, so I shall speak to you later, in another dream, but you have been meeting some girls. Those girls...you have to make them friends. I'll try to say who they are, since you only know only three of them." "Ok, yes, yes, I understand everything you are saying" She gave me a surprised look. "Really?" I gave her a serious look "No. I know this is a dream." She giggled. "Well, about that, Rick, when you wake up, can you...get up from your bed, open the door of you bedroom, and go to the living room?" What? "Yes...I can." "When you do that, you will realize that this is not just a dream. But now the time's over. Goodbye, Rick, we shall see you soon." "Wai-" And with that, I woke up. "What a dream..." I said to no one, staring at the blank ceiling of my bedroom. I stood up, and stretched. I think I'll take a shower. I went to the bathroom, and started to shower. .. After that little shower, that I didn't like because of the cold water, I dried myself, went to my bedroom, and put on clean clothes. Then, thinking that I would have a normal morning, I went to the kitchen to make myself a good breakfast, but when I passed through the living room, I noticed something on the table. I stopped at the front of the table, and looked it for a few seconds. "What the..." I said, trying to understand how these things would get...here. There was eight plushies of...ponies. Each one of them was unique. There was one that it was purple. It had her mane dyed with dark purple. It also had a horn on the top of its head, and a book on its back. There was one that it was orangish, with a cowboy hat. There was another one that was white, with a purple mane. It was also more... stylized, comparing it with the others plushies. There it was also another one that it was totally pink, with a really big smile on her face. There was one, with its face buried on its mane. It was yellow, and with a pink mane. And there was another plushie that was the tallest of all. It seemed to be...royal, in a way. It was like Luna, but white, with a crown on its head. And a slightly larger. But there were two plushies that I recognised immediately: A blue one, that it was exactly like Luna, the pony that I recently dreamed of, and another plushie, that it was a pony with its mane dyed with the colors of the rainbow. It really seemed like the girl from the stadium, with that colorful mane. "This is NOT something that I bought yesterday." I said as I leaned closer to the table, still seeing the plushies. Then, I noticed something between the plushies: a piece of paper. I pulled out from the plushies, and saw that something was written on it. It said: Dear Rick: I hope that now you can believe that the dream you had was real, and that my sister is also real. Also, I highly recommend you to keep those plushies in a safe place. Celestia. "Now...this is something that I can't understand... at all."
Chapter 6The first thing that went through my mind was to check the front door. "Nope. It's closed," I said as I tried to open the front door. I didn't bother to check the windows because I lived on the third floor. I went back to the table where the plushies were, and thought where I can keep them. I grabbed four of the plushies of eight, and moved to my bedroom. "Now where can I keep them?" I said to myself as I was looking everywhere. But then, I saw a door. My wardrobe. I opened the door, and saw my clothes thrown on the floor. I threw the plushies between all my clothes, and then I came back to the living room where were the remaining plushies and did the same... I was hungry. My stomach started to grunt, so I went to the kitchen and started to prepare my breakfast. I prepared some milk with cereal, with a banana. I went to the table of the living room, put down my breakfast, and i would had eaten if I hadn't noticed about the letter... That letter... Wait, wait, wait... Why do I react so...normal? Would not be someone, in my place, already freaked out about this? I read the letter again, trying to understand what has happened. So... I met a princess, a pony, of someplace. Somepleace that I may never go. Also, I met that princess in a dream. That does mean, for me, atleast, that everything that happened in my dream is not real. Everything that happens in a dream shouldn't move to reality. The oniric world shouldn't move to my reality. But... the plushies, and the letters... There is no possibility that someone went in my apartment last night. I know that I haven't given my keys to no one, and there is no copy of my keys. Also, I live on the third floor, so I'm sure that nobody can get in to my apartment through any window. So..., by logic deduction, and for being the only viable reasoning, everything that happened in that dream was real. Everything... I stared blanky at the letter for an undetermined time. Why does this happen to me? After have looked to the letter for I don't know how much time, I resumed my eating. My stomach doesn't forgive me if I don't eat. ... "Well, I hope that the situation I'm in...resolves," I said reading (again) the letter as I finished my breakfast. I brought the dirty plate to the kitchen and cleaned it. I went to the living room and grabbed the letter, went to my bedroom, and put it in my nightstand. "And now," I said to myself and sighed, "I have to study for the test for tomorrow." I put my hand under the bed, and grabbed a big book titled "Introduction to Psychoanalysis". ... After that really boring reading, I closed the book, dropped it besides the bed, and checked my watch. 2:00 p.m. "Now what do I do?" I said as I searched through my bedroom something to do. As I was doing that, I remembered what my friend did yesterday. That idiot... He gave my number to that girl. That girl... was she... Wait a moment. I stood up, opened the wardrobe's door and grabbed one of the plushies. "Now.. this is something really... interesting," I said as I had one of the plushies, the one that was yellow, with pink hair and its face hidden under its mane. "This plushie seems to be like that girl..." I stood up there for a moment, watching the plushie. "So...from what I remember, Luna said that I have already met some girls. Are this plushies related to those girls?" I said to myself as I saw the plushie. Let's go with that... ... No, wait, what? Why am I even...Argh! "This is not...real." I threw the plushie where it was, and closed the door. I need help. I cannot even decide what is real and what it's not. Knock Kock Knock. And, also, there is someone at the door. Knock! Knock! "I'm coming," I said as I went to the front door. "Come on, Rick, open the freaking door!" said a voice from the other side of the door. "I'm coming, I said!" I opened the door, and saw my friend Christopher. "Hello!" he said as he hugged me. "Stop it, please," I said as tried to free myself from that hug. "Oh, sorry," he said as he freed me from the hug, and gave me a wide smile. "So...what do you need now?" I said. "What do you mean with that?" He answered "I know what happens with you when you do that." "Do what?" He shrugged. "When you give me hugs and give me wide smiles," He laughed as I said that. "It's nothing. I'm just happy!" He smiled even wider than before. "Really...?" I said with doubt. "Yeah!" "And why are you happy?" "Well..." He stood besides the door, showing me a person that I didn't see before. "My sister came from the USA!" "Hi!" she said. She was a young woman. She was wearing, from what I saw, a purple sweeter and a dark shirt. She had a dark hair with a dyed purple stripe. She was also wearing jeans and a pair of dark brown shoes. She gave me an air of nostalgia, like if I had met her before... "She isn't so talkative with strangers, but she's a very good person to be with when you gain her confidence!" my friend said euphorically, making her a little uncomfortable. "Christopher, that isn't truth." She moved Christopher to a her left side "Now, let me present myself." She shook my hand. "My name's Angela McKing." "And mine's Rick Bach." I answered to her greeting. "So..." I addressed to Christopher. "do you want to go in?" "Absolutely," he said as he was already inside my apartment, behind me. I turned around. "How did you do that?" "I don't know. How did I do that?" My friend smiled and I sighed. "Nevermind," I said. "Get in, Angela, if you don't mind." "Thanks." Once inside, I saw Cristopher took a sit on one of the chairs of the living room. I did the same, and Angela too. "I can bring you the notebook, Christopher, if you want," I said to my friend. "No thanks, I don't need it. Maybe my sister need it." I led my gaze to Angela, and she nodded without uttering a word. "Alright," I stood up. "I'm going to get it." I went to my room, grabbed my notebook that was hidden between the pillows (I don't know how it got there), and came back to the living room. "Here you got it." I lend my notebook to Angela. "Thanks." "You're welcome." I smiled, and said something to Christopher, trying to get his attention. "What?" "I need you to come." "What?" "Come to my room." "What? Right now?" "Yes," I said, "just...come on." I went to my room, closed the door, and waited for Christopher to come. He did it after a minute. "Now, what do you want?" "You're going to call me crazy, but... I need your help." "Why do you need my help?" I opened the door that leds to the wardrobe, and pointed to the plushies. "This." He just stared at the plushies. "... In al seriousness, Rick, you don't go to the other side, right?" he said with a lowered voice, trying to be serious. "No, you idiot. I'm showing you this because... these plushies weren't yesterday. They just appeared from...thin air!" He looked me with a unreadable face. "What?" "Rick?" "What?" "Do you know what you're saying, right?" "Yes, I know what I'm saying." "You're one of the most rational persons I've met. Hearing you saying that is just..." He just shrugged and raised his hands a little. "unbelievable." "I know. But, you have to believe me, please, I'm really telling you the truth. I have already thought about all the posibilities of how these plushies could have been brought here, and no one is logical at all." "So you don't think that someone went in your apartment the last night and bring these plushies?" "Nope. There's no copy of the keys." "The windows?" "I live in the third floor." "Ok. And you don't think that someone may have forget that he bought these plushies, and brought them here?" "You're saying that I bought them and that I don't remember?" "Em... yes?" "You know how I am, Christopher. You know that I wouldn't buy these things." I grabbed one of the plushies. "Also, I don't think that I can afford to buy these plushies. They seem to be of great quality." I brushes with my hand the mane of the plushie. "Well, they really seem to be expensive. And they are eight..." "So... can you help me, please?" "I think I can. I can't see why not." I sighed, and shaked his hand with the plushie. "Thanks, really, this situation is really giving me a problem." "What do you mean with this situation?" I heard the door open. I lend my gaze to the door, still shaking Christopher's hand with the plushie, and saw her sister, watching us with wide eyes. "... Christopher, when we get home, you'll have to explain me lots of things." We couldn't make an answer. We just stood there, silently. "I'm done with the notebook, Rick" she said. "How do you know my name?" Was the only thing that I could say. "My brother said your name earlier." "Oh." There was a really long awkard silence. A really, really long awkard silence... But I broke the silence. "Cristopher, lets go to the living room." "Ok," he said as I threw the plushie inside my wardrobe, and closed the door. I passed by her sister and moved to the living room. They followed me. "Ok," I said, trying to forget the situation. "does any of you want to eat?" "Maybe. We didn't eat lunch," said Angela. "I can take you to a place to eat, since I don't have so much food for three people." My friend talked, "You don't have to do that." "I don't care, I just want to do it," I said. "See, Christopher? You should have done this when I got here instead of only asking me how was the trip. Hehe." Her sister said playfully as she looked to Christopher. He just looked to the side, acting like he didn't listen. I smiled at this. It was really... cute. "So, let's go?" I said. "Yes, please," he said as he just opened the door and went out the apartment. ... "Rick, this is a nice place, if I have to say," said Angela as she went in the local. "And I just discovered it yesterday," I said as I went in the restaurant that I visited yesterday to take a breakfast. Angela took a sit on a nearby table while Christopher was outside the restaurant looking blankly to the local. I was standing besides the table. "Is he like this?" Angela asked. "He is odd, but no this odd," I answered her. "But I don't think that something that you should think about him. I think you know how he is, right?" "Yeah, even if we hadn't met in a long time." I led my gaze to her as she answered. "How long, if I can ask?" "Several years," she said blunty, with a frown on her face. That's not a very cheerful answer... "Hey, what were you doing?" Christopher said as he was suddenly besides us. "Just... talking, nothing more." I sat on a chair. "Take a sit." "Like if I need your permission," my friend said as he sat. "So, what do you want to eat? I invite, if you remember." "Something. I don't care what to eat," my friend said as he was seeing through the glass the urban landscape, the same I saw yesterday. "You choose. I don't know what they serve here," said Angela with a little smile. "Ok," I said as I saw the waiter getting closer to our table. I called him and said, "Can we get the menu, please?" The mozzo nodded, turned around, took three menus that were besides the cashier , and give it to us. "Christopher, now you can see what you want to eat," said Angela as Christopher was seeing with a blank face the landscape. "Meh, I did the same when I first came here. It is a beautiful scene, isn't it?" I retorted to Angela, and started to see what was in the menu. They have everything... I stared to the menu for a few minutes, looking what to eat for myself and for the others, if they didn't choose. "I'm ready, Rick," she said as she touched my shouldder. I was startled for this, and I made a little jump, hoping from the chair. This made me hit my knees, and I think this made Christopher a little scared. "Jesus Christ what the hell was that?!" Christopher screamed at me with open eyes. Just a little... "I just... hit with the table, nothing more," I answered him as I was massaging my knees. "And, also," I pointed to the menu in front of Christopher. "you should see what you want to eat." "You're paying it, right?" he said. "Yes." I was still massaging my knees. "Ok, let me just take a look at this, and I will decide," he said as he grabbed the menu and started to see it, "And I'm sorry about that... yell." "It's nothing, really," I said as I saw my friend staring intently to the menu. Why is he like this? I felt someone touching my shoulder. "Rick," I heard Angela whispering, "can I talk to you?" "If you want to," I retorted whispering. "Christopher, " she said, "can I leave you alone for a while? I need to take some air." "Uh huh." It was the only thing I heard him say. She gestured me with her hand to go outside. I stood up and went out of the restaurant, hearing Angela standing up and doing the same. "So, what do you want to talk about?" I asked her as we were standing sidewalk in front of the restaurant. "I'm a little worried about Christopher. He is... he is acting very autistic." She looked through the window. I did the same, and I saw Chistopher still looking to the menu, but now with a frown on his face. "Yeah, he isn't like this normally...," I said as turned my gaze to her. She seemed very concerned. "I think I can fix this, if you give me a hand." She turned to see me. "How?" "Just... make him talk, and I do the rest." I saw her shivering a little as I said that. "Is something... wrong?" "It's just that... I'm not someone very... talkative. I mean, since I was a little girl I only had Christopher to my side, so I didn't need to make friends." she said. "This made me feel very... uncomfortable with others. And even now, being an adult, still... it just happens, again. It's happening right now, even if-" She scared a little as I put my hand on her mouth. "Don't worry about that, just... talk," I said as I pulled out my hand. I didn't want to make her feel worst by making her talk about her own problem. She looked down, and then gave a little smile. "Ok." "So, let's go to make your brother happier?" I said as I tried to make her feel better. "Yeah, let's go," She said as she looked to my eyes. Does she has...purple eyes?
Chapter 7I put that thought aside and saw that Angela was entering to the restaurant. I made the same thing and went inside the restaurant. "Hey, Christopher, are you done?" I said and sit besides him. "Not now, but I'm close to be done." He put the menu down and started to see something behind my back. I turned around and saw Angela opening the bathroom's door. "Chris," – I turned around to address him – " I... we are... preoccupied of you." I got as soon as possible to the point. "You don't seem to be... fine." "Why? Is it something wrong with me?" He made a frown. "Yes. You are not behaving as you normally are." "It's... –" He led his gaze to the ground. "– nothing, you shouldn't feel preoccupied." "I know that sometimes you feel... bad, but, right know, with your sister here, you shouldn't be like this." I patted his back and he returned his gaze to me. "Really, you should feel fine. We've been friends for many years. Because of that, you can tell me anything." "I'll tell you later." He returned his gaze to the floor. "You don't really should care." "But your sister does care, from what she told me." He didn't answered, but when he heard the creak of the door opening, he sighed, smiled, gazed up and waved. He was trying to hide his feelings. It is not going to happen. I saw Angela taking her position on her chair. "So, what do you want to eat?" I said to Angela. "I'll just have a black coffee, for now," she answered. "I'm not feeling very... hungry". "And for you, Christopher?" I said. "I think I'll ask for a blunt meal: noodles." I chuckled to his order, since he always eat that when he's alone in his house, but I just nodded. "Ok." I raised my hand and turned around to get the waiter's attention. He came and I gave him the orders. I asked for a soup with a salad. He wrote down the orders and returned to his spot near the cashier, waiting for the dishes. "Angela, are you fine with just a coffee?" I asked her, thinking that her order wasn't something filling. She just nodded. "So how was the party?" Angela asked to Christopher. "Oh well, it was... good, I guess. Why do you ask?" He looked with a uncertain face to his sister. "I don't know, I just wanted to know." "Hey, Christopher, " I said. " did you go to a party?" I imagined my friend going to the dance floor and trying to get lady. I think I put a face of disgust at that picture. "Well, yeah, a few days ago I went to a party, a rave party." To imagine my friend, a very quiet person, and a very uncoordinated one, who can't even follow a beat with his head, going to a rave party... it wasn't something to be in accordance to him. I mean, he even didn't go to the prom party! "Were you asked to go?" I asked. "Yeah, by someone." He closed his arms, and looked away. "And who is that 'someone', if I can ask?" He didn't answer. He didn't even tried to mutter something, so I tried another tactic to make him answer. "Is that person a... –" I leaned forward to close the distance. "– crush?" "No! She's not a crush!" he yelled as I saw him tight his neck. I leaned backwards, and sitting on my chair, again, and said, "So what is she?" "She is a... a... " he muttered, but didn't answered. "Christopher, I know you, and I know what you feel, so... let it be," Angela spoke. It took me by surprise, but then I saw Christopher looking down. "It's up to you, but, if you want help, I can give you. You're my brother, after all." She smiled to him, but I saw that she was really nervous. Christopher sighed, and dropped his arms. "Thanks." He lifted his head, and smiled. "What... I really wanted to say, is that..." He lowered his head again. "she... -you got it all wrong, she's just a friend, but... I'm a little scared because of something she did to me." "And what did she do, Christopher?" Angela asked. “I don't want to say,” he said stubbornly. “Come on, Christopher, tell us what she did. We can to help you,” she said. He sighed. "Ok, I'll tell you, but I think it'll be better if I tell the whole story. "Well, a day before the party, my friend invited me to go to a party. She made me promise that I had to go as she said that it was very important for her that party. Since I didn't want to break that promise, I just went to the party. "She told me that we would meet outside Independence’s at eleven o'clock, the day after she told me that. I arrived there twenty minutes earlier, and waited for her outside the place that I recognized as a disco by the looks of it. "She arrived a few minutes after. She told me, very enthusiastically, that she was very happy to see me. And she didn't only tell me, but she she showed it, by starting to bounce. That... was a little odd. "We went into the local. The first thing I saw, or heard, was the spectacle that was at the end of the disco. They were blasting music like crazy, with smoke and everything that is used for entertainment. That wasn't really my ambient. Surprising me, my friend grabbed my hand and led me to a side, where it was a bar. I forgot to say that the music was blasting like crazy, and, now, I'm amazed by how it didn't leak out the local when I was outside.” My friend put a finger on his left ear. “I think I lost some hearing after that night. "So, she nudged me and I saw that she already bought me some drinks. I refused them, saying that I don't drink. She put a sad face, and told me that she really, really wanted to me to drink. I couldn't... resist that face, so I had to do it. Then, immediately after that, she put a smile, one of the biggest smiles that I have seen, and told me, almost singing, that she was happy to see me drink and that I was going to have a great time. I was getting afraid of being there. So... I told her that I had to go, that I really didn't want to be there. And not only because of her, but also because I think I had already loosed too much hearing. "And in that moment was when I really didn't want to be there.“ He put a scared face. ”She started to say that I should stay with her because I made a promise, that I had to stay with her. I answered saying that I didn't want to be there because I was getting really tense. She didn't listen to me, and started to slowly raise her voice, telling me that I should be there, and that I made a promise. As she raised her voice, I was also getting more afraid of being there. I didn't even heard the music because of the loudness of her voice. I don't know how she could scream that loud... That was the moment that I went out there, running, and... never came back there." He slowly finished, and then he shivered. "I still remember her screaming. I... never thought that someone would be so mad at me. I mean, she really is someone very cheerful and very playful, almost as a little child." "I... don't really think that you said everything,” I said. ”I don't think that someone, no matter what, would get mad because of a broken promise. Well, you told her that you didn't want to be there, so she shouldn't had reacted like that, like you said she reacted.” I thought for a moment. “ I don't think that you told us everything.” My friend laughed as he heard the last sentence. "I know you'd say that, but, really, that is what happened," My friend retorted. "Your dishes are here, sir." I heard a voice behind me. I recognized him as the waiter and he started to put down our dishes on the table. I turned my head, and confirmed what I thought. I waited for him to put all the dishes and said that I would pay everything. He nodded and went back to where he was. "I think we should relax and eat, alright?" I said to Christopher and Angela. I grabbed my spoon, and started to eat. It was a good soup, a tomato soup. But something brought my attention. A woman, a really young one, was in front of the window, seeing through it like she was hypnotized. That, as itself, was odd, but what really brought my attention was that she was staring attentively at Christopher. Maybe, just maybe, she is... "So... how is she, Christopher?" Angela asked to his brother before taking a sip of his coffee. "What do you ask with that?" "Well, how she is, physically?" "Oh, I forgot about that. And I don't think that you're going to believe what I'm going to say, seriously." He stopped in the middle of his sentence to eat his noddles. "She had her hair dyed with the color p-" "Pink?" I said as I looked through the window. "How... how did you know?" "And she has bright with teeth, always wear pink clothes, and has a curly hair?" "… how?" I grinned, still looking at the woman. "Maybe, just maybe, she is behind you." Christopher didn't move a muscle of his body. He stared at his noddles for a minute straight, not even breathing. Then, he opened his mouth. "Can you talk to her, please?" he asked. "Come on, Christopher, you're overreacting." I said as he was still looking to his noddles. "I guess, but" – he raised his head – "can you still talk to her?" "Ok, ok, I will," I said as I took the last sip of my soup. Damn I was hungry. "I think I'll go with him," said Angela as I saw she was looking through the window at the woman. I stood up as I finished the soup and put down the spoon. I saw Angela doing the same with her coffee. She said, "Let's go." I nodded, and led the way to the door, minding my steps to not break the trance that it was Christopher, but I stopped in front of the door. I looked through the window, and saw that the woman, the pinky woman, was still looking at my friend with a unalterable smile. It was something... scary. It gave me a chill to had looked her. "Rick, are you alright?" Angela asked me as she put a hand on my shoulder. "You shivered." "It's nothing." I looked away and turned around. "But... how do we talk to her, Angela? I mean, this never happened to me before, to see my friend like this." I gave a movement with my head to point my friend, to back up what I say. "Like I said, I didn't really believe what he said about making her angry just because of that, but, if that really went like he said, I... don't know what to do, or say, or ask, or" – I started to talk more frantic and frantic as I tried to found and answer – “ even think! I don't-” But I couldn't finish my little rant. Angela had placed her hand in front of me. She put it down after a moment. "And like you said when I was talking you out there, just talk." She smiled. She gave me a hand. She did the same thing I did to her. I relaxed, and dropped my shoulders. "Thank... you." Why did she comfort me like... that? "It's nothing." She said as I led my gaze, again, to the window. The woman was still there, but, my friend, was looking us with a terrifying face. He knew that she was there but he still was reluctant to look behind his back where her "friend" was. "Let's go." I opened the door and stepped out while Angela followed me. “Let's talk to her.” I got closer to the woman that was, literally, pressing her face to the window, with a wide grin. "Emm, miss, can we talk to you?" I touched her arm. I blinked twice, and she was already in front of us with a wide smile. "Oh sorry, sorry sorry sorry! I didn't know that you were there!" She shook my hand with a firm grip. "My name's Felicity!" she screamed while she brought up her arms to the air, and making a little jump. “Ouh ouh ouh.” She didn't notice that she was still holding my hand, so when she leapt she got me really close to her. So close that I hit my nose with her head. I released myself from the grip, and brought both hands to my nose. I went back to where it was Angela. "Are you okay?" Angela asked me as she looked my nose. Or at least she tried, since I was covering it with both hands. "Yeah, I'm okay, it just hurts." As I answered my voice got a little whimpered. "Are you crying?" she asked me. I felt that through my hands something watery was going through. "It's nothing, don't wo-worry." I turned around, and saw that Felicity was whimpering. She threw her arms around me, and hug me tightly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have done that!" "Ok, ok, I'm ok." I tried to get out of her hug, but it was something impossible to do. "Angela, please help me..." I said as my voice went out as a yelped. "Ehem." Angela cleared her throat. "Excuse me, miss, but can you, please... em... un-hug my friend?" "Yes, please..." I also said, barely. She released me from that tight hug. I breathed and tried to catch as much air as I could. I was stunned by how that woman was behaving. I felt that Angela went to my side, and looked me with a quizzical face. It seems that the both of us didn't expect this. She recovered in no time from the whimpering, and now she was with both hands on her back and a smile on her face. “So... what are your names?” she asked. I said, "Well, my name is-" "Rick Bach," She her tongue out, "isn't that right?" "How did you..." "You silly boy, I already knew it!" Wait what, what wait? "What?" I babbled. "But how?" She put one hand on her chin, and made a thinking face. Then, she beamed with a smile. "Your friend told me, obviously!" she said as she pointed to the window. I led my gaze were the finger was pointing, and saw my friend looking me with a frightened face. A face of utterly terror. He said some words, but I couldn't catch it because I was outside. I heard a voice behind me, and it wasn't brighten with a beautiful tone. "So... you are the one who made my brother go away, running from you?” I turned around, and saw Angela with a frown, almost spitting venom to Felicity. But Felicity didn't seem notice this. She was with a smile on her face. "What did you do to my brother?" Angela asked. "I don't really know what you are talking about -wait –“ she made a pause, “– ooohh!" and gasped. "Is my friend your brother?" "Well, yes, he is my brother, and I'm worried about him. I'm worried because you –“ Angela pointed to Felicity. “– screamed at him.” "Really?" Angela glared her and blunty said, “Yes.” I cringed at the tone of her voice. “Reeeally?” Felicity innocently asked again, and, from my point of view, not noting Angela's mood. I heard Angela take a deep breath. “Let me ask you this: what did you do a few nights ago with Christopher?” "Oh oh oh! I remember! I invited him to a rave party a few days ago. We went to that party and I encouraged him to drink something, since he seemed to be a bit bored. He did it, but after a while he said that he didn't want to be there. I said that he had to be there, with me, since he promised me even if I asked him. Nevertheless, we passed a really good time!" she said with a cheerful voice. "Wait... didn't you get angry with him because he broke a promise with you?" Angela asked, lowering her voice. "Well... maybe a little, but just a little." Felicity said with a smile, while she looked directly to Angela. "Did you yell at him?" Angela asked with the same tone. "Em... no?" "Really? Because that was what he told me." "Well..." She looked around, not trying to look at Angela's eyes. "I may had screamed, but it was nothing.” "Really?" Angela said with a deadpanned face. She pointed to Christopher and said, "Is that a face of someone who was screamed a little?” Felicity looked to Christopher for a moment, who still had a scared face, one of utterly terror, and then she made a face that it made me feel sad. It was one of... repentance, guiltiness. Sadness, overall. "I-I-I... didn't want to yell him. That's how I am when I am, I am..." She dropped her head. "I went here to find him since I found you talking with him, walking through town a days ago. I passed just and hour ago through this street, and I found you talking with Rick, so I thought that Christopher was with you. It was a hunch. And I was right. And... I came here because I want to apologize with Christopher. I didn't-didn't want to make him scared, I never wanted that. I'm sorry." Felicity sneezed a few times as she looked up. She had watery eyes. I saw that Angela made a confused face as she tried to say something, but I talked first. "Felicity," I said to catch her attention. "Wh-what?" She muttered. "If you really want to apologize him, and if you really mean it, you can do it. But, please, don't do it again, at least not to Christopher." And idea passed through my head. "And I want you to promise it, alright?" "Ok." She took a deep breath. "I promise that I will never make him feel bad because of a broken promise." I smiled. I knew that she wouldn't break that promise. A hunch that I felt. "I think you can go." I pointed with my hand to the window, and approached it as I still looked at Felicity. "Thanks." She smiled me, passed through my side, through the restaurant, and went to Christopher, who still was looking her with a frightened expression. Felicity opened her arms, and threw them around Christopher, while she made a leapt. From where I was, I could see her face. She was happy. Christopher almost tripped with a chair, and that made him wander for a while, while he was still holding Felicity. He couldn't hold her enough, so he fell on his back. Felicity fell with him too, but she was on top of him. "I think I have to apologize, too." I heard Angela say. She went by my side, and looked to her brother. "Why? Because the way you treated her?" She looked at me and nodded. "I think I was too... stern, with her, since she made my brother feel... like he felt." I think she zoomed out for a moment, and then she cracked a smile. "I think that's great that my brother has someone who is her friend. Someone who he can trust." "You are his friend, too, Angela." She put a thoughtful face. "I think you're right." "You cared for him more than I do every day, even if I saw you interact with him a few hours." "Really?" "Yep." "It's nothing." She chuckled. We didn't say a word after that. We saw that Felicity was now sitting on a chair, while Christopher was cleaning himself . She was saying something, maybe apologizing from what she did. "Can I ask you something, Angela?" I said. She gave me a odd look. "Why did you help me like... a friend, when I was nervous before talking to Felicity?" "Well, when you helped me when we were here, a few hours ago, when I started to... talk about my problem, you lend me a hand. So, naturally, I did the same with you. That's the reason." She smiled. "I think that makes you my friend." I smiled. I never thought she would give me an answer like that. I just met her today. And now, she just said that she was a friend. My friend. "Rick, can you help me?" she asked me. "Of course," I said. "Can you give me a hand when I try to apologize with Felicity?" "Yes, I can, but I can't see why you would need my help." "Just in case I'm lost of words. It can happen." "Ok," I said. I waited for a moment to think about something to say when I heard the door of the restaurant open. I turned around, and saw that Christopher and Felicity were outside. I heard Angela gulp, and gave her a pat on her shoulder and whispered, "It's okay." She nodded, and we heard Christopher laughing as he approached us. The first thing he did was give a hug to Angela, and then shook my hand, while he said thanks to both of us. I chuckled. "It's... nothing, Christopher," I answered "But you improved my mood with what you did." Felicity appeared behind Christopher. "You did the same with me!" "It was something that I had to do, help you, I guess," I said as I rubbed the back of my head. "I can say the same." Angela smiled. "And you know what? I'm going to pay for the food, Rick." Christopher put a hand on my left shoulder. "Don't worry." I grinned. "Thanks." "So, Felicity, did you have lunch?" He turned around and asked. She rubbed her stomach, and it started to made a sound. She made an apologetic smile. "Em... no?" "Don't worry. I invite you something. And –" He turned around, went a few steps back, and smiled. " – I want you to give you a dessert, ok?" He pointed to Angela and me, and smiled. The biggest smiled that I saw him make. It seems that I really improved his mood. I mean, we. "Come on, get in!" He said as he trotted to the restaurant, and sit on the table that we were in just a few seconds, looking to us. He motioned us to sit him. "Well, shall we go?" I said to both girls. Angela nodded, and Felicity was already heading to the table. I didn't see her leaving, actually. "I didn't see her move," I said. "Me neither," Angela retorted. I stood there for a few seconds, trying to understand how Felicity moved. Then, something crossed my mind. "You didn't apologize to her, Angela." "I don't think that there has been a moment for that." "Well..." I said and went to the door of the restaurant. "I think that you want a dessert, don't you?" I smiled as I led my gaze to her. "You want a dessert, too, haha," She said as she went in. I smiled and went in. I saw that Christopher was talking with the waiter while Felicity was seeing the menu. I zoomed out for a moment as I saw Angela and Felicity. They look... alike to something. I don't know what... "Hey, Rick, come here!" Felicity said as I tried to remember to what they were alike. Meh, maybe later. ... "Thanks for the meeting, Rick. I'll see you soon!" said Felicity as she waved me. She was with Christopher and Angela at the front of my department's building. "Okay, see you soon!" I said as I opened the door of the building. I went up the stairs of the building, since I couldn't use the elevator because it was in "reparations" since a month a go. I reached the third floor, and pulled off my keys to open the door of my apartment. I opened the door and went in as I closed the door in one motion. I raised my wrist to see my watch. "7:30," I said as I went to the kitchen to prepare myself a snack for the evening. I opened the fridge, brought out a cereal box and a box of milk. Wait, why did I put the cereal in the fridge? ... Never mind. I prepared the snack, and brought it to the table of the living room. I ate it in just a few minutes. I was really hungry since I talked with my friends like... for hours. I recalled what just happened, by remembering what we talked. I know that we talked about university: Angela is doing a major on something related to the field of science, and that Felicity is studying cooking in a University near my apartment. "I can already see Felicity here, inside my apartment, inviting me to a party." I said to myself and laughed as I recreated the scene in my head. Also, I knew, from what Christopher said as a comment, that Angela is going to spent all her whole holiday here, with Christopher. I think she said she is going to stay here like 2 months and something more. We mostly just talked about ourselves and what we do, and what we think about trivial things, like the weather, the news, odds things that had happened to us, etc. I exhaled, and leaved the dirty dish in the sink of the kitchen. I went to my bathroom, and started to wear off my clothes. I went in the shower. It was cold, but it didn't matter, I just wanted to clean myself. I tried to relax my muscles as I felt the water pass on my skin, but it was too cold. I tried to level the cold water with the hot one, but I couldn't. I was only getting cold water. I stood there, washing myself with a freezing temperature until an image came to my head. "The plushies," I muttered as I went out the shower and dried myself. "Are they really... real? I mean, are the REALLY real?" I said as I put on my clothes. I went to my bedroom, and opened the wardrobe. The plushies were there, scattered around. As I saw every plushie, two got my attention. The pinkie one with a very curly mane, and one with diverse shades of purple. I grabbed them, and put them on my bed. I sit down on my bed, and started to think about something. They gave me a strange sense of nostalgia... if I had seen those plushies before, but on another place. Then, it hit me. It really hit me, in that moment. "No, no no no, it can't be." I said to myself as I stood up and leaned against the nearby wall, wondering if I had gone mad. "I mean, no, they... how can a dream be real, and how a princess relayed on me a task like that? A princess pony?!" I recalled where I had seen those plushies. I knew that I saw them. I talked to them, I made physical contact with them, and one of them called me a friend. Those plushies, are those girls. Those girls, Angela and Felicity, are ponies. Ponies! "Am I crazy?" I said to no one, still trying to figure out if those ponies are real, if these plushies, in another place that it's not here, really existed, and then disappeared, as Luna said... I have to relax. I went out my bedroom. I tried to relax. I tried to think about something else. My studies, psychology, about the test I had to do in three days more. But even then, even if I tried to leave out the topic of the plushies out of my mind, it was still there. I was still tying to comprehend everything. Then, something grabbed my attention as I walked through my apartment. The cello. The only thing that can relax me, no matter what occasion occurs. Right now, playing the cello was the solution to my problem. It didn't really solve it, but at least I would forget about it for an hour. "I have to relax." I grabbed the cello, put on the music stand the score of Bach's Suite in G minor, I put a little of resin to the bow, and started to play. I didn't even tune it. I just wanted to play the cello. I just wanted to let me take for the music. I just wanted to feel the pressure of the strings as I passed through the positions, to feel the bow on the strings, to feel my fingers touch the neck of the cello. I closed my eyes. I just wanted to feel the music. And that's what I did. ... After I don't know how many hours of playing the cello, I dropped the bow. I couldn't feel my right arm, and, after a second, the pain flourished, surrounding my whole right arm. I hadn't have played the cello like that for 3 months, and in that moment I felt what it can do to my arm to play that long without practicing for that time. I led my gaze to the window of my living room. It was obscure outside. It was already night. "What time is it?" I raised my wrist, and saw the watch. "11:30. What?" I said as I couldn't believe that I played for almost 4 hours without stopping. And also because it was getting too late. I put down the cello, grabbed the score and put it away. I got up, and started to do everything that I do before going to my bedroom to sleep: make myself dinner, clean the dirty dishes, brush my teeth and then going to bed. It's a routine that I always do. I prepared myself a beef with smashed potatoes. It wasn't the greatest dish, but at least I had food. I eat it. Then I cleaned the dirty dishes, that it wasn't little in amount and brushed my teeth. But when I was going to bed, I saw that the two plushies that I had brought out earlier from the wardrobe were standing still on my bed. It was like they were laughing at me. But I knew what to do with them. I grabbed them, and put them inside my wardrobe, in just a few seconds. I wore off my clothes, and got in my bed, not trying to think about the plushies, just trying to fool myself, at least for a night, that the didn't exist. I felt my body too tired as I touched the soft bed sheet, and fell sleep in no time.
Chapter 8Several days later... "God damnit. God! Damnit!" I threw the piece of paper into the bin of trash. I couldn't believe the percentage of the score I got. I studied almost every day for a month just Freud. Freud every day. Freud through Monday to Sunday. I even started to dream Freud two days ago! Even then, I couldn't get the sufficient score to pass the test, which leads me that I failed the semester. And today I started with the right feet out of the bed. I went out the classroom. It had already finished, but, in my rant, like saying that I didn’t deserve this score to the teacer, and saying that I would do something, I forgot that everyone went out of class, except me. "I'm the only one here," I said as I led my gaze through the empty hall. I thought about the test, and how it will affect to my parent's budge to pay me another semester of university. "Not know!" I heard a voice by my right side. I turned my head to that direction and found a person going out through a door that led to somewhere else. Seeing him made me recognize him. I knew him: chubby contexture, brown to dark hair, tan skin and rounded face. Sebastian. He is a good guy. I know him since a year ago from a friend. I haven't meet with him many times to have the trust to call him my friend, but nevertheless, he's a good guy. "Hello, Sebastian, it's good to see you," I said as I gave him a brofist. "Me too, friend, me too," He cheerfully agreed. Although he always call me a friend. "And why are you here, exactly?" I asked since he shouldn't be here at this hour, at least from what little I know of him. "I was passing through my last class' classroom to find something I forgot, but then I remembered that you were still here, in class, so I waited a moment “He made a thoughtful face. "I saw that everyone but you were heading out of the class, so I peered if you were still there."- He smiled shyly, -"and you were still there, but you were angry, I saw it in your face, so I waited in my classroom until you relaxed yourself a little." He nudged me as I looked to the side in embarrassment. I blushed as I heard that. "I'm sorry for that," I embarrassedly said, "I don't think that you should-" He threw his right arm around me, interrupting me. "Don't worry, mate. Sometimes, people get mad, and it's normal to get mad. You can't control your emotions in total extense," he said reassuring me while he motioned with his hand to remark his last phrase. I chuckled at his display of trust. "Yeah, thanks for that. But, can you release me?" He heartily laughed and put more force on his arm on me. "Oh but why, Rick, why?" He's like that. He's always behaving like a brother to anyone, from what people have told me. That's why we always greet each other with a brofist. I saw someone at the end of the hall, and, regrettably, I recognized him. "Because my teacher is leading here?" He looked to where I was looking, and released his embrace. I recognized that the teacher had a frown on his face. He was not happy, whatever the reason. "Well," My teacher said, "I don't see an answer to the question of why are you here." I tried to contain my anger that was, again, alive. He was the teacher of my last class. He was the one who gave me the score. I felt a touch on my arm. "We were just searching for a thing that I forgot. Don't worry, we're leaving know," my friend said as he put his arm around me and started to walk out there. But I almost stopped as I heard a comment leaving out from my teacher's mouth. "Do best next semester, Rick." I think Sebastian noticed the strain in my muscles, so he accelerated the pace of his walk. As we walked out from the building and from the campus, Sebastian said, "Dude, relax." I sighed. "Sorry, but I think you know why I am mad, and why I almost hit my teacher, right?" I asked with a hint of anger as we stood up outside the campus. "I think I know, but there's nothing that we can do about it, Rick. Except one thing." "What?" He pointed across the street to a place. "Take something to eat." I looked and chuckled. It was a café. "How is that going to help me now?" He patted my back and smiled. "You're going to relax, my friend. And that's something you should do know," he said as he signed to follow him. I did it. We crossed the street and reached the cafe. It was a little crowded since it was a common spot where university students spent their time after classes to eat something, to talk, and to know each other and talk about trivial topics. We reached a near table and sit down. I zoomed out for a while to think about the score, and to think how my fathers would react to that. How am I going to say that they have to pay more for me? For MY education? I can say that, can’t I? How am I going to say that my sco- Sebastian touched me. "Dude, what do you want to eat?" I came back to reality and said the first thing that came to my mind. "Score." I gave him a confused face as he loudly laughed. "Were you thinking about your score, right? Forget it!" he said as he threw me the menu. "Just forget about that and order something.” He put both hands behind his head and leaned back. "Ok, ok, I'll forget about it, but only because you say it." My gaze passed through the dishes that were listed on the menu. "I think I'll have... –" I put a finger the menu. "–Grilled cheese." "Excellent choice," he said as he stood up and walked to the waiter that was heading to us. He doesn't wait for his food, apparently. I put my back on the chair and looked up, trying to relax and calm my mind. I closed my eyes, and started to wander through the machinations of my imagination. I started to imagine that I was in my department and started to recreate various scenes, like what would I do if Felicity went in my apartment without me noticing, or what would happen if Christopher came to my apartment with Angela and Felicity, saying that they were just "passing by". They would happen to carry some system of audio with them, just "because". We would install it in the middle of the living room, and Felicity would plug in an iPod she would had on her pocket. It would start to sound dance music, and we would gradually start to move our hands in synchrony to the music’s beat. I would slowly start to tap with my feet on the floor and Christopher would start to clap. Angela would start whistle to the melody and Felicity would start to move her body in a slow manner, until she would start to dance on the middle of the floor, while Cristopher, out of nowhere, would bring out a DJ system and put it on my living’s table. I would grab some earphones, and start to DJ as more people would get in my apartment without me noticing, to see what was happening in my apartment, and they would be dancing with Felicity as she would be leading the choreography, dancing, dancing and dancing until the sun would be setting on the horizon. Meanwhile, Angela would had already put some neon lights around the apartment to attract more people. I have a great imagination, or at least I can recreate scenes in my head quickly, and sometimes I imagine those things while dreaming. I started to recreate the scene again in my head, as if it were really there. I heard a voice in front of me. I opened my eyes and saw that the roof I was seeing was moving in various motions. "Dude, can you hear me? Dude, really, stop doing that, you're drooling!" "What-what did you say?" I babbled as I broke my daydreaming and came back to reality. I headed my gaze down and saw my friend with a scared face looking at me like he just saw the death in person. I watched him for a second time and then saw around. Everyone was looking me. I felt something out from my mouth and put my hand on my mouth. I noticed a trail of saliva going down my face. I gazed down, and saw that my shirt was completely damped .I stared my shirt for ten seconds, and then realized what happened. I put my face on the table, and slowly I started to feel more red and red. I want to kill myself. That was something that I didn't like of daydreaming. I would drool tons of saliva when I daydreamed. Every time. No exception. I really want to kill myself. But I noticed something hot on my face. Very hot, and it wasn't the blushing that was arising, that was sure. I retreated a little from the table I met with my face, and saw my chilled cheese. Really. Before that, everything was silent. After I noticed the chilled cheese, everything was laugh. Even Sebastian was laughing, almost falling from the chair. I shouldn't have gone out from the department today. After five minutes of laughing from everyone but me, everybody went to what they were doing initially. I took a deep breath, and calmly said, "Sebastian-" "You should have seen seen your face." He restrained his laugh as he saw that I wasn't laughing. "Yeah..." I took another breath. "Can you really not tell anyone about this?" "I think that I'll try." He seriously said, and then started to laugh again. One of the things that I really like about him is his laugh: loudly and heartily, almost contagious. But I didn't like it in that moment. I saw some gazes upon me, and I started to bury myself in the chair, even more I didn’t do it before. "Don't worry." He patted my shoulder. "I don't think that you should worry about that. I don't think what happened is going to be known, don’t worry. Meanwhile eat your-oh I can't! Hahaha!" He started to laugh even more loudly than before. But now, he stood up, and wandered through the café as he tried to get out, all while he was laughing like he never laughed before. I buried in the chair more and more, just hoping that nothing of this would leak out of the cafe. Really hoped that it wouldn't leak out. I started to eat my crushed chilled cheese, thinking that I didn’t hear nothing since Sebastian was still laughing, but now he was outside the cafe. I could hear it from where I was. He really has a loud laughing. ... As I finished my grilled cheese, Sebastian came in and sit in his spot. "Well, well, well, I think that was enough.” He took several deep breaths, closed his eyes, and relaxed as I took the last bites of my chilled cheese. Then, he opened his eyes and said, “Oh, almost I forgot, can you come with me to a meeting?" "Emmm, what? A meeting?" I said before I drank a Coca-Cola that I bought when Sebastian was still outside. "Yeah, a familiar reunion. At first, I didn't want to invite you since we never went out once to know each other better, but now -" He scrambled my hair like if I were a kid. "- you showed me that you're a good guy." He smiled, and glared to the table where his food should had been. "What th-" "I don't think they gave your food," I plainly said. "Oh right, they said they didn't have my sandwich. Not enough ingredients or something like that." He stared blankly to an empty space for a few second and then zoomed in. "Anyway, I want you to come with me to this reunion, if that it's okay with you." I said, "I think I can. In a few days I'm going to end all the tests, and then I'm going to have a little rest." I thought for a moment. "But, why me?" "Because you're a good guy, Rick, and also because I think you're a good comedian." He repressed a laugh. "What? Oh, oh..." I said with a deadpanned tone. "And... about what is the family reunion?" I asked with a more normal tone. "It's just a reunion that we do every year. Oh yeah, do you remember the time I told you about my family, right?" "Eeeemmm." I just shrugged. "Don't worry, I'll tell you again.” He put both hands on the table, and put his eyes on me, to listen carefully to him. “My family is mostly... rural. So they're pretty conservative, and they're mostly all farmers, except my parents, because, do you know that I'm studying agricultural engineering, right?" "Nope." "Well, now you know it." He smiled. "And... how they're, Sebastian?" "How “how they’re are”?” "How is your family? Lovely, or grungy people?" "Oh!" He smiled. "They're one of most friendly persons that you're going to meet in your life. Really, I can assure you that." I smiled. I thought that I can trust him. "So... when is the reunion?" "Today." "What?" "Today." "But… when?" He pulled off his cellphone. "Being sincere, we're are already late." What? "Come on, we have to go." He stood up, grabbed my arm, and took me out of the local without any strain from me. "But you didn't even pay!" I loudly remarked him. "They know me, they know that I'll be back." He said as he raised his hand to catch a taxi’s attention that was passing by. The taxi stopped in front of us, and we got in. I mean, Sebastian got me in and then he got in. I was startled because of how my friend behaved in just a matter of a minute. It wasn't something I expected. "Why did you do that?" I raised my voice without being authoritative. "Well, sometimes I'm impulsive, you know, but don't worry." He smiled at me. In that moment I thought about something I learned in my classes, and from personal experience. A person has a personality, and traits of that personality are hereditary. From that think, I thought about Sebastian, and I hoped that he hadn't inherited the impulsive traits from his parents, because if that was like that, it would probably be like that for his family. I cringed at that thought. ... "Here we are, mah friend!" He said as we stood up in front of a barn of the size of freaking three houses by side, and I don't know by how much of length, that was in the middle of the country like 5 km outside the town. "...The reunion is in that thing?" I babbled as I saw the most grand barn that I have ever seen. "Eeeyup!" "Why did you start to talk like that?" "I don't know, really. I think it's just the ambient." He shrugged. "Anyway, let go in?" "Ok, as you say." I saw my friend open a door besides the building and I followed him. Well... what I saw was... Have you ever seen a stereotypic film about farm people? How the film show them? Well, if I hadn't been with “mah friend” by my side, I would have thought that I was in the middle of the recording of a film of that kind. But that wasn't the case, and Sebastian nudged me out of the trance of seeing all that people in just a barn, even if it was a big one. I thought I counted, at least, forty people. At least. "Hey, come on, wake up." He started to move me from side to side. "What?" "So...?" "So...?" "What do you think?" He said. "What should I think?" I muttered. "I don't know, that's why I asked." "Well... being sincere, I really didn't expect to be so much people here." I tried to count again how much people were there, but I couldn’t do it. "Don't worry.” He made a malicious smile. "You're going to meet them now." "What?" He raised his hands, and clapped as loud as he could twice. Everyone's attention were now held on him. Oh... "My family," He put down his arms and put one around me. "I want you to meet one of my friends. He's a really good guy, and I want him to be greeted for that. So..." He leaved that phrase in the air, and people slowly started to gather around us. It was like an infestation. They were slowly getting closer and closer. Then, the only thing I could saw were heads and Stetson hats. And hands that wanted to be greeted. ... "I think that my hand would need a nice hydrotherapy." I said as I started to shake it because of the greetings that I had to make. "Some of the men here are oddly strong, though." "Years and years of work,” he nonchalantly said as he leaved my side and grabbed me by my arm to follow him. "Wait, where are we going?" "To serve us something." He pointed to a table near us. It was loaded with various kind of food, from what I could see. We got there and what I saw from before was nothing compared to what I could encompass with my sight. There was ANY kind of food. Pies, bread, fruits, vegetables, soups, BBQs, fried chicken, and other foods that I couldn’t recognize. I’m not a chef, so I didn’t care. "Hey," my friend say, "The food was made to eat, not to be seen." He grabbed a piece of bread and melted some liquid butter on it. Wait, liquid butter? "Is that... butter?" "Why, yes." He smiled and went to a near table that was three meters away from us and started to eat. Actually, there was any kind of food. I shrugged, and grabbed some fruits and a piece of apple pie. Just when I grabbed the apple pie, a hand stopped me in mid-way. I heard a strong accented feminine voice by my left side. "I don't recommend yah to eat that apple pie, darling. The apples weren't too good this season." I turned by my left side, and saw a woman with a Stetson hat. That was probably what most attracted me most from her, and also that she was holding my wrist with a soft but strong grip. "I think I got it, miss." I said as I tried to get off the grip of this woman. "Oh, sorry about that." She released me, and I carefully rubbed my wrist. It hurt me like hell. "You have strong hands," I said. "Well, working in a farm is hard work. I think you know that, even if you don't look... toned." She said as she was looking me from top to bottom. "You... have never worked on a farm, haven't you?" she asked me with a doubtful tone of voice. "No, I haven't." "So why are you here, then?" "My friend invited me." I did a smile as I tried to hide the pain from her. "Oh, so you're Sebastian's friend?" She asked with natural curiosity and smiled. "Nice to meet yah, darling. I'm Jackie!" She started to shake my hand, and a wave of pain from my hand, through my arm and shoulder, went to my spinal cord. I cringed. "It's nice to meet you too, Ja-Jackie, I'm Rick." I tried to get off the shake, but she was firmly shaking it. After a few seconds she released me, and I sighed that I wasn't suffering anymore. "Are you okay? You don't look too good," she said as I sighed as the pain was quickly perishing. "It's nothing, really. It just my hand hurts." I massaged the palm of my hand. A question crossed my mind as I did that, remembering something. "Didn't I greet you before? I mean, I had to greet everyone here, so that's why my hand hurts." "Ah don't think I was in the moment when you arrived, darling. I just got here because I had to take care of some crazy cows that were outside." When she was talking I noticed how she was physically in more detail. I took a quick glance up and down and made a mental image of her. She had a slender but toned body from the work she does, I guess. She had a long, blonde hair that was knotted as a pony tail from what I could see where I was standing, and she had a Stetson hat on her head. She had a white but tanned skin, but not too much because I could see that she had freckles on her cheeks. She was wearing a buttoned shirt with short sleeves and with red squares on all the shirt. She was also wearing some light blue jeans, and boots. "Hey, Rick, are you there?" She waved my hand in front of me. "Hey, Earth calling Rick, Earth calling Rick." I zoomed out again. "Sorry, I just zoomed out." "Oh, I thought I lost you there, darling." "Sorry, it's just something I do." I said, and added as I sighed, "Too much." "Don't worry, it just happens, right?" She said as put her hand on the hat, and adjusted it. "Well, I think I have to go. I just made a break from work by being here, but I have to work. Goodbye, Rick, it was nice to meet yah." And with that, she turned around and leaved me there. A few seconds later, and I felt a hand on my shoulder. I said, "Sebastian." "What's up, friend?" "Nothing, I just knew that it was you." "I think you just met my cousin Jackie, am I right?" He put in front of me. "What do you think of her?" He smiled deviously. "Is she hot?" "I just met her, as you said. How can I determine if she's hot or not?" "By looking her as you did. From up and down." He noted his last phrase by moving his finger up and down. He saw me. "Well... I was just... looking her because I... she seemed to be like a person that I used to know!" I nervously said. Yeah, that'll do, that'll do. "I wish I knew you better to know when you're lying or not." He smiled and sighed. "Well, do you want to eat something after your little talk?" He gestured to the table. "Just eat anything. Everything's great," He leaned forward and whispered. "From personal experience." He leaned backward, laughed heartily and gave me a pat on the shoulder. "I think I can trust you in that." I put on my hand the plate that I grabbed before and started to gather a variety of foods, like lettuce, a roasted beef, tomatoes, potatoes, a glass of water and a piece of the apple pie that Jackie said that it wasn't good, just to taste how it was. We went to a table near the banquet of food, put our dishes there, and sit down. I put a piece of the apple pie in my mouth and a sour taste hit my tongue. "This IS bad," I said as I grabbed the glass of water and drank of it. "What? The apple pie?" Sebastian asked. "Yeah, it is sour, not sweet." "Meh, sometimes happen. Don't eat it." He grabbed a piece of my apple pie and eat it. "It isn't that bad, actually." "Yeah, but that doesn't mean that you can eat it." I put my arm around the apple pie. "Oh, sorry for interrupt your legally precious personal space that was bounded with your apple pie, Sir Rick." He said with a strong hint of sarcasm and laughed. I sighed and laughed with him. “When did you make that?” “I don’t know.” He grabbed a lettuce from his dish and ate it. We spent there for an hour just eating and chatting about his life. He told me that all his family except his parent and him are farmers, and that all his childhood was spent in a farm. He doesn't know why he doesn't has southern accent, though. And he also told me he wants to be a farmer, but not only be a farmer, but have a degree, too, so that's why he's studying agricultural engineering. "Well, I think we finished." I said as I brought up my watch and saw the hour. "Em, Sebastian, can you say how we are going to get back to the city?" I nervously said since I didn't want to get late to my apartment. I remembered that I had another test tomorrow. "Why? It's early, you know. Now we have a dance party, and it just 6 p.m. Why are you so eagerly to leave early, Rick?" He smiled as he said that. "I don't want to make you worried, but I have a test tomorrow." "Worry? Nah, I think you can guess how I am. I don't worry." "So... can you say how can I go?" "I can call you a taxi, if you want." "Ok, thanks." I waited for him to call it, but he just sit there, smiling. "So... aren't you going to call him?" "I said that I can, not that I’m going to actually do it." He smiled. I gave him a deadpanned expression. "Really?" I said. He still was smiling, but then he brought up his cellphone. "I was joking." He said and called the taxi. "Ok, ready. I think it's going to be here soon, the operator told me that he was close here." He stood up, and I did the same and shook his hand. "So goodbye, Sebas-" "Hey, I'm going with you. I have a test tomorrow, too." He took a breath. "But first, can you wait for me outside? I want to say goodbye to some members of my family." He said that and I saw that he went through the mass of people that were chatting or doing something. I went out and I was struck by the sun’s lights that were leaking through the tick tree branches. Seeing it was… calming, seeing the end of the day- It was beautiful. I wondered through the periphery while I still waited. I saw a big house at the distance inside the forest that was brighten with a dim light. I didn’t care about the taxi in that moment, I wanted to know better the place if in a near future I would return. I got closer and saw the house with a better eye. It was a nice house. It was two story tall built with only wood and painted with varying shades of red. It also had square windows, and a double front door. I got closer and closer seeing better the details of the house. It had signs that it have been used by a very long time. I was in front of the house, still seeing it. I though I heard someone inside, but instead I heard some footsteps behind me and a known trademark hand on the shoulder was felt. "Hey, Rick, the taxi is already here,” said Sebastian as put his arm around my neck and put besides him seeing the house. "Thanks, Sebastian." “So… do you like this house?” he asked as he lazily pointed it. “It’s just a house, I guess, why do you ask?” I turned my head and saw my friend with a malicious face. Again. “That’s my cousin’s house, you know.” I smiled and let out a chuckle. “You’re always going to be like this, right?” “Until you’re closer with her.” He draw his arm and gave a pat on my back. “Come on, let’s go.” He led me to the car and we got in the back of the car. I positioned myself in a comfortable position, leaning my back on sit while, without a care of the world, Sebastian put his back on the door, and put his feet on my knees. I said with incredulity, “Dude, seriously?” “I want to relax.” He put both hands on his hind head, and closed his eyes. He really got in trust with me. I led the driver through the streets, giving him directions like where to go and pass through. Meanwhile, Sebastian was at the edge of reality and the oniric world with his snoring. We arrived to my apartment’s building. “Sebastian, I have to go.” I moved him around, but he didn’t wake up. An idea crossed my mind. Maybe if I… I got out of the taxi from the opposite door that was Sebastian. I went to the other side, and, slowly, very slowly, started to open the door. “Please, let me sleep.” He shuffled on his position. “Nope.” I opened the door fully and he got flat on the floor with his back on the concrete and full open eyes. “Jesus Christ!” he screamed, I don’t know if it was by pain or by the surprise. “I told you that I was going.” I held a smile as I said that. He stood up, and stayed there motionless, seeing me as if he was trying to kill me by just the gaze of his eyes. I should have thought that it better… I think I feared for my life in the meantime. I didn’t really think that he would react that way. I could see the fire inside his eyes. I was seeing myself there, screaming for help. Then, suddenly, he started to chuckle. “That was a good one,” he said, like if it was nothing. Like if it was nothing. So what did I saw in his eyes?! I forgot that thought, and sighed as he started to laugh more. After a moment waiting for him to calm down, he asked me, "So... this is the place where you live?" "Yep... it isn’t the best apartment here, but, for me, it is,” I said turned around and saw the apartment’s building. I don’t know the reason, but it brought me little memories about what has happened there. Birthdays, parties with old friends, after-weddings. “So, this is a goodbye?” Sebastian said as I still was looking the building. “I guess so. I have a test tomorrow, so…” I turned around. “Goodbye, Sebastian. "Goodbye, Rick, see you other day," he said and moved before I could shake his hand. He went in the taxi, and I went to my apartment but in the middle of the way I was interrupted by Sebastian’s voice. I turned around and heard him. "Hey, Rick, the next time, you- "He pointed me.”-Will dance with Jackie. I promise." I made a grin. "Yeah, if that's going to happen." "I promise it, mah friend, I promise," he said with his half of his body out of the window while the taxi was starting. I heard a yell from the driver and Sebastian got in fast. I laughed and entered the building, going through the floors until I reached my apartment. I opened the door, turned on the lights and went to the kitchen to prepare a quick snack for the long night that was waiting for me. Damn tests. I prepared myself a bowl of cereal with milk and headed to my bedroom, grunting on my way to the thought of studying again. ... "1 a.m." I threw the interpersonal relationship's book on the floor and put on my back on the bed. "1 a.m.," I said again. I looked my watch and confirmed the hour. "1 a.m." I closed my eyes and coolly took a breath. "Inhale and exhale "Inhale and exhale." I though as I did it. I let myself go with the flow of my breath. I attentively listened to my breath as I relaxed on my bed, not trying to think about the test. Darkness slowly started to appear in my vision. I knew that I was asleep in that moment, but something, in that darkness, in the dark void, slowly started to appear. It had a figure, a body, and a head. It appeared in front of my, and something, or someone appeared. Luna. I am dreaming. "Hello, Rick." She coldly said. "Hello, machination of my imagination." She gave a faint smile. "I'm sure that you don't have a great image of myself, Rick." "That's not the problem," I bluntly said as I recalled the past moment that Luna and I had lived. "The problem is that you shouldn't exist; you shouldn’t be real." "Why?" she said while maintaining a relaxed tone, but I could see that she was surprised by my answer. "Because you're just a dream! You have only appeared in my dreams.” "But I think you already saw the... plushies I send to you," she said. She struggled with the word "plushies", as if it were a foreign word. "The problem is..." I took a deep breath. "The problem is not what you think. The REAL problem is that... I can't believe you, even if I have the proof in front of me." She coldly stared at me, and then softened her expressions. "I think I can understand you." "So... can you show me? Can you make me believe?" A she heard that, she made a very serious face like if I asked her a life-or-death question. There was an awkward silence between us for a few minutes. I started to tap the non-existent floor as I waited for an answer. I saw that the dark void we were in started to change gradually and Luna spoke, "I don't think I can persuade to believe me, but I can show you something." In that moment, the black void changed completely. "I... can my mind dream this, Luna?" I said as I couldn’t believe the scenery that we were in.
