Three

I finished up the last touches of my latest masterpiece and left it at the corner beside the maple book shelf before my handphone started ringing. "Hello?" "Yo Chad, wanna hang out tomorrow? You me and a few classmates at east coast beach?" "Hi Saj. Sure". The place to meet was at Bedok train station, the time, two in the afternoon, I was half an hour early. So i dug into my bag for some impromptu entertainment, exactly what i found. I pulled out a small black book, obviously well used with worn edges and the pages were of a coffee stain color indicating age. This book clearly did not belong to me. Curiosity flipped open the first page and written in light pencil, "I was lost and here I am. Still am lost, but do I want to go home?" And in black ink, at the bottom right hand corner, "Dear Diary-" That was all I was allowed to read before Saj's head popped right in front of my face. "Yo dude! Whats up with that wierd book? Let me see it!" snatching it away from my hands. "That's not mine" I cautioned him. "Yea, I guess so, why're you staring at all this.. eh, I dont know" Saj, flipped the book close and passed it to me. I put it back into my bag, to welcome the others who had just arrived, forgetting that the book wasn't mine.

Once the entire group gathered, Saj, Natasha, James, three other 'new people' and I, we acknowleged with a nod and made our way to the beach, where we sat along the shore and waited for the sun to set, I sat at the extreme right end and James beside me. Yes, we were amusingly early, the sun wasn't going to set until around four hours later but we had alot to talk about. "So, who are the new people?" I asked him. He turned his head and gave me a look, indicating how clueless he was about my question. "The new guy and two girls who are joining us?" I asked again, amused at how stupid he looked. "Oh! well, they're really friendly people and it'll be fun working with them. Why're you asking? I thought you already knew them?" I was lost at two things he said. They being 'friendly' obviously confused me because throughout the entire trip, i didnt hear them utter a single word at all, I actually believed for a moment that they were mute, and I could have sworn I had never seen them before in my entire life.

At around eight, the seven of us dined at a nearby hawkercentre called "Ah Sing's coffeeshop". I had a bowl of beef noodles which actually included a suprisingly generous portion of beef. "How's your food Saj?" I had asked to break the silence" "It's ok" he replied, letting the silence fill the place again. "So how's yours?" I asked one of the 'new people', The day was almost ending but i still haven't got their names, I didnt really care. "I just said it was ok" Saj said. "I'm not asking you" I replied. Saj rolled his eyes as though I was trying to irritate him. Then I finally got my reply, an odd one, "We're just eating to fit in really." "You didn't have to buy food if you weren't hungry man." I told him, Saj and James shot me a look which said, 'stop acting wierd' and Natasha told me "Chad, will you just eat and stop tryin to be funny?", and the silence returned.

Just as we all were going our separate ways home, I had noticed that only Saj, James, and Natasha and i were left. The 'new' people must have left earlier without saying goodbye. "Chad, why'd you ask about the three new people again? and whats up with that book of symbols?" Symbols? I immediately took the book out, having no recollection of any symbols, flipped open the first page- in the place of the English words i read just before we met, were scribbles, doodlings? Symbols? i shook my head in disbelief, "There were words! It said err.. something like 'I was lost". They obviously didn't believe me. Trying to hide my apparent insanity I countered "So whats up with your suprise friends who just left without saying bye? Friendly huh?" "What friends Chad?"Natasha asked, appearing a little frustrated. "The three which just left!" I said, much louder than I had intended. " There were only four of us Chad! What three?" Saj said, obviously tired of the non-sense I was making. And I was baffled, how could there have been only four of us? There was Natasha, Saj, James.. those three people? I spoke to them. They were there... I saw them! This must be some conspired joke against me... I had hoped it was... It had to be.

The conversation ended with a most obscure ending, no one knew what was going on. Saj and Natasha left me with "This ain't funny Chad, see ya next week dude." I sinply waved goodbye to prove that i wasn't deaf.

My bus arrived.

Back

The dismissal bell sounded through the school and like escaping fish, students streamed out of their classrooms. I walked with the flow toward the canteen, passing a notice 'Student Concert- share your talent!', and planted myself at the 'usual' spot, a table smack in the centre of the canteen with a pillar behind the east bench. "Hey Chad!" The ageless cheer, it was Sapphire - she had mid length black hair which fell across right side of her face like a curtain covering her bright smiles which always reminded me of the sun, lightening gloomy days. I had just recently got to know Sapphire even though she claimed to be from the same batch of first-intake students into the college. But how was it possible? She wasn't short, and her estatic laughter was unmistakable! How could I not notice her existence till now? "Hey Saph" I replied before she skipped away toward the foodstalls."Talking to your imaginary friend again?" And this was Saj, a pegasus who was posted to the same class as I after dropping science for arts, large built reaching eight feet but his braces granted a more friendly appearance than one would usually have. "No, I'm not. Why'd you guys keep making fun of her? She's nice". Well, she'd be much nicer if she asked me out on a date" Saj remarked. "Right, dream on yo, I've got math to do". I sucked at math, it is a rare sight to see a passing grade on my report and i consider myself, exceptionally lucky to have got through my O's with a 'B4'. "Going anywhere later Chad?" Saj asked, biting his pen cap. "Yea, gonna start on another painting"I replied "Another dream?" "Probably" I mumbled.I loved painting, my hobby since my first stroke. Most of the time, I just painted anything which crossed my mind while holding the brush. Occasionally I just enjoy making swirls of different colors. But i must admit that my most outstanding pieces, are inspired by my dreams.

It was late in the evening by the time I had returned home and I went straight to my studio because I felt it was unnecessary to shower only when I'd get paint all over myself again. Either that or I was just lazy. "Paints... water... brush.. alright, now what?" I spent a few moments in a daze, in thought, searching for something to paint. But it wasn't because I didn't already have something in mind, I was trying to avoid it, my most recent dream.

I was sitting on a bench, in a field of black roses, staring into the sky, counting the stars. I had been there for hours and had eventually lost count but still looked at each star for a second to acknowledge its presence, to thank it for accompanying me in the dark. Out of nowhere a hand of ice touched my arm and I froze, too afraid to look at who was suddenly beside me. From the edge of my eye, I saw a figure, a woman, a shadow, all black and I felt a link to the dreams I had years ago. I was shivering from either fear, or the cold, or both. "Oz jrtr, fpmy nr dvstrf" it.. she, whispered into my ear, words I couldnt understand, but i stopped shiverring, her touch felt cold no more and gradually became warm, comforting. Seconds later, a huge gust of wind surged across the field from the left and there were black petals thrown all over. Her hand cluctched onto mine like a child afraid to be lost at a large carnival. I gripped onto the the hand with as much strength and with my other arm tried to shelter my face from the flowery storm. I struggled to keep my eyes open against the stinging of the chaotic petals but it overcame me and faded. When I opened my eyes again, I was on my bed with the sun beaming through the windows, I was late for school again.

After three years the dreams came back to me, dreams with shadowy figures with ice-cold skin. This was the fifth night in a row sice they returned and I wonder, why they came back. Or was it how they went away?

Awoke

All of a sudden he pushed himself off the desk, an uncontrolled reflex, and he sat there sweating all over as though he had been running for hours on end. In front of him lay an unfinished whirlpool of lost strokes and soulless colors. "shite" Fatigue had taken a toll on both his body and mind and slipped him into a dark chasm. It was dark, but still he could see shadows, blacker than pitch darkness, creeping closer and closer. "Hello? Who are you? Who's there?" But they just continued their silent approach toward him. The shadows had no face and the human shape was no reason to believe they were anything close to 'human'. With every closer step, his heart pounded harder and harder, and harder like someone was kicking a locked door open, but he couldn't move, his mind was a prisoner of his body, the realisation of this immobility struck him like a bolt of fear, even the luxury of screaming was robbed from him. Soon enough, the throbbing in his ears became deafening, he was standing in a crowd of black in black. He could feel breath from the crowd of shadows, but still he could see nothing. One shadow leaned over almost kissing his cheek and whispered into his ear "Upi str sapmr"- What did it mean? The language was most foreign but it had to mean something because he became white with fear, almost as if he was glowing in the dark and suddenly he was standing there in a pool of blood, his own, which gave up their vessels for panic to run in. (Drained of blood? I must be dead! But I'm still in my body?! Help!)

The messenger sealed the whisper with a kiss of blistering cold which left a sharp pain under his skull, and together with the others, turned away to return back into the black from which they were manifested from. "No! don't go! Please don't go! Come back!" Chad screamed, without even noticing the return of his voice. First he wanted to be nowhere near the shadows, and now he is begging them to stay. With each step farther, the throbbing became more overwhelming, the pain growing more unbearable,the veins along his temples started spreading across his face like a web trapping him from escaping a torture chamber- his own screaming echoed along with the throbbing into a single mass of insane noise and the pain pierced through his brain, ensuring the merciless massacre of body and mind. Upon reaching breaking point, the entire scene cracked like a blow to a television screen and shattered into a million pieces which formed back with the first blink he made, when he awoke at his desk. It was all a dream, a nightmare. There was still a pain in his head but now it was a mere headache from 'thinking too much'. His undried masterpiece became his temporary bed- he was covered in oils.

"What a nightmare" Chad said to himself as he showered the paints off his body. Being so tired he missed a patch on the left side of his face. He stood in front of his mirror to locate the stain, however, the moment his eyes met with his reflection, a full body of a black void walked out of the wall and kissed him, he began blinking madly and he was back. "It was only a dream, it was only a dream... a dream" It was clear the dream was far more tormenting than any other he had survived, but his self reassurance seemed to be enough, he began breathing normally, calmly again.

He only managed to wipe off half a smudge before he stopped breathing- his cheek was familiarly cold.

18March07

As we all can see, I've just started another blog, a long while from my last one which i foolishly abandoned in a tragic twist of fate, one which i hope will untwist itself.

My name is Charles G. Low. I just recently picked up a habit of reading (3 days ago), some other hobbies are rollerblading, dancing, singing, touch rugby and writing.
Part of this awesome band, The 'Troubled Cleff' which includes Joelle, Keniston, Victor and I.
I really hope we can go somewhere with our music.
Also from the Awesome Rising Crew, Joe, Shauna, Ken, Jordin, Ying Qi, El Roy and I.
I aspire to be a corporate lawyer, a grad from Harvard.
By the end of my life, I hope to build a school for the poor in either Vietnam or Cambodia, or both if possible:)
In my blog I'm also writing a short story which I'll update here and then called "Presence". I've already started on the first chapter 'Awoke' and this story will be in white. Anything with my personal life or anything else for that matter will be in yellow.
Hope You enjoy my Blog!