SMILE

Chapter 2 Balloons

I am sure it is my last time seeing it; but it was probably not his last or first time seeing me; I was talking about it every day, at school, and at home, going to sleep. He could’ve been watching my every step, anywhere and probably everywhere I went. That’s the scary thing for kids like me walking down the streets alone. That is why I’m afraid of the dark; it’s all because of that dumb clown. And that happened and how I gained my fear of the darkness. I felt someone’s arm around my shoulder. ‘I-is that y-you?’ I said. ‘Y-yeah, it’s me.’ I took a silent sigh of relief... as we kept venturing in the colourless tunnels, scared if we bump into a wall. When we went down another tunnel, we saw a ball of light. ‘What is that?’ I asked slowly. ‘Light?’ Autumn spoke. We began walking towards the light cautiously, and we walked closer... ‘A yellow balloon? A glowing balloon?’ I said. Autumn sauntered towards the balloon, but not in a relaxed manner, more cautious than relaxed. Her hand reached out, and she grabbed the string.

An idea popped into my head like a text message. ‘We can use it as a torch,’ said Autumn. ‘That’s what I was thinking.’ Autumn put her arm around my shoulder and we began trotting further in the tunnel, continuing our more single egg hunt for Austin in the darkness; darkness has all kinds of meanings: a shade, absence of colours, and lack of light. But to me, it is fear. As most kids; has darkness as fear. I’d seem to recognize it differently than a usual kid would. To me, it isn’t just not knowing what or who is around me . . . It is what it represents, and I have a feeling . . .  I don’t have the full meaning of what darkness.
         
Means to me. I will figure it out, eventually; my cousin whom is very young, he fears the dark just like me. Despite him being pretty much as fearful as me, he fears the meanings; mourning and death; it makes him think that something in the future that is going to happen and he cannot stop it, or someone in the future of his family would sadly pass away. My cousin and I aren’t the only people in our family who fear the dark. My grandma was; ever since she was fifteen or younger, she was terrified of the dark. It scared her because she doesn’t know who or what is watching her, not by what I think. She was pretty much just like me and my cousin. We turned our first corner in the forbidden tunnels. I’ve began getting worried about Austin, and that we didn’t know how to get out of the tunnels. Well, we can just head back, but it isn’t the best way. We can’t only rely on one thing, whether it will be hope.

We can’t rely on will; because we do not know that it will happen. Whether, if Austin will be alright, or we will get out of this clown manor. It’s sure terrifying if you don’t know where you are going. We are pretty much in a dimension; not knowing where to go and not being able to find anyone to help us find our friend. We heard some faint footsteps in the distance. ‘Hello?’ I said loudly, whilst my voice began making multiple copies of itself, repeating what I’ve said, as it fades down in the tunnel. Autumn and I began walking slowly towards it. We have a voice. It was hard trying to work out what it was in my head, but it sounded like Austin. Autumn and I’d ran towards the sound, thinking it was Austin. ‘Austin!’ I yelled, sure that it was possibly Austin. It wasn’t raspy like a clown’s voice; so it can’t be that.

So it must’ve been Austin then. And it is likely, what other kid knows about this place? We ran towards where Austin was in the distance down the tunnel. Sprinting towards him, thinking of him began pulling back memories. So I can focus on trying to help ourselves find him. It’s a mission, but I don’t know how long this mission is, possibly. It could take days to find him. Well, we are on a time limit, because we are likely to find him alive, whereas if we only find him in two or more days. He could be dead or even for hours. ‘Austin!’ I shouted under pressure, worried if we will not find Austin. Autumn stopped walking, and I stopped walking as well, looking at her face, still looking worried. She was trying so hard to not have her face succumb to worry.
‘Summer, stop shouting for Austin. We will find him.’ ‘What? I have to shout at him for him to know where we are.’ ‘he isn’t the only one who will know where we are,’ she whispered. We looked at each other blankly.