Dream Walker

8밤, 28일 12월

8밤, Night 8
December 27, 2013

Down the gravel streets, people hurried out of the winter weather, the sound of wet snow melting under the rubber soles of a thousand different shoes and cool breezes sweeping under cotton skirts and scarves. Across the street, women stood alone, shivering and solo, as men contemplated to take their chance to offer an umbrella or a some company; To find a bit of romance inbetween.

Somewhere a little ways from the station, a gentleman offered his coat to a young lady. Her eyes glistened with innocence at such genuine manner but with the shake of her head and a soft smile, she rejected his kind gesture. He smiled at her too, respectively, and nodded his head as she nodded hers, too, and then, watched as she turned on her heel and disappeared into the fog.

Under the darkening sky, the gentleman stood still, a feeling of loss sinking heavily in his chest and in a matter of seconds, the fortunes that his polite offer had promised were beginning to collapse before him. Where emotions resided and feelings were reserved, love laid ahead; but such fortunes were kindly denied.

On the opposite side of the road, my head hung low, and where the darkness occupied and the melancholy weather insidiously began to cast a shadow over me, I had begun to miss the warmth of the sun. Longing for its presence, I thought of clear skies, of blue, calm winds, peaceful silence, and then, as I had missed the sun, I had begun to miss a who; a familiar boring beauty; a Hani.

It was in an instant of a moment, when her hair swept across the floor of my mind, a banner of white lace trimmings hanging from the corner of my thoughts, white cloth gracing the walls, and Hani, pure as ever, peered up to me, as if I was the ceiling.

And I stared.

Blinking, her brown eyes smiled and there was no need to think of her lips, maybe curved at each end, maybe curved at one. With the creases that formed above her cheeks like bubbles on her skin, her eyes smiled. Her laughter echoed then, and I imagined it was her until the existence of another came to my attention. I apologised, having stepped into another man, and I hurried the rest of my way home, to my dreams.

Hung across my shoulder, I pulled my satchel over my head and settled it onto the dark oak of my desk. The room was gloomy and cold, and in need of light, so as I made my way to the lamp, the floors pricked my feet, as if I was walking upon blades of ice; I didn't mind. I was desperate for something that reminded me of the sun, maybe even Hani.

I didn't dress for the occasion - visiting her. I looked fairly well but not presentable enough, and it was strange. It seemed like, and felt like, today was a special day, as if it was more important than any of the other days I had came to visit her, and it was odd.

In a pair of slacks and my collared, school uniform shirt, I rested my eyes. From my throat, I could hear the constant breathing of air travelling throughout my body, and I felt the way my diaphragm expanded. My blood coursed through my veins and I felt my pressure rise. My heart was weakening and the rate it pumped became slower, my mind becoming heavy, until all at once, I couldn't breathe anymore and I woke, gasping for air. I had returned to the blue skies I'd missed all day.

"Boo,"

I looked over my shoulder, staring into those brown doe eyes that I had met but yet to figure out. She grinned, her bare feet planted into the grass as she leaned her knees forward and settled her elbows down, propping her chin into her palms..

"Hello," I said.

"Hello," she repeated after me and I couldn't help the smile that broke onto my face. "How do you do?"