"𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞."
― 𝐀𝐛𝐡𝐢𝐣𝐢𝐭 𝐍𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐫, 𝐀ş𝐤𝐚𝐧𝐣𝐚𝐥𝐢: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐟𝐢 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐧
WE all love our childhood, don't we? We were carefree, had no problems to worry about. But I hated my childhood. Growing up in an orphanage where people treated you like shit, was tough for 6 year old me to handle. Watching your fellow orphans get new parents but having no one look at you even once, was hard. Why would they? Why would people want a weird girl who always looked lost in her own world? Why would they want a crazy girl who lies about seeing inhuman things? I wished I died along with my parents.
I stopped. I stopped trying to act normal. I stopped trying to smile to show people I was happy. Because I am not. I am neither normal nor happy. There was a time, I wished there was someone who could make me happy. Now, I just gave up. I don't want people's acceptance anymore. It's not like I ever got it in the first place. I just want to know who am I? What's wrong with me?
I finally decided that I am going to talk to the creatures that I can see from the past 23 years of my life, instead of ignoring them. Maybe they can help me. With a newfound determination, I woke up early today and went out for a jog. I kept looking around me to see whether there was any weird creature but unfortunately I did not find anyone. I sighed and jogged for another half an hour. I saw a bench and started walking towards it but suddenly I saw something pink and bright flying in the air.
Finally.
I didn't know how to talk to them so I just awkwardly lifted my right hand and waved. I could see an old woman passing by me giving weird looks, probably wondering who the hell am I waving at. That bright and pink creature flew down and stood before me. He looked glittering, to say the least.
"Umm..hey?"
He did not say anything. He was just staring at me. Is he mute? Does he even speak English?
"Who are you?" I asked expecting an answer. He just stared at me again without answering anything. He can hear me. Then why isn't he answering me? I sighed. I didn't know talking to them was this tough.
"At least answer this question, please.....Do you know me?"
As soon as I asked the question, his head turned towards me and stared deep into my eyes.
I waved my hands in front of his face to gain his attention. The way he was staring at me was weird.
After a few seconds of staring, he finally smiled and gestured me to follow him. I frowned but started following him.
After what seemed like twenty minutes, the creature finally stopped in front of an old antique store. He smiled at me again and flew away before I could even ask why did he bring me here. Damn, I need wings too.
I looked at the entrance of the shop and decided to go inside. What could possibly go wrong? I opened the door and it made a loud creaking noise. Jesus, how old is this door?
I saw an old woman, probably 70 years old, cleaning the dust on her desk with her back facing me.
"Hey, Mrs?"
Why is no one responding today? Is this old woman deaf or did she not hear me? I tried calling her loudly once again.
"Hello, Mrs."
Still no response. I walked five steps forward and patted her back as if calling her. She started screaming and turned around to face me.
When she saw it was just me, she stopped screaming and glared at me.
"Hey, I tried calling you but you did not hear me," I nervously laughed.
She still kept glaring at me. God, what is this woman's problem? Suddenly, I heard a tune playing and turned left to see a creature playing what looked like an ancient white flute. I just shook my head and turned back towards the old woman and I found her staring at the creature too.
What? This can't be possible? How can this happen? Does this mean she is like me? I thought I was the only one who can see them. Finally, I am not crazy.
"You can see the creature too?" I asked her.
As if she realised that I was here too, she stopped staring at the creature and looked at me.
"I don't know what are you talking about," she said looking into my eyes.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Stop lying, I know you saw it too," I said.
"You are crazy, there is no one there. Stop wasting my time and get out of my shop, you crazy girl," she yelled at me.
"Please, you are the first person I know who can see those creatures too. I need your help. I beg you. Please help me," I asked her with a pleading expression.
"Look, get out before I call the police," she threatened me. She can't do that. At last, I found a person who can see those creatures and who can answer my questions. There is no way I am leaving without getting some information.
I clenched my fists. I felt waves of anger rushing through me. Heavy wind blew around me. The papers on her desk started flying. The woman looked around and tried to catch her papers. My hair flew back due to the wind exposing my neck and the woman turned towards me
"What is wron-," she stopped speaking when she saw something on my neck. Her eyes widened as if she saw something impossible.
"That mark, I - I know that mark," she said pointing at my neck.
I frowned, unclenched my fists and the wind stopped blowing. Her eyes still gazing at my neck.
I touched my neck where I had a weird tattoo-like thing since birth.
"What?" I asked confused.
She went inside the shop and I followed her, she opened a door of what looked like a room. There were thousands of books that looked at least a hundred years old. She rummaged around the shelf and she brought out a book.
She opened the book and gave it to me. The book had a picture of a woman that looked at least a thousand years old. She looked gorgeous. She had dark reddish brown hair cascading down her shoulders. But what really caught my interest was the mark on her neck. The exact one as mine. I turned the page but found nothing. The rest of the pages in the book were empty. I looked at the old woman who was now looking at me.
"Who is this woman?" I asked her.
"I don't know," she said. I narrowed my eyes.
"I really don't know, I am not lying. Last year, when I went to New York, I met a girl and she dropped this book down. She was running so I couldn't catch up with her to give her back this book," Her eyes widened with fear, scared that I might start another cyclone.
"Can I take this book?"
"Yeah, sure, take it," she said gulping. I didn't mean to scare her, it just happens when I am angry. I turned around to leave but-
"Wait a minute, you saw that creature too, right?" I asked her.
"Yes, I don't know why but I can see them from birth," she said.
I realised that she is as clueless as I am. I sighed and left the shop with the book in my hand.
***
I took a sip of my coffee, scrolling through my phone sitting on my couch. My mind went back to the picture of the woman in the book, which is currently lying on the desk in my bedroom. Who is she? Why does she look eerily similar to me? Or should I say why do I look so similar to her? And that mark? Is she my ancestor or something?
Ahhhhh! My brain is going to explode one day with all these questions. When will I ever find the answers?
I looked at the time and sighed.
If I won't start now, I will be late to work.
A/N : Hello guys,
Thank you so much for clicking on this book.
With love,
loveishatedbyme & astral_being_