The fall was pretty cool, until I hit rock bottom that is. Various thoughts went through my mind and the wind slapped against my face. A branch or two scratched me up, but those are scars whose tales I'll boast of.
I didn't scream, I was calm, enjoying the fall. The rush of adrenaline pumping through my veins and the head rush, caused me to embrace my fall. Until-
"Ouch." I groan in pain, when my leg stumps on a tree. But I passed too quick to get a hold of it. Was I awaiting an impending death? Nah, the clear blue-green water below was anything but threatening. If Nana could jump off and survive without a scratch, it'll be utter humiliation if I don't make it. As I neared the water, I held my breath. Splash! The water stung the parts where the branches scratched up and hitting the water with such immense force kind of hurt, but no one's gonna know that.
"Mel!" "Lia!" Scared and loud cries rang out. It's high time I got back to them for the enchanted cave fiasco. I lay on the rock, grabbed a purple flower near by that gave out a thick purple liquid when crushed. I crushed a few, and smeared it on parts of my body, I then took a tiny rock and scrubbed it against the rock I was lying on, until I obtained powder. I patted it over the purple smears, effectively making it look like bruises. There's no blood but this will do. I lay still as the dead on the rock, waiting for them to find me.
Seconds turned to minutes and minutes to hours but there was no sign of them and I unfortunately let go of my food packet during the fall. My body was placed awkwardly to make it look like I broke a bone or two, so the wait made it very uncomfortable and parts of my body was starting to hurt. I open my eyes to take a peek at where my two so called rescuers were. I open my eyes to meet two grinning faces hovering over my face.
"If you're done playing dead, let's get a move on." Shane says, as he dusts himself off and rises. He turns around to me and says, "Oh and don't expect enough to piggyback you to the car."
I huff, not saying a word. Ryan smirks like the jerk he is and slings an arm over my shoulder. "A word of advice, next time you scratch two rocks up try making lesser noise. If you hadn't made so much noise and we hadn't seen you, we would have totally fallen for the act." He raises my hand to eye level admiring my handiwork. "Pretty good if you ask me, it almost looks real."
I shrug it off, not talking. I had made up my mind to not talk to them because they watched me lie in that painful position for over an hour. I will not forgive such heartless and senseless acts.
"Oh and the food you stole from us didn't fall out of the bag when it hit the ground, so the two of us took the liberty of finishing it while you lay 'dead'." He said air quoting dead.
The audacity of the two boys! This is food and no one comes between me and my food! I will get revenge at all costs. We start walking towards the car and once we reach there I change directions and start walking towards home. I don't care how long it's going to take or even if I have to hitch a ride but I will not succumb to having any sort of relationship with them, atleast for a day or two. I had made up my mind.
Only after they buckled in and started the engine did they realize that I was walking. Shane drives up until he's beside me and honks, "Get in the car Mel. I don't have time for your drama."
I stick to my resolve to not talk to them and just shrug my shoulders and continue to walk. Shane drives alongside me honking so much that I think my ears are going to start bleeding. I cover my ears and give him the death glare, which just causes him to honk even more. After ten whole minutes of torture, a driver passes by and stops his car. "Are these boys troubling you?"
What a nice gentleman. I nod my head in confirmation. He parks his car in front of Shane's and knocks on the window, "You should probably leave her alone."
Ryan leans out the window and smirks. "What if we don't?"
The man flashes his badge and quirks his brow, "You were saying?"
Ryan's face pales and he shuts up. Shane shakes his head and tries to clarify. "Officer, Mel is by best friend and she's just angry because we ate her food. We're just trying to get her back in the car so we can go back home."
The officer looks back at me and laughs. "Well women don't cool too easily, let her walk it out."
Shane obediently nods and steps on the gas. I watch silently as they drive away. The police officer quirks his brow and asks if I need a ride home. I shake my head and walks towards home. He shrugs and drives off.
After I walk for over an hour, it starts to get dark and cold. I wrap my arms around myself to keep the warmth in. Goosebumps break out on my skin and my teeth start to chatter, I press down on my teeth to stop it from chattering, causing my entire body to shiver. Rubbing my hands up and down my arms I continue to walk. Just a little more, I tell myself. But I couldn't do it anymore. That's when I saw light, literally. There was a family sitting in an alley around a fire. I approach them, "Could I join?" The family welcomes me with warm smiles, I feel very comfortable sitting with them.
The family was very warm and loving, they started singing songs and the kids started to dance around the fire. I smile at the joy they found in little things. We're so caught up in our lives that we fail to stop and enjoy the small moments in our lives. Some of us have gotten accustomed to the little things that we're never satisfied with the real joys but yearn for materialism.
"You sing next." The two year old Anya says, tugging at my t-shirt. I beckoned her to sit in my lap and cleared my throat.
"I just can't sleep tonight.
Knowing that things ain't right.
It's in the papers, it's on the TV, it's everywhere that I go.
Children are crying.
Soldiers are dying.
Some people don't have a home.
But I know there's sunshine beyond that rain
I know there's good times behind that pain
Hey, can you tell me how I can make a change?
I close my eyes and I can see a better day
I close my eyes and pray
I close my eyes and I can see a better day
I close my eyes and pray
I lose my appetite
Knowing kids starve tonight.
Am I a sinner 'cause half my dinner is still there on my plate?
Ooh, I got a vision to make a difference.
And it's starting today.
'Cause I know there's sunshine beyond that rain
I know there's good times behind that pain
Heaven, tell me I can make a change.
I close my eyes and I can see a better day
I close my eyes and pray
I close my eyes and I can see a better day
I close my eyes and...
I pray for the broken-hearted
I pray for the life not started
I pray for all the lungs not breathing.
I pray for all the souls that need a break.
Can you give 'em one today?
I just can't sleep tonight.
Can someone tell me how to make a change?
I close my eyes and I can see a better day
I close my eyes and pray
I close my eyes and I can see a better day
I close my eyes and I pray."
I honestly don't know why I sang this song but with all the terrorist attacks that's been going on, I guess it seemed right. I don't know. Sigh.
"You have a beautiful voice." Rayna, the older sister says.
I thank her and get up thinking I should be on my way. "Thank you so much for letting me warm up."
"We share what little we have because God loves a person who gives cheerfully." The father says smiling at me. Tears brim my eyes and I blink them away. I make up my mind to come by tomorrow. As I walk away I hear Anya crying, complaining that she's hungry and I hear her mother coax her asking her to go to sleep. I barely make it out of eat shot without breaking into tears.
______
"Took you long enough." Ryan says as I walk into my house. He gets up and heads towards the door. "I guess I'll leave."
After he leaves, I look around for Shane. "Mum?" I ask when she walks into the foyer, where I was standing wondering where Shane was. "Have you seen Shane?"
"He said he had some work to catch up on, so he left a few minutes ago." She smiles and as she turns around it turns into a frown and she looks back at me, narrowing her eyes. "Have you been crying?" She asks concerned.
I shake my head denying my almost breakdown earlier. She doesn't accept it and walks towards me, examining me. "Who gave you these bruises? Did someone hurt you? I knew I should have got those boys to pick you up the minute they got home. It was getting dark out, Malia who did this to you? Tell me what happened, whatever it is I'll make sure they pay."
I had forgotten about my fake bruises. I laugh at how gullible my mother was and relate to her what happened. She laughs in the beginning and once she heard about the family she had tears in her eyes.
"They are out in the cold, with no food and only a fire to warm them up?" She asks. I nod my head and she gets up and goes out of the room. I sit there awestruck, wondering what just happened. After a while she comes out with a basket and a cover, "Let's go give those hungry souls some food. It'll do us some good too."
I love how my mother is so sympathetic and caring. She drives as I sit in the side seat giving her directions. When we get there, the fire was still lit and they were sleeping around it huddled together to stay warm. We walk towards them, they looked so sound asleep that we didn't have the heart to wake them. We place the basket of fruits and the cover filled with various nutritional food items and start to walk away when-
Hey, I know I'm late. So what happened was, I finished writing this chapter on Wednesday but I forgot to publish it on Friday. I'm such a dumdum.
Anyhow, this was my favorite chapter. Hopefully there will be better chapters and with everything that's been happening, especially the Manchester bombing, I felt the need to write something that'll will make some sort of difference. There are so many people suffering and most of us just sit at home and the most we do is post on social media #prayformanchester. It creates awareness but it doesn't really help. I know we can do nothing much about the Manchester situation but atleast we could be the change around us. Look around I'm sure you'll be able to find someone in need. Also, pray for Manchester, that's the best you can do for them.
I know a lot won't agree with my views but for the sake of humanity, try making a difference because in the end it's worth it. It will bring you immense joy.
Anyway, what do you think happened to Malia and her Mum? And did you already forget about the filthy vile hands?
Until this Friday, toodles.
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