Friday and Summer Evening

7 p.m. Happy to end my week. It's the end of the month and it's a routine to process something important before going home. Today's one of these few days. Left by colleagues alone in the building, I feel my own footsteps. I walk fast to the parking area. Most cars are gone. I can count the remaining ones. I proceed to the bike shed. My bike's one of the very few left. I unlock my bike. I mount it. I open the shed door with my chipped-badge. I cycle homeward.



The street's empty. The sound of the wind is strong. The shower was so thin I can barely feel with the wind. The Vliet canal's quiet, no boat, no kayak girls and guys, no one. The team of fun-fishers camping along the canal during the entire week's gone too. No one, stillness, only nature and me and my bike.

The sky's darkening, I speed up to avoid stronger rain. Another street. The cars line the side of the street, everyone's home? Or everyone's away leaving the cars? No food smellfromhouses, no TV flashing views from the windows. No life. Still the wind blows. Warm from biking, cold from the wind. Mixed emotions.

The street's almost done. I have to cross and take another smaller street. Oh! Two souls! A father and a son on their respective bikes. Kiddie's too small. I think he's two. Dad's happy giving directions. They both have red sweaters. I bike past them. I have to cross the Sir Winston Churcillaan. Still quiet, a few cars while I cross. Calm. No heavy traffic. I am near home, still no one around biking. I could smell my dinner. Feeling warm. Feeling not alone. I arrive at my bike shed. I keep my bike, I run upstairs. Someone's there. Amore.

No more alone, no more mixed feelings. Only warmth and love. Summer in Rijswijk Netherlands, Friday evening.

Pain... at 17:05 26/07/11

Pain

Some hate it

some love it

some avoid it

some embrace it

Is it essential?

Is it immaterial?

Is it lethal?

But is it mortal!

Pain...

Pain..

It's nothing

But humane!

The First Snowflake By Webbielady

It’s third week of November. We were trying to hold it together up there. It’s not our time yet. We needed to hold onto each other, trying not to fall down, not to precipitate. We held each other strongly yet our force was futile: we had to fall; we could not stay within the atmosphere any longer. We, as crystalline water ice, had no better choice but to turn from clouds to snowflakes, as the humans call it.

We were told from the very beginning that we have a cycle. We cannot stay in one stage of our life for a long time. Just like today, after a few days of staying as clouds, we have to turn into rain or snow. And here I am, one of the many billions snowflakes drifting down… down…down… and now I landed as a beautiful snowflake, fresh and pure. I landed on a leaf.

Very near where I landed is a lady enjoying the snowfall. She hums as she tries to catch some of us still falling down immensely. She did so for about 10 minutes happily but as time goes by, she eventually got bored and started to feel cold.

“What on earth I forgot those keys for! I hope mom doesn’t get caught in traffic thatlong…. Brrrrr….brrrr…”

Now I knowwhy. She is waiting in the doorway for her mother to arrive home. Anotherquarter an hour passed and her phone rang.

“Where?...What?!... Still in Utrecht? But that’s another at least 30minutes mom. To who? To Helma’s? No..no.. I cannot, I am soaked… I better waityou here… An hour? Why?... Please mom, I’ll just wait you here….brrrr…. takecare, Mom. Love yah!”

Now Istarted to pity her. An hour in cold is a challenge. I feel a bit guilty fornot holding strong enough up there. Now we cause trouble down here, we are muchunexpected as it’s only November! It’s our fault! We were not strong enough toresist falling down.

-Hi Jes! Why are you here in this weather? Youlook cold too!

=Yeah, I’m waiting for Mom. I left my keysinside.

-Oh, that doesn’t sound fun. Mind to come inwith me to have some hot chocolate, tea or coffee?

= No, never mind. Mom will be here in fewminutes. Thanks anyway, Rob.

-A’ight. I’ll wait with you here. It’s a fewminutes as you said anyway.

=No, no! Are you crazy? It’s cold here.

-No, don’t worry. Let’s just chit-chat tillyour mom arrives.

=It’s not really necessary, jot get in. Momwill be here very soon.

-I’ll get inside if you come with me. So, untilyou change your mind, I am stuck here with you.

I am amazedby Rob’s insistence. For another 20 minutes Jessica and Rob talked aboutschool, work, life and everything. I was a happy witness on the leaf abouttheir conversation. They laugh and talk and she almost forgot she’s half-soaked.

Theconversation continued, a dinner date for the Friday evening has been set, atennis match has been set, a Calculus tutorial on Sunday has been fixed and alot of other plans have been discussed. Yet, Jessica’s mother has still notarrived. I assume another 30 minutes. Another phonecall…

Yes Mom. You’re near?... Huh? … Arnhem? Why? Oh,no…. I’mokay Mom, Rob’s here inviting me inside his house but I told him you’re near….Another 30 minutes? That heavy and slow?... Okay…okay… take care, Mom. Bye.

-So?

=Okay, in we go.

-That’s it. I’m starting to freeze here too.Let’s go!

That’s it.I am not sure if I am still here to witness the tennis match and when they goout for dinner. It’s only Monday. I hope not to melt until weekend to witnessmore but my life in each stage is short. I will be in the atmosphere againsoon, during my condensation cycle. It is not a boring and disappointingprecipitation after all. I have a story to tell when I condense back to theatmosphere. I will surely tell the lovely story of Rob and Jessica. I bet theirstory is only starting.

Chapter II. I Am The Messenger: That Last Day

It was a beautiful weekend. Sunny as always in the city where my parents and I lived. Being a lazy kid at school where all my needs was provided easily by my ever understanding and generous dad. School was not a problem either: my dad has connections and I was always failing in all the tests. Why should I care? I would surely pass and make it to the next school grade anyway. Yes, just like the year before and the year before that.

To inspire my little lazy dumb brain,and bad attitude too, dad and mom wanted to give me some special weekend treat. I chose to go out and do shopping with them, have them buy all I wanted. We have loaded everything into our car and decided also to head to the nearby restaurant for dinner that Saturday evening.

After dinner, I knew my parents were tired but I was always the deciding factor and after all I knew it was I they wanted to please so that I would study at least a bit. I was thinking back then, "Oh f_ _ k that s_ _ t! Why should I?"

Being a typical me, and to partially punish my parents for not leaving my ass alone, I opted to watch the last show in the cinema with them. I can't even remember what that stupid film was! It ends around 9:30 PM and it was so much stretched day for mom and dad. And I did not care, I was actually enjoying seeing their exhaustion.

It was already late when we finished the film or when we decided to get back home. It was just before ten o'clock at night.We were in the parking of the cinema building and I was still sulking because of my parents who forced responsibilities on me. At least the way I thinkof it that time. I really hated that.

As I was sulking, it was when my dad was about to open the car doors when two masked individuals shot him thrice: head, head and left chest. They did the same to my mom. I wondered why they did not shoot me too. They searched for dad's wallet, took all the things they could put their hands intofrom the car and they also took my mom's shoulder bag. They took all the jewelries and watches my parents were having on that day.

I was immobile leaning hugging one of the nearby posts as I saw my parents shot to death. I was in that position until the police and ambulance arrived. That was when my lazy and comfortable and wealthy life was ended...

To be continued

Chapter I. I am the Messenger