A treehouse must have an evacuation chute. Let me just repeat that, please. A treehouse MUST have an evacuation chute. Not necessarily because you need to protect yourself from all the danger that may come by you while you are up there exploring among the canopy, but because it is so much FUN!! Does anybody still remember that word or has it gone extinct? Just imagine, every time you need to get back to the headquarters, aka "HQ" or even the "main wing of the house" (Mum liked this one!) it's one quick slide down a pole or down a rope ladder. The velocity of a body sliding down the chute determines the "transparency index" that works upon your body as you go down the chute, you see, the faster you go, the more "transparent" you will become and your "enemies" will struggle to see you, let alone catch you.
"Go Say Hello." As parents, we say this with such ease as if it's the easiest thing to do. When young, we would do this with such ease, as the easiest thing to do on this planet. Strangely, somehow, we pick up inhibitions of various sorts and begin to struggle to execute what we once felt was the easiest thing to do. How do these things suddenly become so difficult to do?
“Ugh, not again…!”
I secretly cuss under my breath, annoyed to experience this once again. It’s once too many.
I look around the room. I’m at a party and everybody appeared to be having a good time till I noticed time had frozen around me once again. Everyone else in the room froze with me, interestingly the others don’t seem bothered by this. No doubt, once the “time freeze” is over, they will “defrost” and all will go back to go about their merry way.
Now I have absolutely no idea who is controlling this. I am now anxious because I think I am the one causing these “freezes”. That somehow I had developed this special ability to freeze time and jump-start it again at will.
Till one night I am at another party and time stops again. Everybody is frozen, except this one guy at the other end of the room…
“What? You’re not freezing in time this time?” The guy across the room gives me a cheeky grin.”
“Nah, I thought I’d take a look at what’s happening while everyone else is frozen in time…”
“I can’t believe you told them my secret…now I have to disappear, again!”
“N, no… please.. I’m sorry, I.. I didn’t realise what I’ve done would be so damaging.., I.. I’m so sorry…, please, don’t go.. please stay..!!”
They feed on your dreams. Nightmares are scary and horrible but they give them energy and strength. In turn, they will fight your demons for you in your dreams, they are a necessary evil. Who would have known the whole business structure of dreams, how they operated and how they were funded, strengthened and how they flourished. And who would’ve known, that if I wrote about this in a novel, only because I was out of ideas and I thought it would be okay to write about how my dreams worked, who would’ve known it would lead to this..my little guardian angel, in a form of a pet rock of mine, that spoke and gave me guidance.. was to disappear!?
“Please don’t go, stay. I really need you for guidance…!! You’ve helped me navigate through life. Please, don’t go…!!”
“She is so beautiful and smart, liked by everyone. Good at everything. There’s no competition.”
“Indeed. It makes it difficult sometimes to stay neutral and not get consumed by jealousy, for being so adored by everyone.”
“I think it’s her stare. She looks in deep, deep into you till you go transparent. It’s scary. She sees through your body and gets a visual of your soul. She seems to be able to tell if you are rotten inside. It’s frightening when you think she can aquire a glimpse of your rotten side. She is a like a mirror that can project your rot and faults. A side of yourself that no one wants to see, especially yourself.”
“Say something somewhat crazy that can leave an impression. Like… Oh I dunno..”
Gramps grinned.
“What do you mean you don’t eat ice cream in winter? It’s the best time! Let me take you to go get some.”
“And so I held out my hand and she placed hers in mine. What ? Do I remember what flavours we got ? As if, May darling, I was so nervous, I felt like I didn’t need my coat.”
“She was so beautiful. Her smile could warm up anyone’s heart or an entire room. Her presence was like a little fire. I’d just want to capture her warmth and take it with me everywhere I went.
“Oh Grampa, that’s so romantic..!”
My granddaughter May exclaimed. My grandson Jack made a gagging noise and got kicked by his sister. I struggled somewhat to suppress my grin.
Kyle arrived back from school and the first thing he had to pick up from the floor was his jaw.
He did not expect to find half of contents of his living room scattered all over the living room floor.
It was a distressing and frightening sight to come home to.
He wanted to ask his mother what had happened today in the living room, whether his mother was okay and that she wasn’t hurt.
But he was scared he might fall to pieces if he asked.. he was already struggling to keep it together himself.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh, not fair!! Moooooooooooom!! Jack cheated !!!”
“I DID NOT!!!”
“CHEATER!!”
“Okay, Sam I think that’s enough.”
“Ugh, that’s it, I’m telling ya, there has got to be some kinda conspiracy…!! The next person who wins is adopted!!”
“SAM!!”
“SAM!! CUT THAT OUT RIGHT THIS INSTANCE!!!”
Their parents called out Sam’s name, a little too loud and harshly. Loud enough to plant a little seed of doubt about how things were, harsh enough to let that seed of doubt grow. How Sam was situated in this family. Something started to not sit right and it started to bother him.
“So, Sam, you found out you were adopted from a game of monopoly?”
“Yeah. So stupid, huh?”
“I don’t think being adopted is stupid, but the way you found out was a bit random.. musta come as a bit of a shock. Are you okay?”
Sam shrugged.
“Yeah.. I suppose. It’s just an extra little nugget of knowledge I dug out about myself. Y’know, Jack and I have yelled at each other, telling the other that they’re adopted all the time, never really believing it. Just kinda comes as a shock when something vague comes into focus and it turns out to be true, if you get what I mean.
“Yeah, I think I do get what you mean Sam. So.. are you okay?”
Sam shrugged.
“Yeah. I mean, nothing has really changed, right? Things are.. business as usual, right?”
“Yeah.. I suppose you’re right.”
“Look, although I’ve joked about saying that I must’ve been adopted, I never quite believed it. My parents never let me believe it, y’know.”
“Hey, that’s sweet. You’ve got nice parents.”
“Yeah, I guess. So I suppose nothing has really changed…”
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaagh, not fair!!”
“Moooooooooooom!! Jack cheated !!!”
“I DID NOT!!!”
“CHEATER!!”
“Okay, Sam I think that’s enough.”
“Ugh, that’s it, I’m telling ya, there has got to be some kinda conspiracy…!! The next person who wins is adopted!!”
“SAM!!”
“SAM!! CUT IT OUT RIGHT THIS INSTANCE!!!”
Their parents called out Sam’s name, a little too loudly. Loud enough to plant a little seed of doubt about how things are, how Sam’s beautiful family was put together and how Sam was situated in this family. Something started to not sit right and it started to bother him.
“So, Sam, you found out you were adopted from a game of monopoly?”
Sam nodded as he gave a wry smile.
“Yeah. So stupid, huh.”
“I don’t think being adopted is stupid, but the way you found out was a bit random and terribly sudden. It musta come as a bit of a shock. Are you okay?”
“Yeah.. I suppose. It’s just an extra little nugget of knowledge I dug out about myself. Y’know, Jack and I have yelled at each other, telling the other that they’re adopted all the time, never really believing it. Just kinda comes as a shock when something vague comes into focus and it turns out to be true fact, if you get what I mean.”
“Yeah, I think I do get what you mean Sam. So.. are you okay?”
Sam shrugged.
“Yeah. I mean, nothing has really changed, right? Things are.. business as usual, right?
“Yeah.. I suppose you’re right.”
“Look, although I’ve joked about saying that I must’ve been adopted, I never really believed it. My parents never let me believe it, y’know.”
“That’s sweet. You’ve got nice parents.”
“Yeah, I guess. So I suppose nothing has really changed…”
“…Why do you keep saying that?”
“Say what?”
“That nothing has changed.”
Sam bit his lip.
“Jace, Jack hasn’t taken it very well.”
“Oh..”
“Yeah. We might need time to adjust, or some counseling..”
Unrequited. Like the time my crush ended up with my best friend and my heart broke in two.
It was really as if my heart was like one of those treats they serve at traditional tea ceremonies.
Those sugary and powdery sweets made out of starch and sugar, when nibbled into, they break into little pieces in your mouth, lapping up and robbing every single drop of moisture in your mouth, turning the inside of your mouth into a dryland.
Instant dry land. If only I could sprinkle you with words, that I liked you all along and as much as I adore my best friend, it was you that I loved, it’s always been you.
