Everytime I arrive the door breaks just a little more. Deep cracks appear on the crimson wood. Everytime I feel broken.
Why do I keep opening the door? Why, when all that ever happens is it breaks.
Over and over.
I sigh as I place the key into the lock.
I turn it and the door opens, I dare not look in.
But then I hear something.
It starts as a low thud and then it quickens. It becomes steadier and steadier.
“No way!” I exclaim as I turn to look.
The cracks on the door are mending, a bright glow shines from within.
“They’ve done it! They’ve actually gone and done it!” I jump up and down with joy as I realise this isn’t like any of the others.
He’s found the one to mend his heart and I get to witness it.
A heart is like a plant except it doesn’t need watering instead it needs affirmations to allow it to keep beating.
It needs compliments to halt the love from fleeting.
A heart needs gifts to keep it going, little surprises to keep you knowing that the one they’re from is the one to keep in your heart for years to come.
A heart needs acts that show you care, like sharing your food or knowing you’re there.
A heart needs quality time, it needs to know that the one is the one to maintain your blood flow.
It beats and it beats and pleads for attention a heart needs to be touched for it to keep going. It needs to be held so we can keep knowing that the one is one who’ll keep our love growing.
Red. Bloody red, the colour crimson, merged among the greens.
A cloaked figure approaches you unseen.
It wears a red robe akin to Little Red and as it approaches it whispers for your death.
You fear the red, you fear being dead.
But nobody can escape the reaper’s scythe.
Nor the Red Robe’s knife.
It shields beneath its sleeve.
Your family they shall grieve as they find you on the ground covered in red.
Red. Bloody red, the colour crimson, merged among the greens.
-Space-
The ship sailed towards the ozone layer, its captain checking the map to make sure it’s the right place.
“Golorb pador falom pe??” It looks to its colleague who gives a shrug. The captain sighs realising they’ve arrived at the wrong destination. It goes to change course, but realises they’ve used up all their fuel getting to this planet far out from where they were headed.
The captain looks to its colleague with a scowl before proceeding to slap them on the cheek with its tendril.
“Wol pi mor gasta!!!” It flails its four vines into the air as the colleague runs their leaf over their sore cheek before looking down at the planet below.
“Er gok lon do?” They ask the captain.
The captain sighs and stretches one of its appendages across the room before grabbing a small purple coin which it inserts into the dash board.
“Terra” an automated voice confirms.
“Terra” the two creatures say in unison as they take in the blue marble below them.
-England-
Ryan looks up to the night sky, shopping bag in one hand, freshly opened can of beer in the other. His eyes bulge in shock as he stares at the silvery object above. He’s never been one to believe in aliens and he’s not going to start now.
He looks down at the can in his hand and scampers over to the closet bin before lobbing it in.
“Dodgy beers making me see things” he shakes his head as he carries on his way home refusing to look above him.
“New Zealand-
“I reckon it’s aliens!” Kai says to his sister.
“Aliens? Nah it can’t be they only go to America.”
“Ah yeah you’re right. What is it then?”
Annie raises a hand above her eyes to stop the glare of the sun on the metallic object. Not that it does much good.
“Hopefully new satellite, the reception out here is rubbish.”
She carries on leaving Kai behind as he stares up at the ship.
“Fancy” he shrugs as he follows his sister’s lead.
-Mexico-
Paulo makes the sign of the cross and places a kiss on his rosarie as he kneels on the ground his eyes facing away from the sky.
He begins to whisper a prayer as other people in the street begin to do the same.
Matías looks over at the commotion with a sceptical look before looking up to the sky and seeing what all the drama is about.
He immediately pulls out his phone and points it up to the sky. He starts streaming the stationary object to his followers as thousands of messages pop up saying they can see it too.
-Space-
A notification pops up on the console and the captain clicks accept. Matías’ video among hundreds of others appear on the screen and the colleague smiles awkwardly as they look away from the captain.
“Digbo!” The captain exclaims as it slaps the colleague yet again, this time all four of its vines snapping simultaneously.
The colleague cries out in pain as they too raise their vines and begin to whip at the captain. The two get into a fight and send the ship rocking back and forth before one the eight vines knocks a button and the ship goes hurtling towards Terra.
They look at each other wide eyed before holding each other firmly, screaming as they head down straight towards a place that pops up in red flashing lights saying Nevada.
At first I thought my human had brought home a new friend. I was excited to greet them and barked most excitedly. I wagged my tail so much I felt like it was going to fly off like when my human throws a stick for me to catch.
My human took the friend down the stairs and I wanted to follow but my human closed the door on me and called me a good boy. I was confused but sat and waited patiently for my human and the friend.
After what felt like eternity and my eyes were getting sleepy my human returned through the door and patted me on the head. But they were alone and I was confused so I tilted my head.
My human fell asleep on the sofa and I could smell something strange so I went to investigate with my nose.
My nose led me to the door and I realised it was partly open so I pushed it open with my nose and followed it down the stairs.
The smell led me to a blanket and I nudged it with my nose and saw the friend laying there. I was confused why they were sleeping covered in red water and I nudged them to wake them up.
When they didn’t wake up I barked and I barked and my human came running down the stairs. My human was angry at me and called me a bad dog. I was scared so I bit my human on the hand and ran away.
I started cowering in my bed and my human came back up. My human gave me a treat and apologised, but I could never look at my human the same way again.
If beauty is subjective then so is ugliness.
You say my sweater is ugly and I’m inclined to agree, but nevertheless this sweater is a bit of me.
I wear it no matter the weather, in rain and in snow. I wear it in the summer as the sun heats me so.
I’m attached to this sweater as I’m attached to my arms. I see no reason to protest or come forth with any qualms.
I’m not hurting nobody by wearing this sweater. I sleep in it and I’ve never felt better.
Does it need a wash? Yes perhaps it does, is it true that on occasion it’s covered in bugs? But it’s not like I can remove it, it’s fused to my bones. For in this sweater I died on the day I never made it home.
“You cannot be serious!” She says in horror as he leans down offering his back to her.
He makes no effort to respond just stays in position waiting patiently.
“This is humiliating!” She cries as she climbs onto his back hooking her legs through his arms and holding on tight to his neck.
The man wades through the mud as the woman constantly looks down to make sure her shoes aren’t grazing the murky pool.
The sweltering sun shines down on them both causing her to sweat in a very unladylike fashion.
Tiny insects flutter around them as she attempts to swat them away with the back of her purse.
“Is it to be much farther?” She demands as the man rolls his eyes and continues to ignore her.
She lifts her hand to shield her eyes as she looks out to see nothing but mud leading all the way to the horizon.
“Oh will you get a move on! It’s going to take us a week.”
The man tired of listening to the woman moan and complain for the last hour decides to loosen his arms, feigning a stretch.
She screams as she slips and scrambles to remain on his back.
“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare!” She cries as he laughs and locks his arms back into place.
She huffs, but gives him no more grief as she lets him continue on.
I look in the mirror and what I see is not me. Stubble on my chin, whiskers on my lip. It’s not me, it’s not me, it’s not me!
My hair is long and that’s how I like it.
“Cut it” they say, but I ignore them because I know that is me. I am long hair, I am smooth skin.
But the hair can’t stop my facial hair or the flatness of my chest.
I long to be me. To see myself in the mirror, to feel myself in everything I do.
I don’t want to wear feminine clothing, that isn’t me. But that does not mean that I’m not a feminine person, my soul is feminine, my body should be too.
I don’t long to be a woman, it’s confusing and frustrating, but I long to be myself and that body is not the one I’m in.
At the moment I feel numb, injured by the wrong terminology placed upon my form.
I feel alone in my struggle, my friends supportive, my boyfriend too, but they don’t truly understand. How can they? They don’t know what it’s like to be me.
Though I have never yet been complete, I know what I should be.
I don’t long for perfection, that’s unattainable, I just want to be myself. In all its imperfect glory.
I want to be complete, not perfect.
Fragile, that’s me.
Floating away past sea and trees.
Up in the air with all my cares iridescent and adhered to me.
I can see them, but they don’t see me. At least not really or truly.
I dare not push for I will pop and I do not know what will happen then.
I long to taste the cool sweet air, not this soapy film covering body and hair.
I remember not how or when I found myself inside this sphere, who put me here? Who left me there? I’ll never know, but I do care.
For I’m alone inside a bubble, I mean no harm, I want no trouble. But I’m alone and I am scared, this thin casing is my protection and my jail.
I dare not leave for if I do a breakdown is imminent this is true.
So please do not pop me, leave me be, I may be alone and I may not be free, but this is my home and inside it is me.
Jake returned to his bed wearing nothing but his boxers and vest. His room though tidy was cluttered with merchandise from his favourite game franchise ‘Dinosaurs & Basements’. He was OBSESSED! Ever since his friends had introduced him to it when he was just a kid.
He eats sleeps and breathes the game and became so good he became the T-Rex of his region. That’s the highest level in the game you could receive. Most people only make it to the Raptor rank and then stay stagnant.
Every night Jake goes to bed and allows his game to run without him physically playing. Whenever a herd of Dinosaurs comes to take his domain he’s set up an alarm to blast out from his phone. He’ll go downstairs to the desktop and defeat the herd before going back to sleep.
The players of his region learnt this habit of his and tonight they’ve been relentless. In herds of six to ten they attempt to break through Jake’s basement every ten or so minutes. At first he thought it was a piece of cake, but after two hours of having his sleep disrupted he found himself unable to stir himself out of bed when his alarm blared.
The next morning Jake smiles as he stretches, daylight caressing his face as he gets up out of bed. He doesn’t bother to change, he will just quickly check his game then go about his morning.
He approaches the desktop and notices something odd on the screen.
“No, no, no!” He runs over as he clicks on a notification.
“Your Basement Has Been Raided, You Have Been Demoted to Rank: Raptor!”
Jake slammed his fist down on the desk as tears burned his reddening face. All his years of work ruined!
It would take him months to even get close to having a basement the size of his old one and he would never regain his status. Not from lack of trying, but from lack of caring. He’d been defeated in the game he loved, his interest - extinct.