Present Time...
I stared blankly at the ocean.
Sometime in the night, the tears had stopped flowing. I had stopped crying. I just stayed seated on the sand, lost in my own thoughts.
I had seen the sunset and also watched it rise. The heat from the sun only increased the intensity of the migraine pounding against my head. My eyes were swollen and they hurt from all the crying I had been doing the previous day.
I felt weak as well as sick. Maybe it was because I was starved. I didn't remember to eat yesterday and I was in no mood to eat today either.
Everything still felt like a bad joke. Hell, it felt like a bad dream that I was going to wake up from sooner or later. I didn't want to move or even stand. I just wanted to stay seated and wait for the nightmare to end.
My glasses had gotten too blurry. I had been ignoring it the whole time. It was high time I cleaned it to see clearer.
So I took it off and started to clean it with the elm of my girly sweater, as Kelvin would have said. I smiled at the thought and went on with my task.
Suddenly, the hair at the back of my neck stood. A cold chill ran down my spine and I gave an involuntary shudder.
I felt it.
The strange and creepy feeling of being watched.
Fear befell me instantly and my breaths started to quicken. I took in a shaky gulp and slowly turned my head to my left.
There!
At the far end of the beach, stood a blurry dark figure!
My eyes widened in shock. It was the same blurry figure from the meeting arena.
It stood unmoving and just watched me.
I stared fearfully back at it. My fingers went cold within seconds and I started to tremble.
Suddenly, it moved.
I gasped!
It pointed a finger at me.
That was all the encouragement I needed to stand. The moment I was up, I put my glasses back on and made a run for it.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I ran back inland. My heart pounded heavily against my chest. It was heating up fast like it would explode if pushed even harder.
That didn't discourage me. I kept on running.
I had no idea where I was going. All that mattered was that I was getting as far away from the figure as possible.
I finally came to a stop when I felt I had lengthened the distance between my persecutor and me; to my satisfaction.
I bent over and took my time to catch my breath. The migraine had stopped pounding so hard, which was quite strange. It should have gotten even stronger due to the fact that I had just run a couple of miles.
I shrugged it off and stood straight to take in my surroundings. Lo and behold! I was standing before The Arômes Park.
I let my legs lead me into the park.
I moved past the tree sections and took my time to admire the beautiful sight of nature.
The last time I had been here, it was for my date with Rema.
"Rema." His name tasted sweet on my tongue.
An image of his handsome face popped into my head. I saw his charming dimples flash at me.
A blush took over my face.
It's funny how even in his absence, he made me blush so much.
His absence.
Right, I had almost forgotten that I'm all alone.
I thought of the day of our date again. The way his voice gave me butterflies. The way he took my hand and led me to sit by the chair I was now standing before.
I ran my fingers along the edges of the chair as I smiled while reminiscing about my date.
How I longed for the company of someone, anyone...
I was about to get all teary again, so I left the tree area and proceeded to the quiet and deserted playground.
The only sounds I could hear under the brightly shining sun; were that of my sandals against the surface of the ground, as well as the call of nearby birds.
The playground consisted of the swing -which I also found fun in using frequently -the merry-go-round, the seesaw, and the sing-along stand.
All the playing tools looked lonely. It had been a while since children used it. This place used to be filled with children's screams. Gena's voice was always at the top of these screams, leading them on what to do next.
I smiled at the thought. I never knew I'd miss hearing those screams. It was always torture for me whenever Gena made me take her to the park. Now I longed to hear those screams.
I walked over to the sing-along stand. It was a machine stand that played nursery rhymes for the children. Each time someone made the mistake of pressing the start button, the children would sing noisily along with it.
I pressed the start button and it started to sing.
'Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle all the way...'
I never knew I'd ever love hearing this song. I smiled as I moved my head to the rhythm. I pressed the next button and the song switched.
'Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb...'
This time I laughed hard. This one was Gena's favorite song. She would scream so loud and I would cover my ears at the intensity of the scream.
My eyes started to fill up with tears again. The loneliness was sickening.
"Where is everyone? What is going on?" I asked pleadingly.
'...He followed her to school one day, school one day...'
Only the nursery rhyme answered me.
I laughed. I laughed hard. Maybe I was already losing my sanity. It's funny how an entire day and half of being alone could mess with my brain completely.
I was hallucinating, I was talking to myself and I was still laughing like a lunatic. The laugh was beginning to turn into a cry.
Bang!
I jumped and turned my head in the direction of the sound. It was the seesaw that had moved and hit the ground hard.
My gaze lingered on it, waiting to see what would happen next.
Nothing.
Maybe it was just the wind.
I turned my attention back to the sing-along stand. It was now playing a different song.
'Twinkle, twinkle Little star; how I wonder what you are-'
Swing swing!
I whipped my head towards the sounds. It was just the swing.
It's the wind. It has to be.
'...like a diamond in the sky, twinkle twinkle little star, How I wonder what you a-'
Whoosh whoosh!
I flinched, again. It was the merry-go-round.
Is it just the wind or something's causing it to move?
I swallowed the thick bile that had risen above my throat. I had to inspect it to be sure of what was going on.
'...Up above the world so high, like a-'
I switched off the music. Total silence hit me. I was reminded for the millionth time that I was alone. It was way too quiet. My fear lingered in the air.
I took a deep breath and slowly moved towards the merry-go-round. The beating pace of my heart gradually increased. My breaths were coming in heavy.
My sandals sunk in the sand as I slowly approached the merry-go-round.
Maybe I'm just being paranoid...
I finally reached it and checked every corner of the playing tool. It was painted red and yellow, after the sun. The idea was to remind children that the sun would always rise no matter what.
After scrutinizing it for five good minutes, I concluded that nothing could have made it move except the wind. I hadn't seen any button or hidden rope.
It was just the wind, silly me.
'Twinkle twinkle little star, How I wonder what you are...'
I jumped at the sound of the sing-along stand coming to life.
I thought I switched it off. . .maybe it's a glitch. . .
I made my way back to the machine and switched it off. I stared at it for a long time before turning my head towards the trees.
Bang!
I jumped and turned to see that it was the seesaw again.
The swing moved again, harder than before.
'Twinkle twinkle little star!'
I gasped.
What was going on?
Like my thoughts had triggered it. The whole playground went crazy.
'...Mary had a little lamb...'
My body started trembling violently. My eyes were wide with shock and I started sweating profusely. But the sound didn't stop.