Labelled Water Bottles

A dream I had one night. Might contain mild violence and grotesque imagery.

Sitting, sitting on my denim patched couch like a little flaky potato playing a classic one on one fighting game in arcade mode. This was the miserable state I was in. the screen was a big rectangle surrounded by books of every color and size. The walls were barely seen from the several graphic prints and posters covering them. Well, the landlord never spoke about never ruining the walls, anyway. It smelt like wet paper, wet paper, wet! Yes, wet. Which reminds me, I should go and buy a bottle of pure water and a glass globe.

I jumped off the couch to wear an old, oversized, gray trench coat which lied on the couch. its collar scratched my neck as I adjusted  it. The trench coat was dirty. Blotched with colorful stains all over however, I didn't care a bit. I pulled a red beanie over my head not letting any lock of my black hair stick out. I finally wrapped both of the lower half of my face and neck with my purple pet snake "Haru".

Before I push the pointlessly weary door open (it’s pointlessly weary because I rarely go in and out of my house), I looked into the metal rimmed mirror which was stuck on the door I thought I looked like a can of kidney beans with my trench coat as the silver can and my beanie as the glistering, smelly, red, kidney shaped goodness.

3, 2, 1, 0 and the hinges gave a loud shriek, a one that could make my neighbor turn deaf.

I took a small step to the dingy hallway which was lit by a tiny square window on a small oval-shaped metallic door which lead to outside the building. After that I've checked that the place is safe from attackers, I strode toward the metallic gate. I let Haru slither on my face. Feeling his smooth scales brushing my jaw.

The door opened itself so I just walked through it. A beam of light hit my face and Haru quivered ever so slightly. The extreme lighting was usual at that time of the month. At every last quarter of a month they'd turn on the big beacon in the center of our district. They say that if they did that soon there won't be any mutants around. Although, in actuality, I've been seeing a lot of them lately.

I took a look around feeling like a stranger, because I don't get to go outside a lot. I saw seas of poor and homeless people sitting in an endless line, wearing white and beige. You could spot a good bunch of healthy people among the mutants. I stepped up my pace a little and looked around even more. Slender face, cheek bones, dark curls, icy blue eyes, is that Benedict Cumberbatch I'm seeing? I was confused.

I, suddenly, felt a piercing pain on my chest because of the slushy wind that blew fiercely. Even Haru’s skin flinched a little. I hugged the poor reptile. Although, many reptiles tend to be cold blooded Haru was an exception. He was a mutant. His species live in the cold arctic of the southern hemisphere of this planet.

Haru slithered down my body to the cold concrete road. I followed him. Haru took me to the Water Shop. Poor people still lining there. Among them I found my uncle holding a broken PSP in one gloomy grip. I wanted to talk to him but I had to go as the seas of crowds carried me. Haru spiraled up my leg and popped out of my trench coat.

I went to get some water only to find that it was too expensive for me. I felt petrified, my sight started to darken from the edges, I felt like I couldn't breathe or swallow, until I remembered that I was on the exotic water department which only the rich had the right to buy from there. I quickly walked to the cheap water department where I can find water that I can afford only to find that they were the unlabeled kind. What is the unlabeled kind you ask? Well, let me tell what I can see. A foggy thick with consistency of snot liquid within which floats random normal and mutant biological forms. A pretty disgusting sight to see, right? I browsed through the bottles and at the moment where I started to actually lose my hope, I found two fresh and clean labeled water and they were form my favorite kind! I held the two bottles gratefully. Hugging them into my chest tightly. I hid them inside my enormous trench coat where Haru secured them.

After that I enjoyed my happy moment I was surprised by some wet slippery mush rubbing against my neck. I turned around to see a mutant boy holding an unlabeled water brain in his right hand. I got extremely furious. I could feel my face burning. I yelled at the boy in an unintelligible cries. I clasped his head within my hands and head-butted him once. I could hear and feel his nose cracking against my forehead. He let out one bubble of blood out of his nose and dyed. I then stared at him, I thought I still not gotten satisfied so I shoved my fingers into his nostril and pulled out his brains.

Haru had a good meal of mutant brains that day.

I walked out of the shop as fast as I can. There, I found my uncle standing, staring into the distance in grief as if he was reviewing the sad past. His untamed beard flowing in harmony with the wind. I came up to him and took him by the hand. We went home together and played the classic one on one fighting game together, not in the arcade mode this time but in the multi-player mode.

(If you were wondering about the glass globe she totally forgot about it.)            

Author's Note

A very rough version of a short story.