Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Terrell furrowed his brows as he opened his wallet, hesitating whether to give his last bill or skip dinner; nonetheless, he chose not to starve.

"I received five hundred pesos, sir." The cashier lady reminded him as she accepted his payment and then operated the cash register. She collected the change when cash drawer slid open and tore off the receipt. As she handed them over together to him, she asked, "Should I reheat it, sir?"

"Yes, please." The young man replied while receiving the change and receipt from her.

She shoved the drawer back and placed the packed ready meal into the microwave before she turned it on.

Even if I refrain from spending too much, my allowance would last less than a week. Terrell thought while he arranged the small bills and loyalty card to his wallet, then thrust it into his pocket.

In a few seconds, she opened the microwave when it beeped, then brought the ready meal and placed it on the tray.

"Would you dine-in, sir?"

He turned his head and looked to the store window. All tables outside were occupied by other customers, which were mostly his fellow university students.

He faced her and said, "No, just take-out."

She stuffed the ready meal into the plastic bag along with tissues, a disposable spork, a bottle of iced tea, and wrapped cinnamon roll.

"Thank you for your patronage, sir." She gave him a faint smile.

Terrell nodded and grabbed the handle of the plastic bag, heading towards the exit. The chimes rang as he pushed the glass door, and once he got outside, he crumpled the receipt and threw it away to the trash bin nearby.

Maybe I should get a part-time job. No, that’s out of the question, I might lose focus in studies. Terrell mulled over while walking along the quiet street, and soon after he crossed the junction, he chanced upon a bare-footed boy in dirty clothes, curling up under the awning of a closed stall.

“How pitiful” Terrell mumbled as he passed by, yet every step he took, the weighty feeling that grew within his chest bothered him, so he decided to turn back and approach the boy.

“Where are your parents?” Terrell asked, standing in front of the child.

The boy feebly raised his head and gave Terrell a blank stare, only to be silent. Suddenly, something was rumbling; he had a pained expression as he clung to his abdomen.

“Are you hungry?” Terrell scratched his chin.

The child bobbed his head with a pleading gaze.

Since it was better to give him something to eat rather than some coins, Terrell took the ready meal and spork from the plastic bag. He slightly bent his knees as he offered it to the child. “Here, eat up."

His eyes widened as his scrawny hands held the ready meal. "It's warm."

Terrell stood straight. “Can you promise me that you'll come back to your home?"

He only nodded in response, but his face was brighter compared earlier.

"Good. Take care, okay?" Terrell gave him a cursory wave before he left right away.

His mood became bouyant since he did a good deed, even though he gave his meal for dinner. Besides, he still had some snacks so he wouldn't mind it.

Yet several steps after, Terrell couldn’t help himself to look behind. The child was already gone. "Well, good thing he listened�"kids doesn’t really belong to the streets.”

Out of the blue, a passerine bird dived and landed before him. When Terrell faced the bird, he met its crimson eyes. The splendor of its brilliant ultramarine and deep black plumage struck him because he’d never seen such a bird before. However, a pendant dangling from the cord bitten by its black beak caught his attention.

Terrell hunkered down and calmly extended his hand towards the bird, wanting to pet it. To his surprise, the bird didn’t flee, but instead, it hopped closer and bowed its head while slightly opened its beak, letting the pendant fall onto his palm.

The bird fluttered its wings and twittered before it zoomed up to the evening sky. Terrell gaped at the bird flying away into the distance, and soon after it disappeared from his sight, he just brushed off the puzzling thoughts.

“Is this what they call karma?” Terrell smirked as he glanced the pedant. He put it into his satchel bag straightaway before he walked again.

Soon afterward, he arrived at the boarding house. Once Terrell passed into the gate that was left ajar, the burly pit bull confined in its cage, feared by passers-by for its intimidating bark, only glared at him.

Drops dripped on his cheek, he wiped it off and looked up, there were laundered clothes hanged on the iron rods overhead.

The young man went upstairs and sauntered to his room. When he reached the door, he turned the doorknob, but it wouldn't budge, so he rummaged his pocket for a duplicate key and unlocked the door.

As he entered, he flipped the switch without even looking; the fluorescent light flickered before it illuminated the cramped but tidy room.

Terrell shut the door and took off his ID lanyard, hanging it to a hook rack attached to the panel. He tossed the plastic bag to the lower side of the wooden bunk bed, then he took off the strap on his shoulder, placing the satchel bag on the desk.

Eager to see the prize, Terrell took the mysterious jewelry from the bag and plunked himself onto the lower bed. He raised the cord and inspected the dangling pendant: a black gemstone, resembling the shape of a tiger’s fang and possessing an iridescent blue sheen, inlaid to a golden bail embossed with tribal patterns, which was also attached to a cord twined out of dark, tough fiber.

“I wonder how much I’ll get if I pawn this.” He muttered as he held the cord on both sides, then put it around his neck and straightened it.

At the very instant he touched the pendant, it's gemstone shone with blue light. Gentle warmth spreaded within his entire body. He began to hear the disembodied voices of women incanting the same words over and over again.

Terrell frantically looked around, but there was nobody else in the room beside him. He covered his ears and shut his eyes, even so, the voices could still be heard loud and clear.

There was nothing else that he could do, only to utter the words aloud together with the chant.

“Restless spirit wanders hither and thither,
ever seeking wonders in the world to behold.
Fearless heart inholding rigor and vigor;
never-ending journey, unknowing what will unfold.”

Right after the last word of the incantation pronounced, the voices subsided. Terrell opened his eyes. The gemstone grew dimmer.

Out of nowhere, an otherworldly rift started to materialize before him.

“Am I just dreaming?”

He smacked his face, attempting to wake himself up, but the stinging sensation on his cheek had proved him that he wasn’t dreaming.

Despite that, he was still dubious, so he quickly reached the plastic bag sprawled behind him, then he grabbed the cinnamon roll and threw it into the rift.

The cinnamon roll disappeared without any trace.

“No way..."

He stood up and approached the rift, its size was more or less the same as his height, and one could sense the force that draws everything nearby within it.

To test the rift once more, he picked up a plastic hanger on the floor and plunged it for few seconds then pulled it back: it retained its appearance, and it didn’t smell weird as well. He haphazardly threw the hanger back to the floor.

“Perhaps this won’t cause any harm.”

However, the possible thoughts dangers that might occur to him, especially death, had crossed his mind. Still, he just brushed them off because of his persistent curiosity about this supernatural phenomenon outweighed the importance of his safety.

This time, he immersed his hand into the vortex, it felt like soaking in warm water, and his fingers could move freely within it. No doubt, the rift is harmless.

“Whatever happens, happens,” he braced himself and leaped into the rift.

Reviews

[Katherine M.]

I like this a lot! I suggest putting your narrator's inner thoughts in italics, which makes it easier to tell what he is thinking compared to what he is simply observing. I can't wait to see what you post next!