Chapter - 2

A weird dream...

Chapter - 2

The boy in the Rain

The world around him was darkness. Zach felt like drifting slowly into the eternal depths of nowhere. It was weird, strange, falling and falling into utter black darkness. He felt hollow, like leaving something really important behind. He felt light and weightless, was he thrown to space? His eyes felt heavy, his arms and legs felt numb as though he was tired from running. But far off, he could see a small circle of white light. The more time passed, the circle grew smaller and smaller, tiny and then finally was engulfed in darkness.

He saw images in his head, flowing like slides in an art emporium, faded and blurred pictures of his own memories. But soon, everything started dissolving into the black surrounding him. Zach was forgetting, forgetting people who he’d promised never to. Pictures flashed through his mind, he fought his best to remember but something in the dark pulled him away until he was completely blank. His memories had all been erased. Zach had an eerie feeling, like a stone weighing down his stomach. His fall didn’t have an end; neither did Zach remember how it all started. Wait…

That boy. The boy in the rain…

His erased memories were stabbing him. It felt completely new to be hurt by a memory. But soon, he couldn’t feel it. It was like he’d lost all sense of remorse or emotion. The boy in the rain…who was he…? Why am I not remembering the things I should…? Why am I feeling these strange feelings I shouldn’t? Too many questions…No answers…

He felt a desperate rush of bare, lifeless emotions run through him. And in a minute, he felt it there, it was like time rewound to the last few minutes he remembered.

                              

 

A streak of sharp lightning woke Zach up. He’d almost fallen off from his bed. It took him a while realize what had just happened. He was in a dim room. His room. He looked to the window.

Zach could not believe what he was seeing. The sky was a war field. Bolts of lightning ran down, as thunder boomed the clouds while rain hit the ground, ready to tear the world apart. His surroundings were utterly darkened. He felt his way to the wall and tried flipping all switches he could find. No use. At a time like this, when you need it the most, electricity fails you. Zach could feel his fingers shiver. Both from sudden fear and of the sheer cold winds.

He tramped his way to his brother’s bed. He started beating the mattress, to be completely obvious, he was not sure why he was doing it but, a hit like that could wake his brother up. He felt the mattress completely empty and soft. No sign of flesh. Zach was convinced he was sweating in the cold. He gulped hard and yelled, “Mewz!” The strong gusts wailed in response with company from a streak of lightning. No response.

Zach trampled down the narrow stairs, making it down to the living room. The first thing he noticed was that the wind was far more powerful and cold downstairs. With a moment of light from the lightning, it caught his eye; the wooden door was wide open. With another jolt of lightning, he was sure he’d seen big, muddy footprints on the floor. Only one person in the whole household had big footprints. Zach hated to consider it. He then pushed the thought away and dashed out straight into the cold street.

The rain got to him. It hit him like stones, each drop felt like a punishment. He felt like he could freeze to death any moment. He was wet before he could see anything in the street.

The street was a bit brighter, the full moon was still out but only a part of it hidden by gray clouds. Zach could no longer breathe air. He gasped, what it seemed like rainwater and tried his best to squint at the street. The lightning was one thing Zach thanked. He inched forward, fighting the furious storm. Mewz, Uncle wiles…where are you?

He bent down for a few minutes, took in some air and then moved forward. His eyesight was blurry and painful.

As he closed in on the marble-paved street, he could make out a small silhouette. A very small one. When gained, he knew the figure was small but also lumped to the ground.

Zach was not sure if he could feel himself to actually react. He tried his best to pull his legs to run. He puffed and gasped until he was no more than a few inches away when his terrors finally realized. Something in the silhouette shone. And then with light a few others. The source he could see, were small circles. “No,” Zach whispered under his breath as amazingly put forth strength and ran to the person, who increasingly grew to be seen like a boy, in the rain.

Zach felt his heart beat so hard, it could nearly burst. Zach was close enough to see the gruesome sight he never wanted to see. Bracelets, necklaces, beads. “No,” Zach gasped. He took up the boy in his arms, shook him gently. He didn’t seem to be in his consciousness. “Mewz!” he called out. The boy barely moved. He was drenched as much, was almost ice-cold. Zach shook him harder. No response. He was blank. He could feel his mind going bogus and his feeling stirring up so hard that the weather couldn’t counter. “Mewz! Please…”

Zach hugged his brother, “Please…don’t die…” He held him tight, so tight, he could feel chills run through his body.

But then he noticed something else. He felt the slow rising and falling of Mewz’s chest and heard his long, heavy and painful tries to breath.

Zach did not miss a moment. He took Mewz in his arms and put all his strength to his legs and hoped his best to run. He tried his best to convince himself that he could make it.

The run seemed long and seemed to stretch on forever. With constant trips and slides, Zach had managed to come back into their house. He put Mewz gently near the chimney, closed the door and then took him upstairs.

The gale was shattering the windows. Zach wrapped Mewz with his mattress and blew into his palms, tried his best to keep him warm. But in his mind, he was scared to death. Where is Uncle Wiles?

He took up Mewz who was on the floor, placed him on his bed and as he was about to close the windows, he felt a tug in his little finger. He looked behind.

Mewz had opened his eyes. Zach didn’t know what to feel, what to say but all he knew was his face covered with tears and terror. Without a moment’s notice, Mewz pulled himself close and hugged Zach.

Zach held his brother and sat down on the wooden floor.

For a moment, the rain, the thunder, the lightning, the storm, the winds, the terror, the shock, everything vanished. Zach felt at ease. He felt his heart slow down. He held his cold brother close and whispered, “It’ll be fine.” Although he wished it could. The whole house seemed like it could wear out and fall on both of them.

Zach smiled weakly. At least, it would fall on both of us, not one of us. Zach closed his eyes and reminisced.

Everything was perfect. So good until tonight. Too good to last. It was like his own life mirrored. Mirrored.

Zach remembered another significant fact. Mewz believed in magic. Who knows…maybe he survived the rain like that, with magic. His ‘prophecy’ did come true after all…

The end of the world…

The boy in the rain…

And then everything slowly faded, leaving so much to yearn behind, so many wishes…a world of wishes…into a world of dreams…

 

 

 

Author's Note

Sorry for the lack of description about the feelings in here...