"Love loves the coming age of time,
but it doesn't taste like wine.

Instead, I'm burying a friend in fire,
it doesn't call back,
but leaves a ghost smile."

. . .

It starts where it ends.

The Universe expanded from an extremely small, extremely hot, and extremely dense state.

Who says you won't return the way you have come?

Eventually the Sun will expand into a red giant star, engulfing Mercury and Venus, and potentially Earth as well, before eventually shrinking and cooling down to become a small, dim white dwarf star when it runs out of fuel.

Time has been nothing but a fleeting illusion. Run as far as you can but you can't always outrun the light's speed.

And honestly speaking, Emily can't care less. She is happy in her little bubble of world, where the light weight of salt pepper bread always fills her hunger and the blue sky—it reminds of the fluffy clouds laughing and moving in the gentle breeze. Life's tantrums are like this.

Thank heavens, Professor Moree finally dismissed the class earlier. She loves studying, she loves researching but for some reason—Professor Moree's monologue can turn any interesting subject to boredom. Either way, you can hear the students' silent groans or bloodshot eyes trying hard to stay awake.

The afternoon sun is bathing the buildings in its warm light. She lazily saunters towards her car in the university parking area with the jingling keys, while the music blaring out of her iPod is enough to forget about the world.

Normally, she's a safe driver but today she's on high—she's speeding through the busy road, weaving between vehicles, tiny specks of dust seem to dance in the afternoon sunlight, slanting through the window.

But how long does it take moments to float away?

Universe exploded and expanded in a rare way, scientists are still chewing on the fact that if not God, then who.

Suddenly, the sky is ablaze with the fire of the setting sun. Wasn't it just 2.30? Sure enough, her wristwatch is still stuck at six.

She's dashing on the highway but what she didn't expect to land directly is a pitch black road, almost dense and empty. She is sure as fudge, she's reversing the gears towards home. Suddenly, she starts to feel hot in her car seat; then she hears the wailing sound, almost pulling out of her reverie.

A tiny droplet of sweat makes a way on her forehead. What's it? Uncertainty? Fear? She isn't getting killed on the desert road, is she?

After throwing another nervous glance, she decides to step out of her car. Sitting here wasn't going to solve anything.

And fate is bewitching.

The road didn't rise or sink but it's calling of going somewhere, all of them creating a sweet singing with the thrums of heartbeat. She often heard that village roads are still unlike the city roads. She's not in any random village, right?

Scratch that road. It's dirty like any other one with mud puddles, while the paving stones are keeping her on toes.

"Help! Help! Is anyone here?"

Her scream died in the oblivion of that unknown road. It's as if the sun wasn't glaring a few hours ago, it's turning red blaring an alarm bell in her head. She needs to get out anyhow.

She wanted to pull her hair out in frustration. In any kind of normal situation, she would have laughed at the stupidity of dashing on the road. It feels like a shivering dream. Yet the beaming of lights, creating hues on the trees—stayed as a reminder, it's not.

Her chest rises and falls with each heavy breath. What's been? Hours or eternity, she doesn't seem to remember. It's not until she heard the disorienting shrill of voice again, did she look.

Mad? She doesn't know but she's sure, it's coming from the nearby trees. Tomorrow she will die anyway, so she is wreathing her soul today. And then she sees.

A remarkably large, beautiful animal, gazing back at her intensely with its coiled eyes as if it's remembering every feature on its dotted memory. Before she can reach to touch the black cat, it's running on its four legs already.

She can't help but spring further too.

The road's already like a black river, moving with its ebbs flowing, as if it's the direction of another dimension. It's cracking with her every quaking step, weathering another soil but she isn't paying any heed. For now, she can't afford to lose her only hope.

But uncertainty isn't like disposable trash. It's already making a way of home in her popping veins. Suddenly the cat stopped, nearby by a river, she halted on her footsteps.

Wagging its tail, it stares back.

She's lost again. Something happened but what? The black eyes are actually piercing her once gray orbs now.

She can't help but ask, "Who are you?"

It doesn't answer, of course an animal won't speak. What the heck is she thinking?

The cat's socket is getting empty slowly, as if someone clawed and scratched its eye. Blood rushed back on Emily's face. But the cat didn't show any sign of pain.

She's retreating back in extreme terror already.

And then she felt, a vision creeping on the back of its head. She's getting nauseous, it's like someone's ripping her soul out but her feet are glued.

At first, the scenes appeared as nothing but foggy haze, standing surprised she's clutching her cardigan tighter.

"You're alive! You're alive!"

The shouting continues for the umpteenth seconds then the creature moves back, placed by an irritated glance.

Human heart is strange. It pulsates with unheard possibilities but the shadows of secret? It never hides, instead it keeps a pocket for each one of them. 

The fogs move backwards in the sunny sky again, replaced by a dark room with the lamplight. The winds are already blowing, cascading the light rays as another dance.

A man is sleeping peacefully on a bed.

She didn't want to look, she really didn't want to look ahead but her unfathomable desire urged her to continue. After all, who does know anything about souls?

It's vexing itself.

Something shatters, as if her neck is getting ready to snap into two. Another bulky man appears, covering the man sleeping in sheets. He's struggling, they both are struggling to inflict and get rid of the pain.

Suddenly he stopped.

They both stopped.

The cat's shrugging its tail.

The man in bed is lying still. Everything stopped, the white sheet slips away revealing the black eyes, gazing back at her.

It's bloodshot, one socket is empty.

A deadly sin to jeopardize any immortal soul. She screams aloud!

. . .

What do you think?

Word count : 1097