Hey guys! So this is an original character creation story I created from scratch a few weeks back for one of my subjects in Temasek Polytechnic called Creative Writing. It's my first ever attempt at actually creating a short novel-like story so do pardon me if it sucks- I'm no professional. Just afreshman in TP.
I decided to post this up here because I have a couple of friends (maybe just one, frankly speaking) who are (is) interested in reading it. Do note that this was an extreeeemeeelyyy last minute work. By last minute, I meant doing it from beginning to end on the submission day itself. I know, I know, last minute work is a big no-no, but I was going through bigger problems during that period thus I was really all over the place. I expected myself to get a borderline pass on this, or perhaps even a fail. To my surprise, I ended up getting 80%... Nothing grand if you compare me to the rest of my classmates, but shocking. Truly shocking- for me at least. I got an A-grade for something so clumsily written. I was typing the damn assignment from 1am-6am before I had to go to class!!!
I've always had the flair for writing stories, but I knew how badly I sucked at it. I just find it so difficult to pen down my thoughts and ideas.
Okay, enough of my babbling. I bet none of you would read those anyway.
Without further ado, I (not-so) proudly present to you,
HIGH-DEFINITION by Carla Kirsten Panganiban (das mi)
Your eyes fluttered open
like two flashlight beams as you were disturbed in your deep slumber by a
croaky breathing that isn’t your own. You tried recalling whatever fuzzy
remnants you had of last night but nothing, you remember nothing. You looked
around, carefully inspecting the room- trying to figure out which version of
hell you ended up in again this time.
The apartment had a
certain stench to it. It reminded you of a landfill nearby your old place in
Northern Florida. The unpainted cement walls had enough cracks to pass off as a
design, and a few abstract paintings of nude women hanging erratically. Upon
closer inspection, you started to notice all the empty bottles of Hunahpu’s
Imperial Stout lying on the floor, a half-eaten pizza, and a couple of used
condoms strewn all over the floor. The room was in a complete mess. It looked
like the aftermath of a hurricane.
You saw your shirt sitting
on a seemingly old table with metallic legs rusting away, which only made you
realise how similar you are to that depressing piece of furniture; a decaying
matter. Before you focused your attention elsewhere, you tried reaching for
your top- only to be held back by a beefy, thickly-veined arm covered in
tattoos.
You felt your cheeks go from zero to a hundred degrees Celsius and
your heart pounded incessantly onto your chest as the man unconsciously grasped
your waist. You turned back to shoot him a look, but you were bowled over by
his elegant facial structure. Your eyes rested on his chiseled jawline. He was
still asleep, but he must have sensed your intense gaze as he gradually opened
his eyes. Both your eyes met, and for a moment, you didn’t care that you were
in an unfamiliar place, on an unfamiliar bed, sleeping shirtless next to an
unfamiliar man. Bits and pieces of your favourite song, “Electric Love”,
started to play in your head.
“You dirty little angel. I want to come inside you again," he
started.
Appalled, you grabbed your shirt, took your belongings which were
on the same table, and rushed for the exit. You were afraid the sicko would
come after you so you scurried down from the fifth floor to the first using the
stairs. You thought that taking the elevator would be too risky.
You had no idea which part of Florida you were at, despite living
here for two decades. You attempted to recollect your memory once again but as
usual, you failed. This wasn’t the first time it happened. In fact, it also
wasn’t the second, nor the third. This happens too regularly for you to even
keep track of. You tried backtracking your steps, but you couldn’t figure out
how you ended up in that filthy apartment
which looked like a drug dealer’s abode.
You were lost but you just kept walking. For some odd reason,
you’ve always felt one with the wind.
The wind took you to your “special place”. A quiet lake, hidden in
the heart of Florida State Parks. You always end up here when you feel lost.
You aren’t quite sure how you came to know about this place. Then again, just
like everything else, you can barely remember a thing. All you knew was that this is the closest
thing you had to a home.
The soothing sound of the unbridled stream gave you a peace of
mind. As the sun kissed the lake, the reflection of the trees danced on the
luminous water, glistening right before your very eyes. You sat still, closer
to the edge of the lake, thinking to yourself how liberating it must be in a liquid
state. A butterfly flew past you, the colour of its wings reminding you of a
lilac sky. It rested on a lavender.
You shut your eyes,
letting the darkness engulf your soul as you appreciated the harmony and rhythm
of the gentle breeze. Your inner peace was shortly disrupted by an abrupt
rustling of dried leaves. You flung your eyes wide open and suddenly, every
thought you had was in high-definition.
You remembered everything. How you came to know about
this lake, how you ended up in that apartment, how you spent all your nights
hooking up with anyone who shows a slight interest in you, and how you drank
away your sorrows every night ever since you got into a car accident with your
boyfriend. The two of you were arguing about something you can’t remember. You
couldn’t control your anger, thus with one swift movement on the steering
wheel, you drove the car into this very lake.
You survived and so did
he, but not until you left him stuck on the passenger seat to drown alone.
The end.
No comments:
Post a Comment