A Shining Star

Not every day the sky looks decorated by millions of sparkling little diamonds. At times it’s a plain piece of canvas, painted almost pitch black. You can see danger giving strokes of grey, to form huge clouds of fear.

It’s been two days since I feel like fear has engulfed me and now even walking in this lively evening street feels dangerous. A spooky feeling of being watched by a pair of eyeballs follows me everywhere. Being at home doesn’t feel like being at home anymore. Things seem different lately. As if I am always daydreaming. I see visions of things that I believe are true but on other hand, I am aware that they don’t exist. Yes, I know I have always been crazy. I have fallen in love with characters from books. I have always imagined them around me when I am sitting alone on my bed. I have always shared my problem with imaginary people around me and felt as if they magically plant the seeds of solutions in my head. But this time the ambiance was spooky as if everything I have always imagined does exist and I am close to something that’s going to turn my life upside down and I have no idea what it is.

With all these thoughts knocking hard on the door of my mind I unlocked the gate of my house and was hit by the invisible feeling of danger. I felt nauseated as if danger sitting on the crown of death was laughing at my pitiful face, “No there is no turning back” said a low voice, maybe my inner self. And there was no turning back. So, I closed my eyes and repeated my encouragement mantra, “Danger is real, fear is optional” and convinced myself there’s no danger ahead, it’s just fear that has enveloped me and stepped further inside the house.

Putting on the lights and closing the door behind me I took a breath of relief. Hunger didn’t irritate me today so, I just grabbed an apple from the dining table and raced straight towards my room, placed the apple on the bedside table, and dropped myself on the bed. Least bothered by the fact that as soon as I stepped inside this house I was being watched carefully.

I was so much engrossed in the garden of my thoughts, the slipping of time like the dessert sand went unnoticed until I heard a scampering outside my door and sat up straight on the bed. My heart raced miles per second. Gathering the shattered bits of my courage I walked towards the door. I always keep lights on so that it’s easy to move around at night albeit fear walks along matching my steps.

As I opened the door a dark gloomy ambiance welcomed me. A simple question formed ahead of me “How is it possible for all the lights to get turned off all by themselves?” A little voice reached my ears “You are brave dear.”

Ignoring the source of sound because it spoke the truth, I grabbed my smartphone, and making the flashlight my guide marched forward. The switchboard seemed far away lost in the pool of darkness but the lights from the open door of my room were just like a glass of water to the weary traveler on a sunny day. My heart almost tried to jump out when my sight fell on the shadow of a man formed due to the path of my flashlight. My movement stopped; my voice was lost at the view forming in front of my eyes. It felt as if my neurons had either lost the ability of reflex action or my mind had stopped functioning. But next moment the shadow vanished as if mixed with the thin air making the ambiance more dangerous. Taking a deep breath, I took a step forward and then another followed by another till I was just a step away from the small passage adjacent to the huge shelf where the shadow was formed.

Just when I was about to take one more step I was frozen still by a cold hand on my shoulder and next I was pushed hard towards the shelf with a hand pressed tightly over my mouth.

Then in the brightness of the flashlight, I saw those ocean blue pools with the loosening hold of the hand that covered my mouth. His countenance like that of sparkling cosmos where the smile looked just like that piece which contributes to most of its beauty as he drew an invisible spell around me spelling my very own name.

“Dafne”

Darkness consumed me as if I was falling into the void deeper and deeper with no hand to save me. Just when I thought it was the end, fresh rays of a blue light covered everything, which then transformed into shades of pink, orange, followed by yellow, and finally white which steadied the racing horses of my heart. The young rising sun in all its hues of pink, orange, yellow, and white kissed my skin good morning. My open bedroom door reminded me of last night.

“Was I just dreaming?”

I brushed it off with the thought that recently I have been daydreaming too much and I need to see the psychiatrist before I become crazier.

I prepared myself to get going. And then the world turned upside down when I saw the actual disaster. The whole collection of porcelain was shattered just like my courage and that's when I realized, last night wasn't just a dream this happened when I was pushed against the shelf.

I was a student of first-year Medical Genetics. I had to shift from my hometown for my higher studies, so I decided to have this house on rent, but it was too much to pay alone when I was unemployed. That's the only reason I agreed to share this place.

Hazel was the girl who was supposed to join me. I guess she will be here by noon. Before she arrives, I will have to clean this mess. I guess luck was walking hand in hand with me today because just when I was thinking about the ways to clean this place the maid arrived. She cooks for me and cleans the place as well. I asked her to throw the broken stuff and move the shelf to Hazel's room. She was an art student, maybe she can keep her books or other stuff in there. With these thoughts, I left the place.