x
I have a dream, almost every night during the week. Some flowers, trees, sunrise, a cat … or a girl. It’s so hard to remember even a single moment I spend inside the dream. Trying hard is not an option.
Getting up so early in the morning after writing my Wattpad story up to 3’o clock in the morning makes me question the existence of the school.
Rubbing my eyes filled with anxiety of three hours’ sleep, I look at the clock. The gaze shifts from a haze to its focus on the digits of the clock. The time is…
Shit!
I jump out of my bed almost tripping down inside the toilet and do all the things so fast that every moment of work gets blurry after I land my foot outside the doorstep.
“Todoki, come down, aren’t you going to be late? When will this girl be able to work on time? So careless!”
“Coming!” I say as I jump onto the floor from the third step of the staircase, landing perfectly on my feet along with a round of applause from the imaginary audience.
“Maa, give me the toast, I will eat it while walking. And, shit! I almost forgot. Please sign this form, I want to join this art exhibition. Plaseeee!”
“You are so irresponsible Todoki, give me a pen.”
“Bye, maa.”
“Be safe on road and don’t rush. This girl will never learn her lessons.”
Half an hour from the school’s first ringing bell and I am one and half hours away from the school. Taking each bite of the bread will reduce my time more by five minutes. My legs can’t stop skipping bits of crumped rocks on the ground, making my pace slower as I proceed. But, then I heard Kuro barking from distance. He comes to me wagging his small tail with a perfect rhythm that totally matches the beats of the song played by the paparazzi across the street.
Ah, animals!
They make me stop all the time to greet them in however important situation there might be.
I pat his head as he licks my nose with his slippery tongue. I never feel disgusted.
“Kuro, what were you doing among such a big crowd? You could have gotten hurt.”
He looks back towards the crowd of paparazzi and I see a blink of spark lighten in his eyes. I look up and see another dog, a female dog. Quite understandable. I decide to let him have his freedom and give him the bread if he wants to impress someone.
I look at the watch and find out that only 15 minutes are left from the school’s last bell.
Shit! I will lose my record of not being late for school the whole year. I will lose my medal.
I decide to take a shortcut through the houses beside the road. Once I tried that route showed by Kuro and found out it is really beneficial.
I jump over the tree wall and pass through a garden filled with topiaries of bare bodies of women. Rich brat.
I skip over several walls of houses where I am chased by a mad dog and an aunt with a broom. Phew! Finally, I can see the tallest building of our school. So close!
But, today’s luck wants me to have detention.
I hear a sound of a cat, rather a kitten. I push through the bushes and see a small kitten lying half-unconscious on the ground. Her leg is bleeding. I take out my handkerchief and tie it around her leg. Maybe it is of some help. She is not healthy, bones like rib curves on her skin almost hollow, with no flesh. It’s impossible for me to leave her here, I need to get her cure.
I take her in my hands and leave her at the front door of a veterinary shop near our school. I can’t afford the money to be known as her mistress during the treatment.
I jump and skip on my toe and finally, halt in front of the school, just a few centimeters away from a heart attack.
Haaa!
I take a long sigh in relief as I see the gate still opened.
At last, the first day of school after the summer break went smoothly with no detention, just as I wanted.
ns 15.158.61.21da2
