Audrey's thoughts'
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In the darkness of the forest, she stood, a stream gushing through her feet.
Faint rays of moonlight slipped slyly through the dense canopy of trees.
Cold air swiftly blew through her hair, chills ran through her spine as the familiar coldness grazed her cheeks. The midnight air was frightening her, yet she kept her breathing steady.
A faint sound of a melodious voice was heard at a distance.
A sense of urgency filled her chest and she began scurrying towards the voice. Looking hither and tither for the being, in a crazed state, she searched in the midst of the blackness of the forest.
A strand of light caught her eye and she chased after it.
"When all the world is young..."
"... Every goose a swan, lad...
Every lass a queen."
The being kept running swiftly away from her. Though eerie, the voice of the being was beautiful, a voice that would make one run after it.
The distance made the song fainter at some points and louder at others, yet the tune seemed consistent, unshaken from the chasing.
"When all the world is old, lad.
And all the trees are brown..."
At last, she saw the being, illuminated under the full moon, the ghost of a soft-looking girl in a nightgown floated over the large lake.
"Creep home, and take your place there,
The spent and maimed among..."
"God grant you find one face there,
You loved when all was young..."
Panting because of all the running, she stood behind a tree and watched the ghost gaze at the moon, bathing in its gentle light.
The girl turned to her and smiled sweetly. 'What a beautiful blue...' she fancied. The cornflower blue eyes observed her, while the smile slowly vanished. The pale girl came closer to her, tilting her head a bit.
She, mesmerized by the stunning blue eyes, looked on into it. As if immersed into its beauty, she stood there dazed.
The smile returned, but in a more bloodthirsty and inhuman way.
Her throat was clutched, leaving little space for air. Her heart pounded in her chest, as if trying to break free. Struggling to breathe, trying to break away from the firm hold on her throat, she woke up screaming on her bed.
"Woah-!" Tasneem turned around to face her, a watering can in hand. Her long black hair rustled in the wind that blew from the open window.
Still wheezing, she clutched her tightened chest. "Ah!" A muscle contracted in her in her right calf. She then focused on the throbbing pain that it gave. Tasneem came over and massaged her leg to ease her, wearing a worried expression.
When the pain subsided, Audrey laid back on her bed and took deep breathes. Tasneen walked over to the window to water the plants again. "When all the world is young, lad, and all the trees are gree-"
"Huh!?" Audrey sat back up, turning pale. "What's wrong?" Tasneem asked, looking at her with furrowed brows. "Y-you sang that song?" She asked, lips quivering.
"It's a poem, not a song. It's a very nice poem. I read it from a book called... uh..."Tasneem thought about it for a while, then her brows shot up, "right! The Water Babies! By Charles Kingsley." She said with her nose in the air and returned back to work.
"You scared the hell out of me, Tasneem. That song you sang, it came in my dream." Audrey shivered under blanket. "Oh, sorry." Tasneem apologized shyly. "You sing very nicely." Audrey said immediately, regretting what she had said before. Tasneem smiled bashfully and blushed, keeping her eyes on the plants.
"Guess what day it is!" Irene burst into the room. A smile played at the corner of Audrey's lips, "Friday." She muttered. Irene shrieked with excitement, "we should get you some fresh clothes, and dress you up. Oh, how long have I been waiting for this day! We can shop for a dress for you, then do some skincare, oh! A Moroccan bath! Or a spa day! Something to doll you up and make you look like it's your wedding day!" She jumped up and down in the thrill of the idea.
"I'd rather go for casual." Audrey replied as she got off the bed. Irene furrowed her eyebrows and squinted at her, "what is that supposed to mean?"
"I mean I don't want to doll up, I'd rather go for casual." Audrey shrugged. "You've changed..." Irene walked across the room, "a lot." "What are you talking about?" Audrey questioned.
Irene shook her head and left.
At last, when the sun finally sinked into the city skyline. Audrey looked inside her wardrobe, the blue shirts and dresses caught her eye, reminding her of her dream. She stood there, numb. "The spent and maimed among..."
She shook her head as if forcing the remnants of the dream away and tried focusing on choosing something to wear.
She chose a blue tie front top and some jeggings which she randomly took from her wardrobe. She looked over at Irene, who was all dolled up with a bright red sundress matching her ginger hair which was tied up high. "If you aren't going to dress up, then I am." She stated.
Amused by the dress up game, Stephanie studied them to say who dressed better, "Irene looks like she's going to a beach and Audrey looks like she's going to a mall." She said laughing. "Where are you going anyway?" She asked.
"Hanging out with Audrey's one and only!" Irene smiled teasingly. Tasneen sat on the bed, her brows knitted together. Everybody noticed her confusion. "Walter?" Stephanie raised an eyebrow. "Ohh! Yeahh! I forgot! Ok, ok." Tasneem bellowed. Then she looked down on the floor. "You don't remember him, do you?" Stephanie pursed her lips. Tasneem shook her head.
"Well, then, you don't have to." Audrey laughed.
Audrey's phone rang and vibrated on the table. "I think it's time." Irene announced excitedly.
They went to the balcony and looked down, a car was waiting for them. "Good luck, y'all" Stephanie hugged them both as they left the apartment.
The warm air washed over them. The crescent moon hung above the buildings, the stars were spread over the night sky. Audrey smiled to herself. 'This is going to be the best evening I've ever had.'
They got inside the car. Walter was in the driver's seat, wearing a lavender polo shirt and jeans. "I told you you should dress up." Irene whispered. "Look at the other one." Audrey whispered back.
His friend who was sitting in shotgun seat was wearing something that looked like a nurse's uniform. Sensing the two girls staring at him from behind, he explained, "I work part time at an old age home, okay? Don't stare at me like that." He crossed his arms and looked through the window. The girls giggled.
"I told you you should've changed." Walter deadpanned. His friend shrugged, "at least I have clothes on." Walter sighed smilingly and shook his head. "Please excuse him, he can be absurd at times." Walter confessed.
"Wow, I didn't know you could talk formal!" His friend exclaimed. The rest of them just laughed.
They arrived at a lonely cafe at the very end of the city. 'Café Fortunate' was its name. "Looks very unfortunate, though." His friend mumbled. Walter smiled and nodded, "yes. Very unfortunate indeed."
The group entered the rather small cafe. The smell of coffee engulfed them, a low chatter of the customers and whirring broken the air conditioners were the only sounds other than the clatter of cups upon saucers.
"First we get the coffees." Walter chirped excitedly. "Go get some seats. I'll come back later. After drinking the coffee we'll go over to my sister's table."
At a corner was a round table with a purple cloth draped over it. A lady wearing long purple clothes and a beanie was sitting at the table, her wood brown hair clumsily tied to a loose bun. She was studying a coffee cup, turning it this way and that, saying something in low tones to the couple who looked eagerly at her.
The coffee came and they finished it over a tiny conversation about weird advertisements and which ones were the worst. Then they took their cups and went over to the cup reader's table.
"Welcome to Café Fortunate, have a seat." She said in a calm tone. She looked at Walter in a disgusted manner and said, "I will not read your cup again."
He pushed his cup towards her, "you will, I paid for this." "You're going to get the money anyway, you work here." She replied, rolling her eyes. "But you must read my cup. I am a customer now, not a worker."
She sighed heavily and looked into his cup blankly, "death."
"Huh? How?" Walter asked confused. "Me." She glared at him. "Then I'll haunt you for the rest of your life, Ellie." Walter replied jokingly. But his words chilled Audrey's spine, her eyes widened, aware.
"And I'll ignore you for the rest of my life." Ellie shoved his cup away and took Audrey's next. "This seems very... peculiar." She furrowed her brows. Audrey gulped. Irene bit her lips.
Ellie turned the cup around and observed it, "it seems as if..."
To be continued...
ns 15.158.61.7da2
