(My First Short Story)

August 1st, the last drop of sunlight gradually cleared the dazzle coloured sky, turning into dimmed green. Ethan saw a blue silhouette and a bird holding a red missing flyer on the pathway, he ignored and went to the parking lot surrounded by weird silent. Ethan aimlessly moved around in the parking lot, finding a blue car, approaching to it. He pulled the handle, but it didn’t pop open, he tried again, but he failed. He forgot the key from his mom by the mirror lake. The streetlight suddenly turned on, there were no sunlight left for mountain to drink. Ethan turned around and jogged back to her as fast as he could, looking at the ground, he could see his shadow getting a part of the darkness.

Going through the forest, Ethan could feel the unusual cold breeze in summer. He also saw a larch tree with brown leaves, brown flower and brown grass in the field. He felt the time was changing. Finally, he was by the lake where mom is expected to be seen. He approached the bench but saw an empty bench by the silver grass under the willow tree, he felt cold by the mirror lake, the rain fell from the sky and dimmed sky into purple, the clouds gathered, and it turned the tap on. The red bird on the tree looked at Ethan through the rain, the bird’s remembrance gradually faded and faded.

“Ethan, why are you here!” Ethan flinched but realised it was James walking down the hill annoying him, intentionally walking behind the light. Ethan pretended being strong and didn’t sheltered the rain. James was the famous in Ethan’s new school, he was older than him and had a car license, but he was livelier than him. Funny thing is that he always wore dark clothes and had collections of horror films and books. “But Nobody saw his face because he only goes out at night.” Ethan murmured quietly and nervously, putting his both hands together, waiting for James to come near enough to shout.

“Tell me where she is now!” shouted Ethan, pointing at the bench.

“No, but I found this camera.” Ethan was surprised that he understood. James imitated Ethan taking photo, Ethan frowned.

“That’s mine!” Ethan quickly snatched it from James’ hand and covered it with his blue t-shirt.

Ethan found his camera by the lake. It was wet but still functioned. “This place is famous for getting lost, am I right?” James started talking again, while Ethan started crossed his arm in the freezing rain, he looked at James, he was prepared for this cold rain with extra clothes. James turned around and looked at the brown bony flower field, wondering. “The red bird,” continued James, “we should go back before morning strikes!”

Ethan frowned more significantly, James fell over and slid on the mud. “Why do you push me?” James stood up, angrily. Ethan shouted: “Give me back my key!”. Later, James wore his blue raincoat and gave another one to Ethan. Ethan knew that James didn’t had the key. Temperature dropped more as the lake froze but the gathered cloud shifted, the rain went far away, leaving them in the complete darkness. Whereas trees without leaves swayed by wind. Over the lake, they saw a very tiny light. Ethan uncovered his camera and zoomed in. Ethan saw stars, a tall tree and a small house with light turned on. The stars revealed James from behind, “Ethan took a picture of the lake” said James, he sniffed after that. Ethan, hugging himself, tried to stand still by the frozen lake. Ethan felt dizzy and cold, his heavy eyes distracted him talking, “The light is coming from a small house” Ethan’s voice shook, “let’s see if we could go in”. James worried about him shivering.

“Honestly, do you have phone?” Ethan’s fingertips turned blue, he then quietly sighed and repeated short breath in and short breath out. Later, James helped in putting the camera back into the bag and tried to find something to wrap him. When James started to speak, Ethan wondered if this was really summer: the leaves were falling, the ground was too dry, the bugs were less loud, even mosquitoes by the lake didn’t bite him. Ethan coughed before he spoke. “I am very,” continued Ethan, clearing his throat, “I am very remorseful, mine own fellow.” Ethan stared at a rock and shivered. James replied quickly, “No, I am sorry, it was me breaking your first camera.”

They searched if there were any bridge they can cross; the lake was wider than what they’ve thought and no bridges. They searched for any boat, there weren’t any. Then, they tried going back to where they started, the path stopped as if it was erased by an eraser. “The tiny light was the only way.” said James, looking at Ethan. Ethan decided to call her mom. He crouched and James followed. “Warning temperature low.” James whispered neither to himself nor Ethan. The phone suddenly turned off as the streetlight dimmed until there were more stars.

The dark surrounded them, even when they were beside the lake, the lake wasn’t there. James stopped Ethan from dropping the camera, “thanks.” Ethan turned the camera flash on. The lake reflected the stars. “August?” Ethan sniffed before he coughed. They sat down on the rocks by the lake, the air become ice. Red feather zoomed across Ethan’ face, Ethan lost his balance on the rock and fell over; the bird was gone. Then, Ethan tried to stand up, but his body didn’t respond. Awhile later, moonlight from distance approached the other rock and scanned James’ silhouette; Ethan saw somebody else.

“James?”

She was the only one who had real jumpers. He wondered about what James had said about the red bird. Ethan was confused, every minute felt a decade. Ethan couldn’t stand up or speak, he just hugged himself for more heat, Ethan regretted wearing a blue t-shirt. “Mom, where are you?” He stopped breathing. In the dark, Ethan heard millions of people clapping, it got gradually louder and louder, which was soon muted by a warm hand.

Ethan felt the clapping sound hurting his head, his consciousness was back to normal, he was in the tiny light. Ethan found the only heat in the coldness––the oil lamp. Ethan hoisted his left arm and tried to stretch near the warm candle for more heat, but, instead, he waved at the bowered spot.

“I am Ethan, Ethan Cole.”

Fleurette replied. She was inquisitive but stayed in the bowered spot. Sleepy Ethan stood up bumped his leg. He found a missing flyer on the desk, 1992 he ignored the year and desperately dialled his mother, but the signal didn’t reach. He then placed his new camera on the desk and started to aimlessly move around for signal as Fleurette moved into the light. Ethan’s phone slipped from his hand to her feet.

“What’s this?” Fleurette looked at the obvious smart phone.

“Wait, what date is today?” They were both inquisitive yet curious.

Ethan heard the word as he stepped back: “Christmas, 1992.” said Fleurette.

Ethan moved enough close and snatched his phone from her. “What date is today?” Fleurette immediately grabbed Ethan, dropping the wooden bird on the other hand. “I stayed here for 23 years, now, it’s your turn to stay here for 23 years.” Ethan got confused by her aggressiveness, but later thought about what James told him: ‘we should go back before morning strikes!’ She then bumped the door open as the small house flooded with wind and sunlight before sunrise. She ran outside to the frozen lake,

Ethan bumped his feet again as he peaked through the opened door, he was astonished by the frozen lake and blizzard. All the sunlight to the house was blocked by curtains and the snow. Ethan borrowed a blanked and zipped it with his blue raincoat.

“Stop!” yelled Ethan, trying to hug himself as he walked outside, he hoped his voice went through the violent wind. “It’s too dangerous!” his leg shivered. Ethan pushed the blanket to cover his legs when Fleurette continued walking easily with her jumpers. The wind slowed down after he went out. He leaned forward to move. Fleurette was same but she looked more confident and more far away. Ethan stayed quiet and glanced at the snow mountain revealing from the blizzard’s white out.

The end was near, the end of crossing blizzard made Ethan’s palm blue. Soon, the wind stopped as the invisible sunlight under the mountain made the sky light blue. Ethan’s survived and saw a speck, running away, to the land, holding something. Ethan hugged himself with the blanket as he wondered how he survived.

“Wait!” Ethan yelled to the speck. He realized that he was wasting time––the yellow sunlight was about to rise and shine through the branches through the leaves. The ice mirror lake reflected them while the blue clouds slowly turn white. “We can leave here together!” shouted Ethan, starting to chase her. James showed up from behind, “go to the car!” James shouted as he went into the forest to chase her. Soon, James returned to the parking lot with the key.

A fracture of sunlight peaked through the mountain, Ethan felt fragile and empty. “What did you do to her?” James but respond. When Ethan looked at James quietly opening the door, he saw red leaves going back up to the trees. Then, a red bird flying over the green mountain. Ethan looked at himself on the window of the car as he opened the door.

August 2nd, the fracture of sunlight gradually turned into beautiful sunrise. Ethan saw everything running backward, blur green tree silhouettes running backward, the yellow August wheat field running backward. Ethan saw James finally looking older than him, tapping the steering wheel, listening to his ambient music. “Mom, where are you?” Ethan sniffed and rubbed his eyes then slept.

Fleurette started at the snow, she went back to the small house and collect a ‘smart phone’ on the floor. Then, she easily went out the park and saw triangle roofs and wooden house by a grey power pole. “How was Ethan?” She flinched but realized it was someone on the bench looked exactly same as her but older. “The phone saved you”

After the car is parked, Ethan walked along the street with James. Everything was back to normal, the square roof buildings, some low buildings with gardens on the roof. When Ethan was back to home, Ethan soaked in his bed while James explained to his mother that they were lost in the park. “The key saved us, otherwise we might have stayed in there for 23 years.”

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