were they all real?

where they all real? (rewritten)

[october 2019]

-

[october 2019, a few minutes later]

rhodopsin, the photopigment used by the rods and is the key to night vision, becomes ten thousand to one million times more sensitive than full daylight. it takes approximately twenty to thirty minutes for the eyes to fully adapt from luminosity to obscurity. in this process, the eye's perception of the color changes as well, known as the purkinje effect.

imagine a rose dressed in the brightest shade of red...the tint then begins being suckled on inside as the light dims, leaving it in a dark shade of gray.

pranpriya feels the intensity of the light bulbs from the outside of her room as it opens, mocking her vibrantly, calling her out for being too sensitive. she shuts her eyes close, begetting fresh tears tainting the arid ones that came before it, her cheeks a collector of salty seas.

the loud thumping of her heart ceases, her only source of sanity crumbling down, masked, veiled by an intruder filled with sympathy and concerns.

"won't you at least take a shower?" it's a harmless joke, a context the four of them witnessed first-hand, a reminder of what is to become now that the memory is hauntingly slipping its tincture away. she thinks chaeyoung laughs at her own failed attempt to ease the tension, receiving a blank answer.

silence is deafening, lisa seems to forget one simple word to make chaeyoung quit. it ghosts a prickling touch on her tongue like a cactus accidentally aiming to respite it from uttering again — stay stay stay stay stay stay, sickened and perturbed.

-

[may 2017]

jennie felt a whoosh of may's humidity when she finished cleaning the dishes, moist starting to form all over her porcelain skin. she adjusted the low bun on her head, yelled "close the door, lisa!", a mock reply "you have hands, why don't you do it by yourself?" with a snigger, her pearly white teeth on display shining against the light of the suite in the darkness of the veranda. "you're closer!" lisa clinked two sojus occupied by both hands with a wink, "can't, hands full", and sat her way onto the garden chair. "close the door, jennie!" in translation: come sit with me.

jennie did so, closed the door when she was out of the suite, the warm wind blowing the loose strands of her hair and gusting her loose clothing. she looked over lisa – her blonde hair reminding her of rapunzel whenever she sings the healing song, glowing even though it only shined a little due to the light behind the glass doors separating the suite from them. she's only in a white robe, jennie presumed since no strap can be seen from her exposed shoulders. she fashioned her robe off-shoulder.

"so where do i sit?" she asked, eyes glued to lisa whilst her hand pointed at the beer bottles occupying the seat she wished to occupy. lisa points at her lap. jennie shrugged and cozied in.