Home for Winter

chapter 02

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chapter 02
A Place to Stay

Everett

After achieving your goal, what comes next?

Never have I ever thought that I would ask this question one day.

Like a snowflake that always moves, I live my days by always moving forward. Never stopping. Giving up isn't in my vocabulary. Not until I get on the finish line.

Ah, this must be the feeling of winning in life, I told myself when my books rose to popularity. A taste of victory.

For months, I was in cloud nine. Then it lasted.

Hinding hindi ako magiging masaya hangga't hindi sumisikat ang mga libro ko. I must rise to fame. That's why I'm writing. Kapag nagawa ko 'yon, do'n pa lang ako makukumpleto at sasaya.

'Yon ang sabi ko sa sarili ko noon. So, I worked my ass off to achieve it.

What a load of crap.

That's what I realized when, even after achieving everything, I still feel incomplete.

In hues of white and blue, the world is still and peaceful. The wind rustles, bringing a pile of ice along with it towards my direction. I shiver but endure it.

I continue walking. To where? I have no idea too. Hinahayaan ko lang ang paa kong dalhin ako.

Perhaps to the end of the world? To the end of my life? I raise my head and stop after seeing a building. Two story and designed like a tall cabin made of wood. Its dark and earth brown color is a contrast to the dull grey environment. May malaking salamin na bintana. Above it written, Oh, Coffee!

Ah... to a rest stop.

How long have I been walking? Where am I? How long will I stay?

Hinayaan ko lang ang mga tanong na 'yon at lumakad papunta roon.

The metal wind chime with flying birds in it ring as I enter. I stop for a while to scan the place.

Even inside, I could feel the chill. Empty in blues and whites. Chairs and tables decorated in the same gloom. It's as if this place is devoid of a soul... much like how my chest feels right now.

The fragrance of coffee lingers in my nose and it's the only sense of life that I can feel.

Wintry inside and out.

A perfect place to stay.

Bumaling ang tingin ko sa kanan kung saan may isang babae. Sitting in a high stool facing a glass panel, she stares at me with her doll like eyes, curious and slightly astounded seeing how it widens. Her long straight hair's resting on her shoulder with thin bangs that is like a curtain to her face. In her hand is a weaving tool.

Much like the faintness of this place, she's wrap in a silver yarn sweater. Beside her, smoke circles like a feather from a green cup.

Is it the exhaustion? The dizziness from seeing the vastness of the world? The car sickness from travelling? Or perhaps, it's the fact that I don't know where to go anymore that makes me ask, "Can I stay here for winter?"

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