Blueberry Jungle

Chapter 4

Snow, the size of golf balls, is plummeting from the sky. The wind blows strong, making the nearby stop sign sway back and forth. Walter's bedroom windows are covered in a thick layer of frosty ice; making it impossible to see out of. Walter is sitting Indian style on his bed in his blue footy pajamas watching Saturday morning cartoons. Steady mechanical beeps echo in the background. Azul is laying beside the bed snoring, he's been there for the past few days. He hasn't moved at all. Walter grabs his baseball cap off the bedside table and reaches down and plopped it onto Azul's head. Azul glances from one eye, still laying motionless, and looks up seeing the brim of the blue baseball cap on his head. Then exhaled hard and returned to his slumber. Walter chuckles and resumes watching cartoons.

Sand wedges between Walter's toes as he wanders down the shoreline. The cool ocean water tide increases. The setting sun casts a shade of marigold and a rust like tint in the sky. The glow of the warm sun dances across the ocean and shimmers onto Walter, giving him a shadow that emulates his every move. The sunset gives him enough light to guide him as he walks. There's a towering lighthouse ahead; the summit contains a revolving beam of light that instantly illuminates whatever is in its vicinity. Walter arrived at the massive door of the lighthouse. There's a phrase carved on the door, Memento mori, Walter reaches for the old rusted door handle. But before he can grab it the door swings open, on the other side stands a hooded figure. It stepped to the side, motioning to Walter to enter the lighthouse. Hesitant, Walter slowly walks into the lighthouse.

The lighthouse has a eerie feeling. It isn't well lit, only a few candles scattered around the first floor. The room is basically empty, the only furniture being a couple of wooden benches and a giant grandfather clock in the middle of the room. A spiral staircase wraps around the walls of the colossal lighthouse, leading up to the floor where the revolving spotlight is held. There's some faded graffiti on wall, seid eno yreve, written in black spray paint. Walter glances around the room, the hooded figure is no longer there. The door of the lighthouse slams shut. The candle flames flicker out and the grandfather clock dings. Walter, keeping his composure, carefully strides over to the staircase and begins to ascend to the top floor. The sun has finally set, now the sky is completely dark with twinkling dots scattered about. The moon is hidden by dark clouds, but still manages to radiate through. The spotlight twirls around endlessly. Walter sits on the outside balcony staring out at the ocean and over the horizon. A cool breeze interrupts the quiet and calm night, forcing a chill down Walter's spine making him flinch from the sensation. Waves crash against the rocks below, spraying Walter with a mist of fresh ocean water. A single white speck falls from the sky and lands on the tip of Walter's nose. Promptly, dozens of white specks begin to descend from the sky. Walter tilts his head back catching some in his mouth. The cold white specks melt into water as they make contact with his tongue.

Walter starts to breathe heavily, his chest expands further each time he inhales. The monitors above his bed begin blaring and warning signs flash on the screen. Azul, startled by the commotion, jumps up and rushes out of the bedroom barking. The blue baseball cap flies off his head and slides across the floor. Walter is sprawled out on his bed trying to catch his breath. A few seconds later his parents and Azul careen into his bedroom. His father grabbed him and ripped off his footy pajamas, there's rashes plotted all over Walter's torso and his skin is moist because he broke out into a slight sweat. The mechanical beeping becomes more rapid. Walter's eyes widen, his breathing becomes more cumbersome. Walter's mother begins opening the bedroom windows, a rush of wicked frigid air infiltrates the bedroom. The orange ribbons by his bed flap with the gust of freezing wind. Walter's father grabs a little pill bottle from his breast pocket of his flannel shirt, he takes two small pills out and puts them in Walter's mouth and forces him to swallow them. A couple minutes later the mechanical beeps go back to there normal rhythm and Walter gets control over of his breathing again.