Lingering Among the Shadows of Trust

Anomalous 6

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PART VI
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MY ARMS TREMBLED as I juggled my grocery bags, the weight taking its toll, not to mention my heavy backpack still with me. The sun finally dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the city. The sky transitioned from hues, with clouds of orange and pink turned to deep shades of indigo. Streetlights open as I walk under them, and the headlights from the passing cars shine from the darkness, irritating my eyes. With all of my remaining strength almost used up, I finally arrived at my apartment and turned in my keys. Still panting, I laid down my groceries over the counter and lowered my bag in one of my chairs. I sat down for a few minutes, taking deep breaths before drinking a glass of water. I skimmed through my groceries. They were frozen foods and a few canned goods. I put them inside my freezer and cabinets, which took me until seven o'clock. When I stretched my arms, a subtle growl emitted from my stomach. It wasn't the first time, but I usually ignore it for most of the time. I'm not the greatest cook. In fact, I find it more of a hassle than anything. That being said, I haven't had one since I got here. I went through my groceries and took out a piece of potato and a small amount of beans and cheese. It took less than 30 minutes to prepare. I prepare them on my table, snagging my History book and my Lenovo 16 laptop. I decided to make the Netherlands as the main topic for my assignment. It had history of being a strong colonial power. There's also literature and arts such as my favorite artists Vincent van Gogh, Harry Mulisch, and a few others. Nevertheless, it is one of my favorite countries, and I would love to visit someday. I heard they were very tall, about eight feet, but their lands are 26% below sea level which is an astonishing thing to hear about. I see why many people make jokes about how the Dutch can survive potential floods in their land. There's more time to prepare until next week, but I took another hour to set up my presentation in Canva. I even wrote down a short outline in Google Docs with all the information needed, bouncing from one fact to another, connecting them perfectly. I could even turn it into a recorded presentation if it wasn't for my teacher saying otherwise.

     A few moments later, the night began to crawl through my kitchen window. My eyes starting to rest, and my mind drifting away. I could feel my arms weakening, and the fatigue running down to my body. I closed my laptop, washed my kitchenwares, and took a quick warm bath before heading to my room. When I walked through the door and flicked the switch, my curtains flailed and my body tensed as the cold breeze entered through my window. On the outside, I could see lights from the tall buildings still bright as day, but the noise in the streets diminished. I shut my window closed and pulled my curtain together as I took off my towel. Grasping on the cold iron handle, the cabinet creaked open, harmonized with the clicking of my room door, opening by inch. My head stung from the nuisance since last morning. For one last time, she appeared through the crack of my door. I did my best to ignore her, but my senses felt vexed by her incessant stare, the ghastly smoke bursting through my door. For a brief moment, her circular eye glowed bright red. It was the first, I thought it was my imagination. The more I stared, the more my body felt heavier and weaker. She disappeared afterward as if nothing happened.

     I quickly put on my pajamas and dried my hair. When I lay down on my mattress, it felt like I was high above the fluffy clouds, but my eyes were still wide open, shooting through the ceiling of my room and reaching the heavens. I wondered if my parents were able to meet each other. What do they think of me at this time? I closed my eyes, clenched my hands together, and lent out a few words. And with a remote control on my side table, I closed the lights as the darkness of the night engulfed me.