ɢᴏʟᴅᴇɴ ᴇʏᴇꜱ

1. ᴀ ᴡᴇɪʀᴅᴏ

   The relentless heat happens to be one of the worst things in this world. Fortunately here, the sun can’t scorch this place as fiercely as it does in the summertime in cities; it’s as if the mountains themselves are shielding these lands. The area is steeped in silence, with only the gentle, peaceful wind whispering close by, almost as if it’s brushing against my ear, bringing with it a rare sense of calm even in my situation...

   The last cigarette dries out my throat; it's the third or fourth one. It doesn’t help as I stare at the shattered pieces of my phone, which I smashed in a fit of anger fifteen minutes ago. Objects like this are useless for venting frustration, and out here in these godforsaken mountains, it’s even more pointless without a signal. I’d have preferred to take out my anger on something alive, like those little boys who dodged me and ran away. I wish I could chase them, but with this fresh wound, I can’t even drive my car after their bikes on this rough road. Although it’s already been three days since I was injured, it feels like a lifetime; I used to leave the hospital as soon as my wounds were barely wrapped.

   I really want to give James a good punch. Something he asks always brings me misfortune. He carries a great deal of trouble with himself. On the other hand, I was stupid to come alone and believing to young boys. When have little guys become too brave like this?!

   I press my head on the roof of the car, and curse Mr. Smith under my breath. Because of him, I am standing in this wretched place with no option of going somewhere, and I am sure here's no trace of his family; all information James got was false.

   I hear no voices, no hum of cars, nor any sound of transport. Worst of all, I can feel my wound reopening, and I silently pray it won’t bleed. I can’t even muster a sigh, for the pain would be too great. Driving to civilization takes hours — a feat far beyond my current strength. The road ahead is treacherous, with only two miles of smooth terrain; the rest is unforgiving, impossible to traverse in my condition.

   I lift my gaze to the sky; the once brilliant blue, adorned with pure white clouds, had darkened to a somber gray, as if the heavens themselves had lost their luster in these forsaken lands. Even if I'm throwing hate, I know the beauty of these "forsaken lands" defies description; words can hardly capture it. The clouds now seemed to kiss the horizon in a melancholy embrace. Honestly, it is my first time colliding with such a scene; feeling the nature. I wonder how it exists in this small world! Under different circumstances, I might have reveled in the beauty of this scene, but my wretched state robbed me of any such pleasure, making me despise every little thing even if it's a divine place. I wish I could just sit and breath in the breezing air, forgetting my chaotic life. If it weren't for my pathetic state...

   "Do you need help?" a voice suddenly startles me, and as I whip around, a sharp pain flares up in my stomach, nearly forcing a curse out of me. The voice belongs to a child, standing so close that her head barely reaches my chin. A young girl, perhaps no older than seventeen, peers up at me with large, almost luminous yellow eyes that seem to glow with an otherworldly light. I glance at her from head to toe, momentarily bewildered — her slender, wind-tousled hair dances around her face, which is strikingly clear and soft, like untouched porcelain. She stands barefoot in the middle of the road, clad only in cotton pajamas. No shoes? My surprise doesn’t seem to faze her at all, as if this peculiar appearance is very fine, especially in the middle of the road. The way her eyes bore into mine that truly unsettles me, as though she’s sifting through my thoughts, uncovering my deepest secrets, exposing every hidden corner of my mind with just a gaze

   "What the..." I open my mouth again, only to shut it tight because only swearing words are left in my poor vocabulary (especially when I meet new people). When on earth did she appear beside me so unexpectedly, like a whimsical little mushroom popping up in the rain?