02.24 pm

02.24 PM.

The digital clock showed that just before I closed my eyes. When I opened my eyes again, the sky was dark already. How long was it I've been trying to fall asleep on my bed? I felt numb. I could smell the fragrance of rose. I tried to widen my eyes; shook my head. Rose petals tickled my neck. I felt terrible.

"What happened to you?"

Who is that? Did I forget to lock my room?

"Anything hurt?" he asked again.

"Where am I? Who are you?"

He laughed. "Here, take my hands. I'm Martin." He pulled my hands, helped me to get up. "I don't know where we are. It's strange, you know. All I can see are roses and few gigantic rocks there. Can you believe it? Roses!"

I blinked once again. He still held my hands. I leaned on him.

"Can you walk...err...?"

"Etta. Marietta." I tried to walk. But I barely felt my legs. "Seems not."

"Let me help you. Hopefully we can see this situation clearer from the rocks."

____ . . . ____

"I was in my room. Sleeping. I supposed." Martin has helped me to sit on one of the rocks. He sat beside me. "I was thinking about..."

"What?" asked Martin.

"It's none of your business, isn't it?" replied me harshly.

Martin laughed. His white teeth made him look charming. "I'm just trying to be a responsive listener. Where in the world are we?"

"No clue. When you came, I was about to wake up. I guess I fainted and something has moved me to another dimension. What time is it?"

"Don't know. It's so late, I believe." Martin tapped his watch with his nails. "My watch's broken."

"Damn!"

"Hey, mind your language." Martin leaned his back on the rocks. "Did you bring anything? Watch? Food? Drink, maybe?"

"Duh, you think I'm in the middle of, sort of, camping right now? Ugh, my sandals! I even couldn't find my sandals. Dawn will break in couple hours, I hope."

He glanced. "Cold?"

"Kind of," replied me. I knew that he saw me shivering.

"Can I hug you?"

"Hey!"

"No, no, no, no." He sighed. "Please, don't get me wrong. It's just...If we hug, we'll feel....just a little bit....warm."

I stared at him. No, he would not take anything for granted in this situation. I guessed. "Okay."

Martin put his hand around my shoulder. He was right, we were getting warm soon. So, I let him tighten his hug. We were trapped in silence, we both hoped that night would be over soon. Being in the strange place with a stranger at night was not one kind of a pleasure. Try my dad! Even going to malls with friends is strictly prohibited. My dad is an old-fashioned father!

I glanced at Martin.

He may be a freshman or a sophomore. He's not a senior high school student, for sure! He looks more mature than any boys in my school. His hair is long enough, covers his ears and forehead. His body is in good shape. He must work on it twice or three times a week. His eyes and his lips... Dear God, how come I think about his lips in this situation!