CHANGE

Chapter 1 - The park

I woke up trembling and sweating , probably from the dream last night.

This is not the first time . I've had many nightmares lately .

All these nightmares end the same way - me falling from the highest tower , its so weird ..... One moment I'm on the tower and next I'm swallowed by total darkness .

I only remember the tower  and the darkness , but  I can't  remember
WHY AM I ON THAT TOWER? WHY AM I FALLING INTO DARKNESS I NEVER WANT TO SEE ?

These questions trouble me so much that I want to break my head .

I take a deep breath , like I do every morning , when I wake up sweating.

Usually I go to school at 8o'clock but its still 6 , so I decide to go for a walk and come back in thirty to forty minutes . One hour is more than enough for me to get ready for school.

I pick my warm coat and go out of my room .I can say by the snores , that no one is awake . I  tiptoe to the door and get out of my house.

I shiver as soon as I'm out . I immediately put  my coat on . The coldness is still taking over me.

Mornings are always cool but beautiful. The street is so quiet . normally I don't like being alone but
Sometimes we have to be , to think of ourselves , that's not bad .

The street is so lonely and I like it. I decide to go till the park .

Once I reach the park , I sit on one of the swings and memories flash through my mind .

The times when I was a kid . My dad uses to take me to the park every afternoon. I used to swing a lot .
Once I fell down from the swing , accidently.
My dad ran up to me , examined me and assured me not to be scared .
He Immediately took me in his arms and started running towards my home .

I was frozen all that time . I couldn't process what happened. It was so fast .
One moment I was on the ground and another in my bed with my dad at my side  , murmuring the same thing again and again  'my little girl , u will be okay , don't worry'  and my mom nursing my wound .
My dad was so tensed at that time though my hurt was not too big to worry about .

My dad . My hero .

He is the best dad one can have .

Memories.... Make us happy.
I hope my day will be good , as it started with a beautiful memory .

Then I realize that I have been sitting  here for a long time .
I raise my hand to check my watch but no watch .
Oh , I didn't bring my watch .

At that moment something felt different , it was weird .
Awkward feeling . I never got this feeling  . As if someone was watching me the whole time .
I turn back
There was a man  standing outside the park . He was   dressed in black or was he black ?
The strange thing that  he was staring at me .
BLANK .
Sweat forms on my head .
Then suddenly I'm running to my home .
When did I start running ?
I ran till my home is in sight and stopped to catch my breath . Then start running.

I open the door and slowly slip to my room .
No ones awake. I closed the door .
I stand there.
For a moment  trembling breath's and my heart beat is all I can hear .
After a long time what feels like hour's , my mom shouts ' wake up , wake up ' probably thinking I'm not awake .
I call back 'I'm awake mom '
'Get ready for school ' she says .
After her foot steps fade , I sigh and get into the bathroom.
I took a shower with cold water on a cold winter day without knowing  , and I realized this after getting out of the bathroom as I was shivering .
I wrap my self in  the blanket for sometime and dressup.
After packing my bag putting the books left  in my home as most of the books are in my locker .
And I go out of my room to have my breakfast .
'Good morning ' I greet my parents .
Both of the reply 'morning sweetheart '
My mom is serving  breakfast and my dad buried his face in the news paper .
I ask him , eating my toast ' anything interesting '
'Nope . nothing much ' he says folding back the news paper .
Mom says ' seems like someone's birthday is coming soon '
I smile .
Dad says ' some special persons '
I grin , say goodbye to my parents and leave for school .

I think about what all happened in the morning about the stranger  and try my best to forget about it .

I walk up to the bus stop , thinking  about telling  this stranger  matter to  someone .