Count Down

(( TEN ))

She opened her eyes and saw dim lights. She brushed her eyes with her hands and took in her surroundings with a clearer vision.

She shifted and realized she's sitting on a cushion—soft, comfy and cream-colored cushion. She moved her lower limbs and her feet hit a low table where in a huge cup of brown liquid and a fluffy thing on a saucer with teaspoon were placed.

What are these? She wondered mentally.

She brought up her feet, crossed them in and on until she got the position she felt most comfortable of. She slouched her back and looked up as she breathed in deeply. She almost choked herself to death when she saw an image at the ceiling. She breathed out yet felt a movement on her peripheral vision. She ignored it and snapped looking straight back at the table again. There she noticed a new object placed on top of it.

"What is this now?" She questioned now out loud, and jerked when she heard the voice coming out of her mouth.

"Ah. Eh. Ih. Oh. Uh." She tried again. And again, and many more times, then a wide smile painted through her lips when she confirmed to herself that the sound was really coming from her.

"Great thing, isn't it, huh?" she jolted out from the cushion, falling on the carpeted floor with the deep voice she heard coming from something at the side. She didn't want to see it. She was terrified. But it moved next to her and her eyes shut in an instant, covered her face with her hands as she curled herself into a ball.

She couldn't see anything now but black and feel that pressure in her eyes from shutting them close so tight and her body aching from too much contortion. (However in reality 'too much' is exaggerating, yet of course the uneasy feeling was there.) She could still feel it near her thus she kept her position still.

Don't be afraid. You are safe here. Open your eyes and see the beauty.

It was not the deep voice anymore. The sound was caressing her worries away. The sound repeated for so many times before it completely coaxed her hands off of her face and uncurl from the human ball she made out of herself.

Open your eyes and see the beauty.

And so she did. She was about to close her eyes again when she saw it in front of her—

"Don't be afraid. You're safe here." It said.

Her eyes widened in surprise instead. Because its voice was not deep anymore. It was soothing.

"Speak, love. Don't be afraid." It said and squeezed her hands lightly. She was about to get her hands from it but it gently started rubbing her bare hands making her feel something, something safe.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and looked at it expectantly and said with a questioning tone, "Don't be afraid? You are safe here?"

It nodded happily and released her hand from its hold, leaning on the table. It got the new object and handed it to her. "Open it."

She looked at it and to it handing the object to her. She grabbed the object and raised a brow at it.

"Don't be afraid. You're safe here." It reminded her, smiling.

She looked at it again and it joyfully smiled at her and that made her open the object.

               BOOK

                  OF

           MOMENTS

It read.

"Book..." she murmured.

"Book..."

"Book..."

"Book..."

She said it over and over, then it came to her.

"BOOK!" She exclaimed and giggled. She flipped the page, her excitement filling the room.

People will always say you are safe somewhere, with someone or with something. Don't believe them, though. All you need to do is be brave and don't let fear stop you. Open your eyes, not just literally—do it with your heart and mind. There's beauty in every moment, just don't be afraid to see them. That's how you will be safe.

12965

She looked up and saw it.

"No. He's not an it. He's a person." She whispered to herself, closing the book and glanced up at the person again. "Who are you?"

"Finally!" he breathed out. "I'm Joseph." He added.