Blue in the Sky

 Water was dripping down LUCEN’s face as he woke up. “Oh damn, the roof is leaking. It’s raining outside.” He picked up his phone and checked the time — it was midnight.

LUCEN was half asleep. He looked at the window near his bed. It was dark and raining, but he liked the feel and sound of the rain.

LUCEN got off the bed and walked downstairs and drank water. As he drank the water, he felt chills. “What was that supposed to be?” LUCEN murmured.

He opened the door as the chill breeze hit LUCEN’s face. He sat outside watching the rain. As he watched the rain, the wind breezing against the trees created a mystic view.

His eyes widened. As the wind rose, the rain sizzled over his face. He didn’t show any reaction; it was like he was lost in his thoughts, but he came back from it sooner than usual.

LUCEN turned and looked at the place where the crow took the egg, and he stood up and went near the compound near the chicken nest with his black umbrella.

As he got near the place, he looked down to see if the broken egg and the feather of the crow were there, but to his surprise there was nothing. Instead, there was a hole, like someone or something had dug the ground.

He looked at the ground in shock and thought maybe it was a dog. The rain breeze was loud. He opened the gate of his house and went outside to get some wood and nails.

He took the wood and nails from outside his house, but he needed a hammer. He thought about where the hammer could be. As he was thinking, a gentle voice whispered in the air, “You really forgot the hammer. Have you been cautious?”

LUCEN turned around quickly. “Who is it?” As he said that, something touched his shoulder — it was cold. LUCEN heard a gentle song, whispers around him.

A kid ran from the shadow and looked at another shadow. “Mommy, will you buy me cake?” A lady appeared slowly from the shadow. Her face was so beautiful. She sat near the kid and said, “Another day, dear.”

LUCEN watched the scene with shock and confusion about what was going on. But he replied, “Is there really a tomorrow? Why not now?” The kid played in the rain as usual, but the lady turned her head toward LUCEN.

“Dear, why are you upset? If something hurt you in the past, does it really matter?” The lady touched LUCEN’s face and adjusted his hair. “You look lovely. But there is something waiting tomorrow. You just have to choose the right path.”

As she said that, LUCEN, with a calm voice, said, “You’re not real. Who sent you?”

She said, “It’s a mystery to me.” As he spoke, the lady disappeared into the shadow, saying, “Come on, dear.”

The little girl ran toward the shadow following her mom. She stopped before disappearing. She turned and looked at LUCEN and said, “Brother, is it really hard to accept who you are?” LUCEN was lost for words and stuttered. The little girl laughed and said, “It’s not that hard. You will.” As she said that, she disappeared.

LUCEN wasn’t shocked this time. He understood that something was going on, but he had to figure out what it was.

After the disappearance of the mother and child, he decided to go back to his house. As he stepped forward, a flower between the tiny grass pulsed blue.

As he noticed one flower, the whole block and the flowers in his garden bloomed, and a strong wind lifted the flower, sending it far above, making it so beautiful that it lit the night sky.

Suddenly LUCEN felt chills, as there were more people watching the flower — he was not wrong. As the flower went higher, several people appeared around him from the shadows and walked toward the flower, like they were following its path.

LUCEN tried to touch one of the people, but he couldn’t. It was like they were never there, like souls searching for peace. How hard could their guilt be that even their souls tried to escape from it?

As the flower started to fade while going higher, the people also started to fade. As the flower faded, an old person on the ground raised his hand and said a few words that completely broke his heart.

As everyone faded, the old man didn’t fade. LUCEN went near the old man and said, “I know you can’t hear me, but it’s going to be alright. Everything will be fine.”

The old man turned his head toward LUCEN and said, “What about you?” LUCEN was shocked for a moment, then gave a sad smile and touched the old man’s head. “It will be fine. Now go.” As he said that, the old man started to fade. LUCEN said, “About me… there is still time, I guess.” The man gave him a smile while completely fading.

When everything faded, LUCEN picked up the wood and nails. There he found a hammer. LUCEN thought, what a coincidence. He picked it up and went inside the house.

He went to his room and climbed onto the roof using his window. He fixed the broken roof, and at the same time he was fixing it, the rain stopped. The sun started to rise, and LUCEN finally started the day with a smile, but he whispered, “Let’s see how well it goes.”

As the day started, LUCEN freshened up and said, “Today the water is too chill.” He closed his house and started walking to his campus. Aira came running and tapped his shoulder and said, “So, today you look fresh.”

LUCEN said, “What do you mean by fresh?”

“Hm… fresh, I mean… I don’t know, you just look fresh.”

LUCEN exhaled and said, “You and your weird words.”

Aira laughed. “That’s me, he he he.”

“I have to show you something,” she said while getting close to LUCEN. “Would you like to see?”

LUCEN smiled. “Of course.”

As they reached the campus, they placed their bags in the class. Aira and LUCEN walked out.

 Aira suddenly grabbed LUCEN’s hand and rushed upstairs. They met Ms. Lucy.

“Good morning, Ms. Lucy,” Aira said.

Ms. Lucy replied, “Where are you two going? If you’re going, go slow.” She exhaled. “Kids these days,” she said. “They barely know each other one day.”

As Aira rushed upstairs holding LUCEN’s hand, LUCEN looked at her excited face. Her hand was cold — too cold and soft.

As they entered upstairs, both were out of breath.

 Aira told LUCEN, “I asked you how yesterday night was, remember?”

LUCEN replied, “Yes, I remember. That was fine.”

“So you met those souls, right?”

LUCEN was shocked and asked, “How do you know?”

She said, “You can see me as your guardian angel.”

LUCEN replied, “I don’t believe in angels.”

Aira said, “Wanna see a trick?”

LUCEN, with a tired expression, said, “What now?”

“Look at my hand. There was nothing, right?” She closed her hand and opened it — bang — a beautiful blue flower appeared.

Seeing that, LUCEN took the flower and asked, “You were there that night, right? Most souls begged for this flower.”

Aira rested her face on the steel rod grill and looked down from the top of the school. She said, “The flower makes souls happy. That’s why when it faded, the souls begged for it. Their guilt, regret — they are trying to escape.”

“And that’s why you feel happy. But don’t hide it too much.” She smiled. “I haven’t shown my trick yet. You’re already amazed by the flower. Watch me, LUCEN — the guardian angel of yours.”

Aira stood at the edge of the campus roof, threw the flower high, and said, “Bang…”

Tap. Tap. Tap.

“Okay students, can we start our class?” a student said. “Man, LUCEN and Aira have not arrived yet.” Ms. Lucy looked at their desks — both bags were next to each other, red and black.

A student raised his voice. “What was that?” Hearing that, other students turned toward the window.

“What are you saying?” Ms. Lucy spoke. “I think it’s going to rain.”

The guy said, “Not that! Look above — in the dark clouds — thousands of blue flowers are blooming in the sky and surrounding the campus.”

The students and Ms. Lucy’s jaws dropped at the beautiful mystical scenery.

While on the rooftop, LUCEN’s eyes widened at the view. Aira stood at the edge and turned back.

“Was it beautiful?” she asked.

LUCEN replied, amazed, “Beautiful? Yes… but it feels fresh.”

Aira replied with a weird grin, “Fresh? What do you mean by fresh?” They both laughed while the flowers surrounded them.

But while they were happy, something in the distance changed the shade of the forest.

At a distant forest, a crack opened in thin air, like someone tearing the world itself. A sludge dropped fr

om it and started to form a cocoon. Around the cocoon, wild red flowers surrounded it, giving redness to the dark forest.