Night Noise

Summer consisted of these Arabian Night skies, where clouds highlighted in hues of blue form into the mountains of Earth’s atmosphere. The sun sets later in the evening but the sky dances in all colours before it’s darkness gradually hovers over the people, dawned on the inclination to return home to their families.

This playground is empty, has often been. The street lamps vibrant, leaving hues of copper in the air. You can almost taste the metal. The buses so slow it was almost haunting, passing vehicles audibly resembling ghosts. They surround you, testing your hearing.

I thought it was truly nighttime, but I could see that the small trail of evening hadn’t completely left yet.

I had to go soon.

8pm-

The sky had morphed into a suffocating monochrome, though the pitch-black nothingness didn’t feel like a dome.

There was little to no light from the street lamps to lead the way, the grass beneath my footsteps growing out of dewy bricks, despite it being midsummer with no recent rain.

The building had finally appeared in sight, though painted white and completely contrasted everything else, it was well-hidden. I got closer, the white walls appeared whiter. It was as empty as I hoped it’d be. Between was enough distance, enough for me to observe the loud vehicle that had momentarily raided the eerie silence.

There on the sidewalk a black car was parked, engine dead but exterior alive.

I saw him.

He was so vivd, glowing only in my eyes, I gawked with thirst for every possible glimpse.

As soon as his imposing figure disappeared into the building, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

I was back to living in my time, my pace.

From dewy red bricks, my foot took it’s first step in 2 years onto the colourful asphalt tiles. I got momentarily drawn back to reality, I wondered how I would interact with my old life.

The gate was left open and the security guard was no where in sight. This place looked more like a toy in the dark, the bright colours of pillars all muted. I scanned my surroundings. The track I used to run on looked the same, the grass on the field was so still. There were lights here and there, illuminating the air instead of the pavement.

Despite it being this late, the lights would stay on, at least that’s how I remembered it. This image certainly wasn’t new to me, but somehow tonight’s darkness felt dangerous.

Though the suited boy had just entered the school moments ago, it was as if he were a ghost that disappeared into thin air. No human presence, nothing. Frightening, exhilarating. I climbed up the stairs, assuming people were at the event hall. This was essentially what it was, after all – an event.

My footsteps made suspenseful echoes, I began to hurry, taking no time to look behind. Then there it was – music.

The corridors were dark but there were lights seeping out of the closed doors of the hall, I heard cluttered chatters.

I paced towards the handle. Cold, but inside the air looked musky. They were dancing, lights kept changing colour. I could see the whiteness of people’s teeth as they were smiling & laughing, I could feel the pounding of the music, it was a goddamn club in there.

Such soulless, mindless fools. All these compact in one environment perfectly fitted for them, ones who graduate just to chase after superficial perfection. I recalled the anger, but perhaps I was envious of how one could live this way and be content, how proceeding in life was just so unspoken of.

My hesitated steps failed. Someone noticed my presence, soon I was dragged into the event, gradually regressing into the reserved mess that I wasn’t supposed to be tonight.

—

The hall was alive, I could feel it’s energy.

My gaze remained low, I stared at my fiddling hands.

They become delicate and fragile as their youth shrinks, narrow streams of green veins almost painfully protruding skin. Hands can’t be jubilant, but they once certainly were.

I was no longer familiar with this body, nor was I familiar with the these places.

I want to be able to say that this was a home I could come back to, I want that subtle tremor of nostalgia.

Though we were adults now. I felt like I was reliving history, for I was my old self again. But something new did ignite tonight.

This, here, was my first sense of familiarity, and it was only a few feet away from me.

Red and yellow lights lit sides of his face, the rest of the room around him was dark and his eyes were on me. My breathing accelerated, but he was still. His doe-eyed gaze so fixed it was almost threatening, in a flattering way.

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