THE JOURNEY OF SHEIRA HART

9 | Flying Might be Nice

Eight hours. The trip would last eight hours. I am not certain how long has it been since the train took off but I am bored to death. I glared at Mikhael who was already fast asleep in front of me. I wanted to kick him from his seat but I settled on giving him dagger stares. As if it would really kill him in his sleep.

I remembered the announcement said about a restaurant. And now that I think about it, I never felt hunger ever since I woke up in the Afterlife. I stood straight, realizing it. I didn’t feel hunger. Come to think of it, I didn’t eat ever since I arrived. Sure, I could have my mouth water over tasty foods I see in the café but that’s just it. I didn’t feel anything other than that.

I stood and leaned towards the sleeping guy in front of me and hit him with a rolled magazine I picked on the table. It took me five more strikes before he jolted up and hit his knee on the table. “Son of the blabbering camels,” he hissed and curled as he hugged his knee. I winced at the sight. That must have hurt.

“I’m sorry!” I said and he just glared at me. I gave him a sheepish grin.

“What is it? You could have woken me up the normal way, what’s wrong with you?”

I dropped the magazine on the table and sat back on my seat. “You couldn’t be woken up in a normal way, idiot.”

He sighed exasperatedly. “But more importantly, I have just realized something and it scares me.”

He scratched his head. “And what is it?”

I leaned closer. I looked around. Swallowing hard, I said, “I didn’t feel any hunger ever since I arrived here. Is that normal?”

Mikhael stared at me for a few moments before he chuckled. And then he leaned back and laughed so hard I was worried the others would hear. “Keep it down, will you?”

It took him a few minutes before he settled down. He was wiping his eyes and was holding his stomach after laughing so hard.

“What’s so funny?” I asked and he looked at me and laughed again.

“I was thinking what could it be and I wasn’t expecting it to be—“ He covered his mouth to laugh again. I groaned.

“You know what? Forget it,” I said and was about to stand up when he grabbed my wrist and pulled me to sit down.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry.” He raised his arms but traces of his laughter were still plastered across his lips. He licked his lower lip before he crossed his arms and looked at me. “We don’t feel that anymore,” he said and looked at me as if expecting me to understand it just by that simple sentence.

“Is it…is that on the rules?”

He shook his head. “We just…we just don’t need it anymore. We can eat, sure. But we don’t feel hungry. We don’t feel getting full, either.”

I grimaced. “I don’t know if that’s good or not.”

He just grinned and stood up. Before I could ask him what’s the matter, he held my hand and opened the cabin door.

“Where are we going?” I asked but he didn’t answer and just dragged me. I looked at the cabin but I couldn’t see what’s inside. Mikhael continued to drag me and then I realized we were going to where the restaurant is.

“Are we seriously going to eat there now?”

He looked at me over his shoulder and dangled a purse in his hand where I could hear the golden coins.

I just shook my head and when we arrived at the restaurant, it had all kinds of food I never imagined I could taste.

“You know we have a lot of golden coins to spend. Thank my, you know, brilliant puzzle-solving skills.”

I rolled my eyes and followed him towards the table full of different foods. And before I knew it, I found myself digging into the food without any restraints.

It’s been seven hours and I felt like I am going to die of boredom. True to what Mikhael had said, we didn’t feel full so we didn’t stop eating until our gold coins were no more. We didn’t feel full but it surely made us sleepy. So for the rest of the trip, we slept like logs and were only awoken by the sound of the bell, a sign that we have reached our destination.

Mikhael hit his knee on the table again and muttered a series of colorful curses about teapots and cookies.

“We have arrived at the first stop of your destination. Please enjoy your trip. Have a great day, everyone.” There was a beep and the train stopped moving. We both stood up and got out of our cabin. The others did the same. There were people about my age. There were also older than me. I wonder if they’re here to do find out how they died either.

“So this is your first stop,” Mikhael said the moment we got off the train. I watched the train disappeared in the distance while he scanned his eyes around the area. I could see other people there too, looking around, wondering where they are. The place doesn’t look familiar.

“I don’t understand,” I muttered.

He stuffed his hands inside his pockets. “As far as I know, you all have stops. In each stop, you will be given time to discover whatever's in that stop. How many stops? Depends. But on each stop, you have to finish what you needed to do or what you think you needed to know at a certain period of time. If the time is up, we will be transported here automatically whether we like it or not.”

“So the train will pick us up?”

“Exactly.”

I heaved a sigh and looked around the area. One thing’s for sure, this is not where I used to live.

I was about to say something to Mikhael when I found out he was no longer where he was standing earlier. I looked around but I couldn’t see him.

“Where did that sneaky bastard go?” I started walking and reached a small park. That’s when I saw him standing in front of a huge board. When I walked closer, I figured he was looking at the map. I stood beside him and looked at it, too.

“Oh, hi. Nice to meet you,” he said and I just rolled my eyes at him.

“I thought you left me behind.”

“Ah. As much as I want to, I couldn’t. I can’t go back without my partner.” He placed his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close, hugging me tightly.

I pulled away and gave him a glare but he was fast to take a step back and raise both his arms. “I have some news for you.”

I furrowed my brows. “What is it?”

He jerked his chin towards where the map is. “We’re in Acacia. Do you know this place?”

I looked at the map to confirm that what he was talking about was real. And indeed, we’re in Acacia.

“It’s a neighboring town. My town is like an hour away from here.”

I heard him whistle. “Aren’t we lucky? I think your first stop is your hometown.”

“It’s quite near but how are we going to go there? Do we take the bus?”

He stepped close and gave me a knowing look. “Remember that time I kicked you off the bridge.”

“Clear as day. I wouldn’t forget that, di Angelo and after this is all done, I am going to do the same to you.”

“Woah! Easy! I was just asking.” He laughed. “So, we’re going to do it again.”

“This time, I’ll be the one to kick you. Deal.”

“What? No!” He sighed. “What I mean is we’re going to fly again.”

***

“I am going to snap your neck for real, this time,” I said as I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t see what’s down below.

“Sure. But to do that, you’ll have to open your eyes and remove your hands from my arms. What are you so afraid of, anyway?”

I opened my eyes and saw the vast ocean below. And the fact that we’re probably several meters high above ground doesn’t help at all. I closed my eyes again and clung to Mikhael’s arms more tightly.

“Why the hell are we standing at the top of a bridge, di Angelo?” I screamed.

“I told you we’re going to fly.”

“I am not doing it again! Not ever!”

“Oh, come on! You can’t possibly walk all the way to your hometown.”

“I don’t care. Just let’s not—“

“Well, I care because I want to go back to the Silver City. So in case you forgot, we have a time limit and it’s counting.”

“But—“

“Hold tight.”

Before I could even protest, he grabbed my waist and made a jump for it. I remember screaming at the top of my lungs and clinging to Mikhael’s arms for dear life—soul. I didn’t care if he was laughing or will laugh at me later. I just clung to him like there’s no tomorrow.

I felt ourselves falling. The wind was violent on my skin and my hair. I didn’t open my eyes. I know we’ve done this before but I just died and I just discovered souls can fly. I can’t possibly get used to it overnight! So I clung to Mikhael’s arms, never planning to let go, and then when I was about to take my profanities to another level, I felt the wind getting gentler on my face. And then I felt us stopped falling altogether.

“I would open my eyes not to miss this fantastic view,” I heard Mikhael say.

I slowly opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was the vast ocean. It made my stomach churn but then I focused on the bridge just below us. Cars and other kinds of vehicles could be seen. They look like ants and the moment I said that in my mind, I realized how high we are from above ground.

“What the hell, di Angelo?” I clung to his neck and I heard him groan.

“I told you we are not going to fall. See?” He opened his arms wide and that even made me clung to him even more.

“Mikhael di Angelo my hands are on your neck, remember that,” I said in gritted teeth but he just grinned and opened his arms wider.

“I know. Just try and open your arms. You’re not going to fall.”

I swallowed hard and looked down below, to the vast ocean seeming to pull me down. I heaved a deep breath and slowly unwrapped my arms around his neck. I did so while closing my eyes. And when I finally did it, I didn’t fall and remained there in the air. I didn’t notice I was holding his hand but I didn’t care. I was too busy getting distracted by how amazing it was--flying.

“Now, try this.”

I didn’t know what he meant but then he shifted and now he was lying horizontally in the air. He slowly removed my hand from his and moved his arms in swimming strokes motion. “See? Pretty awesome, huh?”

I resisted the urge to look below and just stared at him, swimming around me. “Except you look stupid.”

He stopped and gave me a bland look. “My point is, we can go to your hometown by flying. Much easier, and faster.”

I just shook my head and did the same. I was lying vertically in the air which allowed me to see the waters below. Before I knew it, I was already holding Mikhael’s hand. He didn’t seem to mind. Which I was thankful for.

I looked at the birds flying opposite us. I was about to bend down when I saw a flock of birds flying towards our direction when Mikhael remained still. I was about to cover my face when I realized the birds just passed through us. Like how that one soul passed through Mr. Grim’s glass wall.

“Oh my god!” I exclaimed when I just realized what happened.

“Yep. Pretty cool, huh?”

“That was creepy,” I said and touched my arms, my neck, and my body.  A bird just passed through me! And I don’t know what to make of it.

“We’re ghosts now, Sheira. We can’t touch things. Or people.” I heard him say as we followed where the bridge was going.

I stared at my hands and before I could even say something, he held it and pulled me close to him.

“Enough of that. Are you ready to fly?”

I looked at him, confused. “Aren’t we flying already?”

“No, sweetie.” His grip got tighter on my wrist. And just when I was about to ask him another question, I felt the wind on my face. It was harsh but not as harsh as we were falling down. I couldn’t open my eyes and I was screaming at the top of my lungs by the sudden burst of speed.

“Mikhael di Angelo!” I remembered screaming his name while he was laughing like it was the moment of his life. 

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