Tripping Still
1210 Words
The sun was shining overhead and was shielded by the leaves of an overgrown tree that shielded most of the sunshine away from my face. Besides, thick clouds overhead prevented the sun rays to penetrate fully and reach the Earth's surface.
A soft breeze blew across the river, brought an unmistakable scent of water that was warmed by the sun's rays. The soft breeze also brought some leaves that were strewn across the ground to be rustled and this brought some kind of a lull to my already sleepy eyes.
A soft and warm material that was shrouded around me was held close by me as I placed my head in a more comfortable position on the grassy ground as the sounds of crackling from yesterday's fireplace was stocked up with some firewood to prepare for tea and maybe a meal afterwards.
*STOP*
*REWIND*
What about me lying down on the ground???
Was I just sitting at the settee some moments ago after feeding the twins and after lunch as well?
Why would I be lying next to a fireplace waiting for tea or a meal???
Didn't I had my hearty lunch earlier with Heather and watched her smash her way through the crab's pincers to get to the meat inside?
Why does my current situation here seemed rather awkward and I find it somewhat numb and rather familiar at the same time to the surroundings?
The smells and the feeling of the warm material that was shrouded on me were familiar and as I felt around me, I discovered that I was really lying down on the bare grassy ground...!
I quickly sprang and sat up as my eyes began to focus and I tried to shake off the sleepiness from my head and my eyes.
This... This... This...
It can't be true...!
I dug my fingers on the ground and discovered that it was soil, alright. I looked at the clothes I am wearing and discovered that it was the clothes that I had worn back when I had escaped from the Manor in Darlington...!
The tattered disguise cloak I had worn over my tunic and pants were the same ones that had been brought out from my bedroom closet as I made the getaway.
A small backpack was laid on the ground serving as a pillow and I rummaged through and found that I had the same coin pouches that contained gold, silver and copper coins.
What the... Am I back to the past once again?
I sat down and tried to recompile my mind as I felt around my abdomen and felt a bit sore. Before I came into this part of my dream, I had paid my last respects to my parents and sister, packed my knapsack and got ready to leave.
I last knew that in my previous dream, I had heard the awful familiar voice they kicked me down the cellar and then knocked me away with his mace that broke the sound barrier when it was brought down on my abdomen.
Somehow, I was knocked away and had lost my consciousness and right now I was pushed forward to the future and back to where it all started once again???
A woman squatted before me and checked myself out as she called out, "You didn't knock this fella out too hard, do you, Ben? He seemed to be still in a daze after we had stretchered him over here. I guess we won't be heading anywhere much and made this place our home then."
"There's some empty towns or villages around but the place doesn't seem to be too friendly since basically there are no occupants in them...! Those built-up areas would turn dilapidated in time to come and it would be best to leave them as it is."
"Gwen... Frank... Come and take a look at this lad, he seemed to have come to already. I wonder what he was doing with the coat of arms of our town and also this dull-looking sword that had been strapped to his knapsack that seems heavy and sounded like a pile of nails to me....!"
The lady beckoned her friends over and they all squatted before me and checked myself out, turning my cloak out and removing it over my head. The moment they saw the clothes that I wore, they were taken aback and felt astonished.
"Old Kayla, Old Jack... I guess this runaway from the burning town is a noble after all... Look at his clothes, they are so fine indeed... I'm sure he had left his family behind as well and ran away as fast as his legs could carry him."
I was trying to focus my vision and I suddenly blurted out, "Crystal... Crystal Chowdry?" and the lady in front of me was surprised as she remarked in a rather loud voice "Hey laddie, you knew me, eh? How come I don't know you?"
She was basically placing her fingers under my chin and brought my face up and turning my head sideways as if there was a sign that tells my name somehow.
"Crystal Chowdry... Livestock herder... Wife to Ben Chowdry... Carpenter ... Two children... Devon and Ellen... You grouped up with your buddy, Gwen Gardner... Hunter... Wife to Frank Gardner... Lumberjack... Two children... Twins."
"All those surviving folks were outside the perimeter...when the rebels strike... They burn and kill town folks... Of the whole town..."
I staggered with my speech as I held my abdomen area which I felt they a few of my ribs had been broken and cracked and I nearly laughed if they had found me and pulled out some whitish bones protruding from my rib area while saying, "I don't think this laddie would miss a few missing bones from his ribs, do you think so?"
"Hey, Ben... This guy knows us and our kids, you too, Gwen...! Do you recognise him from somewhere since he is able to identify even our profession...!" hollered Crystal and this brought everyone over.
I then spotted someone familiar in the crowd that had shared a part of my life together as I greeted her the usual manner, "Hi dear... What did you put inside the crabs when you cook earlier eh? I'm beginning to hallucinate and to think that I had earlier fed our twins as well. Where are they, my dear...?"
Heather came to look as she was surprised to hear about me being able to tell each and everyone's trade and also the names of Crystal's children. When she saw me and seen the tuff of ash grey hair on my head, she can't help but placed her hand over her mouth in surprise.
"Oh My God... Oh My God... Oh My God... Do you know who is before us right now? Let me introduce this lad to you first and foremost. This lad before us right now used to be a fellow student at York University where we both had studied and he was a few benches away from me."
"He used to be a quiet and introvert kind of student and would not partake much in any activities other than poring his nose into books whenever possible."
"Because of him, his parents gave me an opportunity to be studying ever since we became childhood friends and who else in the whole of Darlington had Ash grey coloured hair?"
"It's the Prince... His Royal Highness, Prince Audemars Macleod of Darlington...!"
- Writer
