MAGIC had to ask “What was that darkness? What would have happened if we didn’t make it out of there in time?”
-“Nothing, it is just darkness… Once, I couldn’t come back here and had to stay there for who know how long. It is just scary, you miss track of everything… You don’t feel your hands or feet and no longer can differentiate between what it is real and what it is not. You no longer know what you are or who you are… That is all.” IT said while moving its sight down to look at the floor, its voice changed from calmed to trembling, and at the end a long silence stood between the two.
IT sighed and once again to soothe the mood, IT began to direct the attention to something else. IT picked up the sea foam that could be seen on a now dim looking sun. There was no more rain, the sky was somewhat foggy and there wasn’t anything reflected on the lake anymore except a monochrome sun. After having some foam on both hands IT blew it, but it didn’t fall onto the ground. Instead, the foam crystallized on the air and flowed around as if it were pieces of diamonds hanging from the sky. IT took more foam and threw it to the air, this time it transformed into soft snow. “Isn’t it pretty~?” IT asked MAGIC, and he responded “It is alright.” IT frowned and on an impulse IT kicked the young man’s behind and ran. MAGIC didn’t know what to do since its actions didn’t make much sense to him. The kick didn’t hurt him either, and IT got slightly irritated “Aren’t you boring and lame?!!!” IT yelled at MAGIC, slipped and fell on the floor while running towards him. MAGIC in returned couldn’t help but to laugh a little at the incident, and went towards where IT was laying on the floor. “Need a hand?” he asked and IT replied with: “NO! let me rot in here” while turning around to face the sky. MAGIC grabbed both of its hands and started pulling IT to the center of the lake. “I told you to let me rot” IT said while been dragged to where the obscure sun lay in the lake.
The sky didn’t look much different from any other time but strangely enough to IT, the same old sky had slightly changed. The color became darker and it had shades of cold hues. MAGIC slowly let go of its arms and also felt the need to rest and lay down. The young lad sat a few steps away from IT, but when laying down his face,he could easily see IT’s face in his field of vision. Out of nowhere IT asked him: “Do you want to go back?”
Immediately, MAGIC replied “Of course I do”
IT who was still looking at the now navy blue sky with the fragments of sea foam dust, turned to see MAGIC directly “Why do you want to go back. It is not like you remember anything, who you were, where do you live and what you do.” MAGIC instinctively looked at the sky and placed his right arm on top of his forehead. He whispered “I want to go back because…”
A long pause and empty silence filled up the place, nothing could be heard, nothing coming from the frozen lake beneath them, not even a noise from the forest, or the gentle sound of the breeze.
IT broke the moment by saying “I wonder who you might be.”
MAGIC frowning his eyebrows a little and pondering, didn’t exactly knew how to react or reply. He waited and could hear a voice saying “What if you were… a mad person?”
He giggled at the comment and replied “A mad person? Do I look like one to you?”
IT had to sit down and give a half serious look after observing the man on the lake.
-“Not much of a really insane person, but you don’t look average either.”
MAGIC moved his arm underneath his head and asked, “How would you know? It doesn’t seem like there are many people around for you to compare.”
IT made a weird face expression, as if wondering and rolled its eyes once.
-“I have seen many people…You look like…”
-“Like?”
-“A mad hatter!”
After a perplex stare and some seconds later, MAGIC laughed out loud.
-“Pff~ If that was the case, I might also be a vampire or who knows maybe even a demon slayer.”
IT went close to the man’s face and with a surprise look, it pointed at MAGIC’s mouth while shouting “You have fangs! You might really be a vampire!”
MAGIC conceitedly smirked and after looking at each other for a few seconds, both laughed and IT continued guessing.
-“Who knows, maybe you might be a clown for all we know.”
The young man didn’t like the idea at first, “I would prefer to be a ringmaster if anything. I don’t like clowns”
-“You don’t remember anything, so how do you know you hate clowns?”
-“Never said I hate them but I have a hunch that I don’t like them at all.”
-“What about mimes? I don’t like clowns either, but mimes are alright.”
-“Mimes? That I don’t know but I…”
-“What? You what? You remembered something?”
-“I like to swim, that is all I can say.”
-“Ahhh~ who knows maybe you might be a prince.”
-“What does that have to do with swimming?”
-“I don’t know, it just crossed my mind.”
-“I want to be a robot.”
IT giggled and replied sarcastically “and I am the random one.”
MAGIC turned around, no longer facing IT and in a low tone of voice murmured “…Someone might be waiting for me.” IT heard it all and felt a tiny pain on its chest as if hurt by a needle and just like that whispered, “But what if…”
-“What if?” The tired man questioned.
-“What if there is nobody? What if you are here for a reason? Wouldn’t you prefer to stay here?”
The man with no recollection of who he is or where he is from, faced IT again and responded “But what if there is indeed someone waiting?” IT faced the ground and with its fingers, IT touched the surface as if trying to find a secret message. Nothing occurred but some words came from its mouth, its voice cracking as if about to cry but resisting the urge to do so.
-“I’ll wait…If you go back and there is no one waiting, come back here.”
IT looked up and face MAGIC to reaffirm its words, “I will be here and wait for you.” as if making a prinky promise.
The man couldn’t face IT anymore, instead he sat down, stared at his scarf that was partially on the ground and said “Don’t make a promise you won’t be able to fulfill. Aren’t you also getting out of here?” IT noticing how MAGIC was looking at the scarf, IT picked up the end that was on the ground and hold it with both hands, touching the soft and even some of the stiff fibers of the scarf. The atmosphere changed and IT with a very serious tone and aversion in each word told the owner of the scarf “I’m never going to get out. Nobody would ever take me out, since I’m not good enough for anyone to sacrifice themselves over me.”
-“What do you mean by sacrificing themselves?” The young man asked, doubting the gravity of the matter.
-“In order for me to get out, someone has to give up something for me. An equivalent exchange must be made.” IT took a knife out of its back, where it was hidden inside a pocket that was tied up to its back like a belt. IT placed the knife in front just centimeters away from the scarf. MAGIC grabbed the knife that was the size of a pen and flipped it around his fingers. Not knowing what to do, IT could only see the man doing some sort of trick IT has never seen before. A little perplex but not exactly impressed IT told him “You can stop now.”
After MAGIC played with the knife for some minutes, he discontinued his skillful trick and cheerfully said “I’ll keep this.” IT instantaneously replied “No, you are not” and after twitching its left eye in a very comically way, IT tried to grab the blade back but couldn’t retrieve it.
-“Just give it back, you don’t need it.”
The trickster man laughed and easily took the knife for himself. “I’m not giving it back, it is mine now.”
-“Give it back, you don’t need it.”
-“Pff~ How do you know, I won’t? What if all of this it is indeed a trap and you want to cut me into pieces as soon as I fall asleep. Uh?” MAGIC questioned IT, been half serious and half joking about it.
-“I am not going to cut you into pieces!” IT said slightly pissed at the man’s teasing attitude and added “You can keep it! I don’t care. I am going to sleep.”
Laughing at his victory, the young man took the knife but out of curiosity he had to ask “If someone would give up something, then will you also be set free?”
Letting gravity do its job, IT just gave up and fell on its back. As if it were a soft bed, no sound could be heard from the impact and IT looking at the sky explained:
-“Passing this lake and going that way” IT pointed to its right with its index finger to let MAGIC know the direction and continued with the explanation, “There is the cliff and the exit. Everyone that jumps never comes back with only one exception. Can you guess?” IT giggled in a satirical way and then turned, with its face against the surface of the lake. After some seconds and disliking its body position for the discomfort; IT slightly moved and lay only on its right side of its body. “Everyone that has come always leaves this way. To be honest, I really don’t know if they hit bottom and die. The fall is too deep to tell, but I have fallen down and somehow made it back here. I’m also unsure if I can ever leave this place; what I have told you it is only but a hitch that I have. This feeling might or might not be right.”
IT moved only its arm towards its head and hold it with its hand. Facing the man while smiling, IT dared him “You might as well go alone and see for yourself. I’m going to sleep here anyway. I already told you and showed you how to leave this place.”
The young man didn’t know exactly what to do next. He turned his head in direction where IT told him the precipice’s location and possibly a certain death. ‘Would that really be the way out?’ He thought gazing at the current scenery. The road was all the same to him; just trees and a very average forest.
“There is no rush.” He said still undecided, trying to get a reaction from IT but there was nothing. Just a deep silence that embraced the moment, IT closing its eyes didn’t wish to say goodbye nor anything else. As the majority of people, the sentiment of parting away and saying farewell is not easy to articulate into sincere words. The man lay down and tried to sleep, but many thoughts invaded his mind. He looked where IT was sleeping on the incredible celestial object painted on the lake, and something unusual occurred again. The dim sun reflected on the surface glowed as if refueled by energy, making both the surface and IT bright as if they were one entity. In a manner of seconds not only this happened, but the sky became dark as the night but lacking the usual stars. The only visible light emanated from the lake where IT was like the sun emitting warm radiant light.
This strange event barely impressed the young man who immediately stood up and just saw the bright light that IT was while sleeping, MAGIC could not help to think that IT was indeed the moon piercing the night with the light reflected from the sun. “Or was the moon reflecting the light coming from IT?” that he murmured as he took a few steps away and felt almost consumed by the darkness. The feeling didn’t terrified but on the contrary, it was a very peculiar emotion that MAGIC had. As the night with its obscure whispers proclaimed the place; the young man sensed the adrenaline perspiring throughout his pores.
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