Singing Snowberg
Chapter Two
Morph <10>
Chros©
The wind’s up, several birds dart into the sky, hover and dive into the water in a clear sound, reappear on the surface with fish in their beaks. I lay down on this place, feeling the sunshine. “Thank you. Salix.”
“So, how to achieve it.” This is a question. “Follow your intuition.” “You’re avoiding my question.” I really can’t escape him. “Tell him what you think, in exchange, he’ll tell you.” “This sun is too hot, don’t you think?” “Never mind. I won’t get hurt.”
A thousand hearts, a thousand islands. This is a little world, it’s inside me, it’s outside me. I miss that big moon.
“Cyano, could I stay here?” This time he proposed it. What time is it? Just 22 o’clock. “Do you want beer? I’ll get some for us.”
I bought 4 bottles of beer, cost me 800. He’s already asleep the time I return. Pull the cover up to his chin, bite off the cap in his way, take the half-opened book from his hand, put his hand under the cover, I start to read it. I feel good again, the liquor runs through my throat, enter my body. Perhaps it’s the alcohol, I couldn’t keep on reading merely few minutes thereafter. Drop the book, take a gulp, and another gulp, and another. My father used to drink alone, I didn’t understand, but now I knew the reason, it just feels so good. Time stops, I’m in this moment! Guess I feel better than him, for I’m born for the alcohol!
I know I shouldn’t, but this body is out of control again, “Salix, wake up, wake up, drink with me.” He grunts and turns to me, eyes closed. I mutter his name, “Salix, Salix, Salix.” Not sure he could hear me. “Salix, Salix, Salix.” His eyes moved, still closed. “Salix, I feel like drinking, and you should feel like, to drink.” He puts his hand across my belly, oh why? I don’t call him anymore, can’t wake him now.
Bottles were emptied when I wake up next morning. Oh no, these days the daytimes are getting shorter. No one feels like waking in the dark hours.
The best way to get used to a zone is wandering, I’d call it hiking. I don’t mean to be naughty, this is my hidden curiosity. Usually I was in charge of the meeting sector, canteen rooms and some public areas on the first floor, today I exchanged with another guy on the second floor, but I regretted soon after I reached there. The entire floor is a hospital wing. I never seen a place this strangely simple, the white lamps hide behind the glass ceiling, diffusing light blue halo. There’re almost no decorations, several chairs scattered along the panoramic windows, the outside is as clean as the inside. This is a big glass container, giving off senses of tranquility and loneliness.
“Are you new here?” “No. I changed my position with another man.” “Oh I see, can you help us cleaning that room?” She points to the end of the corridor.
Once I got there I recognised automatically which is the room she mentioned. The room of 008, oh no good, same as mine. There’s a purple puddle on the floor, everything else seems in order, what’s strange is that nobody’s there.
“Hello?” Dead silence. This room has simple settings as the corridors outside. A bed, panoramic window. I guess Salix comes to this hospital wing very often, otherwise he wouldn’t tell me about the psychiatric patients.
“Hello, how are you?” A voice came from the bed, under the bed. A little man crawls out, “did I frightened you?” He’s got purple mud on his face, assume this puddle is his vomit. “No. You didn’t.”
Surprisingly he grabs a piece of rag from my tools cart, helps me clean the puddle. “You don’t have to.” “I’m sorry this is my vomit,” he keeps cleaning, “every time I eat something I don’t like it happens.” “How strange.” This is a wrong sentence. He grabs at my forearm and says, “the thing you think I’m strange is why I’m not strange.” I don’t understand, at all.
“What’s your name, boy?” “Cyano.” “I’m Willowen glad to meet you. Could you offer me a favour?” He takes out a piece of folded paper, “give it to Solcia her room number is 239. Will you?”
Before I enter the room I heard her speaking, “you like this job.” But she’s alone in the cell.
“This is for you.” “Oh thanks dear, he has not written any for a long time. That boy, you knew, exchanged with you, not a friendly one. He hates him puking.” “Excuse me, I will go.” “No, you want to hear more, get more out of me. Usually I am not a talkative woman, you know?” “I might as well go.” Horrible lady.
The rest of the day was much peaceful, most of the cells’ doors are closed, I was ordered to clean each place, at the intervals I could read my book. I dislike this panoramic view which spans that entire corridor, so I do the reading at other inner corridors that only its two ends have the views. This novel is too short for me, I borrowed another much bigger one after I finished it, a science fiction.
Salix is now knocking at my door. I jump from my bed in excitement, “hello.” He doesn’t have beer with him this time, but he has a gift for me. A wooden plug from a red wine bottle with a smile face he drew on the bigger side. He puts his both arms behind his head, “no wines tonight.” “Come in. You weak boy, two bottles got you down and slept like a baby.” “It wasn’t my will, I would love to drink with you.” “Alright. If no drinks, by the way we couldn’t afford it that way, we should do something together.”
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