Summer Dash: Chance Encounter

Dawn. The sun is just about to peek over the horizon. Save for a few trucks here and there, there was hardly any activity at all. Except for a solitary figure running at speeds normally found and heard of in the middle of the night..

She made her way down the road, gently weaving and smoothly avoiding trucks here and there. To the vehicles that she had passed, she was nothing more than another sports car... Yet, there was still something about her ride that caught their attention: Her ride's vibrant yellow made a subtle impression of a light and bubbly personality, quiet as she may be.

As she approached an intersection, she decided to turn left. And with that, she slid her car in anticipation of the turn that she was about to make...   But nothing prepared her for a surprise as a red blur slid in front of her, so that it may be able to enter the road that she just left...

As the red blur disappeared into the road that she came from, she quickly slowed down the pace of her ride as she entered the lane that she was aiming for earlier... Relishing the sweetness of being alive after a near-miss, she suddenly realized that there she has much pondering to do... So many questions... All of them pointing towards the red blur that she saw earlier. Who was that?

Little did she know, that she left an mark on the mind of the red blur as well...

An Afternoon Nap

I closed my eyes... Finally, a chance to catch up with my sleep... And then it starts to feel strange... a thin mist covers everything that I could see.. I don't recall dreamland to look like this... Then again, dreamland does change its appearance from time to time... The mist clears... and I find myself in a sepia colored environmnet of my old grade school building...

The Pilot

I saw a kid run past me... He was wearing a pair of khaki shorts, a white polo shirt and leather shoes... He was... laughing... full of dreams... and he was holding a toy airplane in his hand... He turned around and waved at me...

"Who are you, mister?" he asked. I couldn't help but smile... Such innocent and naive nature... too gentle... and too trusting..

"A friend." I replied. I couldn't help but to think that this was who I was so long ago... all those long years ago... "Let me guess... you want to be a pilot?"

The boy nodded his head and showed me his toy airplane, built with love and care. Again, I couldn't help but smile... I started to walk with him around the school grounds.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I don't know yet.."

A mist then engulfed me again. And it disappeared as quickly as it had seperated me from the little boy... The environment is now colored... akin to an old photograph from the 80s... And now I'm walking down the halls of my old high school building... nearby, I see a lone figure standing by the windows, staring at the clouds...

 

The Dreamer

Approaching him, I noticed that he was wearing almost the same uniform as the kid... only this time, the khaki shorts was replaced by a pair of black pants. And he was wearing glasses. While he has a faint smile on his face, one could sense the air of sadness around him... One could sense that he had just been through a mental and emotional torment of sorts.. And then he spoke: "Where have you been?"

I choked on my reply: "I beg your pardon?"

"Where did you run off to when I was a little kid? I was about to ask you another question when you suddenly disappeared." I realized that this was the kid that I met earlier. I was speechless... and he continued speaking.

"The second you left me, a group of boys showed up and stole my plane. They threw it and crushed it. And they have done so to every last one of my endeavors... Ridiculing them... Belittling them..."

With his true friends far and few in between, it was evident that his dreams were the only form of escape that he has... And as I sought for words to console him, I was surrounded yet again by a mist... Moments later, the mist disappeared... and I found myself in the familiar environment of my college school grounds...

 

The Romantic

I saw him from afar... He was smiling... he was with friends... and a love that stirred in him a fire and an urge to live on and not just survive the challenges... They were holding hands... Exchanging sweet glances... I was tempted to approach him and say hi but I stopped myself... It wouldn't be nice to disturb him in his moments of joy... And as the mist envelopes me again... I couldn't help but smile at the scene... And as the mist gave way again... I found myself in the middle of an urban environment at night...

 

The Wanderer

I was standing face to face with him... An older, more mature version of the first three people that I encountered... His soft and gentle features have hardened a bit... He was wearing a pair of slacks and a long-sleeved midnight blue polo that was rolled or folded up to his elbows. The smile that he used to have was already gone...

"It's been a while..." he spoke...

"I couldn't agree with you more.." I replied... "What happened? Why are you alone now?"

"I came, I saw and I got my backside kicked a couple of times." was the reply.

"It must've been rough."

"It is..."

"So what are you up to now?"

"Wandering around... Looking for my dreams that had disappeared..." There was a tinge of bitterness in his voice... I couldn't really fault him after being forced to give up many of his dreams...

"You sound like you've almost given up." I said.

"Almost," he replied "is right... But I don't buy the idea of just wandering around aimlessly... Yes, I am a wanderer... But I am wandering around, looking for my dreams..."

"How sure are you that you will find them?"

"From the way things are looking up, I'd say that I'm pretty sure about it." A gentle smile formed on his face as he saw something far away. I turned to looked at the source of his smile and I saw a woman with a charming smile approaching us. And then a rather heavy hand tapped on my shoulder. It was the young man that I was talking to. Standing right beside me, it was evident that he was trying to keep his poker face on.

"Do me and the three other fellows a favor, will you?" He began "When you wake up, don't forget to continue fulfilling the dreams that we reminded you of. We grudgingly gave up ours so that you may eventually fulfill the dreams that are really meant for you... for us..."

And with that, he walked towards the lady and I slowly found myself waking up back in reality... with a gentle smile formed on my face...

Club Insomnia

A friend and I coined a name for this kind of situation wherein you stay awake well into the wee hours of the morning for no reason at all. We called it Club Insomnia. Come to think of it, I think I already used this title for one of my posts a while back...

Anyway, I'm about to become a certified insomniac... Granted, my work load in the office has slightly "improved" (better time management) but for some reason, my mind just can't seem to adjust... Its as if its always on the go, never letting me sleep... and to think I haven't even had a cup of coffee in a while...

Tonight, I became desperate. Desperate for sleep. Desperate to do something that will put me or send me to a lovely trip to a place called dreamland: added some new pics into my Matchbox album, turned myself into a lurker (stalker/idiot) of sorts by checking into the profiles and pictures/albums of people that I know, adding a new blog... all in the hopes that I would eventually get sleepy and start having a good night's rest... which unfortunately, is not the case...

Looks like I have to go to my last resort of counting sheep just to get some sleep...

 

Midnight Trance: Revival

It felt different...

Accelerating out of a tight turn, I began weaving my way past traffic. In spite of running at the same insane speeds that I used to, I can still see them, each car, van or truck, clearly. Whereas before they would have already become blurs. And every dash, slide, turn and maneuver was literally effortless...

And very natural...

I once again carry my personal color. The color which I was identified with from the start. The very same color that I carried during my days as a knight in the service of a queen. But while my ride still bears my color, it is vastly different from the one that crashed - and it had no doubt improved from the time I first saw it. From the time I got my new mount, there was in fact, much to think about. And for a brief moment, I was lost in a flash of light...

Just like the black color that came before it, the silver that covered the frame of my mount disappeared, slowly giving way to a very shiny shade of red. The mechanics make their way around my steed, carefully and gracefully applying each coat as if they were renaisannce men, wroking on a masterpiece; their airbrush was the paintbrush and the metal frame their canvas. Watching the procedure, I slowly recalled each event, every moment that led to this. Remembering. Contemplating. And learning. A distant voice breaks my silence.

"Sir, the masterpiece is complete."

Another flash of light brought me back to my earlier trance. A trance wherein I was gainin more speed than ever before... The road ahead is long, filled with large, gentle and sudden curves - but also filled with obstacles, mobile and otherwise, that leave little or no margin for error. The citylights flash by. I'm once again back to my senses. I see a pair of trucks ahead, side by side, with a little space in between, just enough for me to pass through. 

Impossible?...

While it does take a lot of un-salted nuts to pull off such a trick, the thrill and the challenge beckoned to me. Unknowingly, a faint smile formed on my face as I shifted to a higher gear and floored the accelerator, racing towards my doubts, my fears and my dreams.

Difficult. But not impossible...

 

 

*Revisiting the Midnight Series.

Midnight's End: Love to Rise in the Summer Morning

"You overdid it." the mechanic said as he finished fine tuning my car. The evil black color is gone. It was replaced by a silver paint scheme.

"I overdid it?" was the reply.

"Yes." He stopped to look at the young racer, seething with anger, straight in the eye. "I told you to change. Not to destroy. you went beyond that by making her cry. By destroying her. Now you don't have any chance for reconciliation."

"Not that I would care."

"Idiot! What about the years that you've shared with her?! What if you need something from her in the future?!?"

"I couldn't care less. She treated me like a toy. She would dump me in one corner while she went her way and toyed around with other people. She didn't value me the way she should! I was just a thing to her! Her own shadow! Someone she just runs to when she can't find anyone to please her!"

"And what you did makes you any better than her? Anyway, she had it coming to her. You're focus now is yourself. Be a better man. You don't have to be a nice guy all the way. And you're in no way a nice guy. You are a GOOD man. And your existence is living proof that good men still exist. Let go. Let the wounds inflicted heal. If reconciliation comes then it will. Move forward and be a better man. You are not a Dark Prince."

The flashback ended and the young racer found himself inside his car once again, driving his steed. Driving down the highway, he saw the sun rise in the east. It was morning. On his side mirrors, he saw a group of cars approaching him. Bracing himself for a race against people out to get him for what he has done, he was surprised to find his friends from the past. The people he intentionally ignored just to be with his former queen. They are still there, coming to his aid even after what he had done.

A smile formed on his face, knowing that he still has his friends to rely on - even after all that he had done.

And with that, he and his group ran down the highway and into the summer morning.

 

*Thank you for reading the "Midnight Series".

Midnight Rage: Dark Prince

Midnight. Countless citylights. Speeding down the highway with my new steed, the vehicles that I onced weaved through are now making way for me, finally aware of my presence. An smile manifested itself on my face as I was happily getting a feel of things. My new ride is way different - and better - from the last one. It's blistering acceleration puts the devil to shame. It's handling is superb; very responsive and light to the touch. And it has a shiny black color that exhibits sophistication and authority. I have never felt so new in my life.

Flooring the accelerator, my mind flashed back to the time I was tuning this newfound treasure with the help of a friend:

The mechanic, tinkered on the engine block. Working under the hood of the car, I marveled at his skill as he worked his magic on my new mount while he gave me his two cents worth on what happened to me in the past.

"It's a good thing you found this new ride of yours. Your last ride had superb acceleration but it was lacking in top speed. It was rather sluggish, heavy and friendly. Just like you. You were too kind. You thought of others too much. You let them weigh you down. It's time to think for yourself. Leave everyone in the dust. Reach for your goals and dreams alone. Don't you ever let anyone take them away from you. Don't you share it with anyone ever again. Let other people come to you. Your crybaby days are over. It is now you who makes other people cry. You are no longer the Red Knight. You can no longer return to being the Red Knight."

Ending my flashback, I saw a familiar white car up ahead. This wouId be the ideal place to start. I flashed my lights to signal a  challenge, even as I closed the gap between us at an alarming rate. I knew the white car's rider was surprised. I did not wait for a response.

You only know of the sweet life and nothing else. You don't know pain as much as you claim to. Allow me to demonstrate it to you once and for all.

I blew past her, giving her little time to recover. And in my rear-view mirror, I saw that she crashed into the guard rails of the highway. In the midst of the smoking wreckage of her car, I saw her. She was crying once again. I can remember her telling me that she still wants to remain friends with me. But when I asked her about it, she made no effort to reply. I realized that I'm not important to her as she would like me to think.

My heart was berating me, raging against me and at what I had done. My conscience tried to kill me. But it no doubt felt good to finally release the evil inside me. To cause pain rather than to just take it and roll with it. And as I roared down the highway alone, rain began to pour from the midnight sky as if to cry. I couldn't care less - even as the heavens, my conscience and my heart are crying. My friend was right. I can no longer be the kind, chivalric and gentle Red Knight.

The Red Knight is dead. The Dark Prince has been born.

Midnight Crash: Acciaccatura

As he increased the distance between himself and the fork on the road that he had just passed, he felt his heart slowly disappear. He was all alone. A solitary red comet smoothly finding it's way past numerous vehicles blissfully unaware of the events that had just happened.

My way, on my highway...

Tunnel vision begins to set in as he shifted once again to a higher gear and floored the accelerator. Gaining more speed, he noticed the vehicles that normally appeared to be blurrs have been transformed into shapeless shades of colors.

Vertigo...

In spite of the acceleration, he felt slow. His crimson ride is no longer enough. It is essentially part of the past that he has left behind and, whether he liked it or not, is weighing him down. The steering wheel has become stiff. The accelearation is not what it used to be anymore. And it's handling felt heavy.

What is wrong with me?!?!?

Distracted by his thoughts, he came back to his senses in the last second to see that he is about to enter a very sharp curve. Stepping on the brakes and turning his car into the direction of the curve, he lost control as he and his mount slid sideways, helplessly towards a wall. Darkness consumes him.

DANG IT!

Waking up, he was surprised to find himself still among the living. Except for a few bruises here and there - and an almost non-existent heart - he was ok. Taking a deep breath to savor the joy of living, he opened the door and stepped out of his car. Examing what was left of it, he found his once proud steed to be nothing more than a collection bent metal and rubber tires.

So much for that...

Like magic, a gold car stops beside him. It was a friend of his. A dangerous rival but a very good friend nonetheless. His friend offers him a ride home and tells him that there is a new selection of cars to choose from at the nearby junkshop...

For whatever it's worth...

Morning saw him at the graveyard of many a broken mount. He looked around the graveyard and was disappointed at not being able to find anything useful to him. He walked further into the graveyard and something unexpected caught his eyes...

What the?...

 

acciaccatura – crushing; i.e., a very fast grace note that is "crushed" against the note that follows and takes up no value in the measure