Kisses Under the Moonlight

AS THE DAY was ending, the sea became reddish orange with small waves touching quietly the white shore. The sunset coming from the long horizon reflected off the water making everything stained red. The wind blew up from the east to the small town standing along the beach, slipping through the cracks of lush trees on the mountain. Branches creaked while the nesting bird cry as if someone was singing.It was indeed a peaceful late afternoon for anyone but not to Xurden. He was sitting on the second-floor balcony looking vaguely at the scenery in front of him. The color of the sun mirrored on his dark black eyes. In his right hand was a cup of hot coffee. Steam danced to the cool moving air. He took a sip hoping that the cold building up on his chest would elevate. But it didn’t have even a small effect.He felt heavy on his shoulders which made him more uncomfortable. Racking pain drilled into his head which he endured without moving his free hand. He wondered why he was in that state w

THE MAN looked at Yric straightly, he was holding the edge of the bus for support. His hands were shaking because of fear. He hesitated for a moment but still choose to speak. Bruises were visible on his skin. Dark rings circled his both weary brown almond eyes."I need your help," the man said in a shaky voice before looking away from him. He turned his head from left to right searching for someone.Out of curiosity, Yric glanced in the direction where the man was looking. But he didn't see anything weird. People were just waiting for the road to be cleared. He returned his attention to the man after a second. In a low voice, he said, "How can I help you? If I can, how can I be sure that you wouldn't harm me?" "I'll do whatever you want. Just let me live," the man responded instead of answering his questions.His forehead furrowed, miming a hint of confusion. "I don't know to help you though," he said matter-of-factly. "I am not sure who you are." He eyed the man more closely to stud

YRIC had a peaceful sleep which rarely happens to him. His mind was blank and not clouded by nightmares. At first, he just closed his eyes to give it a rest. But ended up in a deep slumber.It didn’t last though because something unexpected happened while his eyes were closed. The glass door going to the balcony opened up on its own. The cold wind blew hard slipping through the doorway, making the off-white curtain covering the glasses sway. He shivered to the cold waking him up. As he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the presence of a man wearing a dark suit. He was creped out with Xurden standing on the side of the sofa looking down at him intently.Without knowing what Xurden was doing there in their room, Yric immediately sat up and crawled to the sofa. He didn't have the chance to run when Xurden wrung his sweater raising him. His feet were a couple of inches high from the floor. Xurden's grip was forceful hurting Yric's neck."Put me down," Yric begged in a shaky voice. He tri

THE SPICES sipped on his tongue as he eat the noodles. He went to the restaurant together with his two friends for their late dinner. They were the only customers during that time. The sound of their slurping could be heard clearly from the whole restaurant since it was quiet. It was accompanied by clanging utensils. Noah even gasped for air while fanning his mouth with his right hand. He couldn't handle the spiciness even though he chose the lowest level. Vivian on the other hand was eating carefully the regular noodles not to spill the soup on her shirt. She still made little noises no matter how hard she controlled it. Yric had no problem with his fiery noodles, he kept on biting the thin noodles and slurped the soup once every second. He didn't bother wiping the sweat on his forehead. After a moment, Vivian said something that made him stop eating the noodles."Did someone go to our room earlier?" Vivian asked while wiping the side of her lips with the white tissue paper. Putting

THE DAY became hotter, making Yric sweat a lot. He wasn’t complaining, even though he was wearing a thick sweater. The heat would never end. But a lot of townsfolk still gathered. Wiping the sweat on his forehead, he gazed at the wide-open area in front of him. People were preparing for the parade to start, wearing their masks in distinct colors and shapes. In the very middle of the ground, bulky half-naked men carried drums attached to their hips. Their hands moved in unison. They made loud thumping sounds, filling the air while a group of women sings with their hearts out. The women wore white long dresses touching the grass.The bands looked like a cult in his eyes, which creeps him out. But he still looked at them without moving where he was standing. He ignored the lingering feeling on the back of his neck.His two friends checked the stalls near the old two-story building. He didn’t go with his friends since he felt tired all over his body.The land where the start of the parad