1st December 2014: 10.00am

Well, it's 10am somewhere else.

So, I created the December Post thingy just to be my stimulation for me to write avidly again. To start back my engine for me to write. To force myself, my brain to think, to exercise to translate my imagination into words and pen it down as quickly as possible before it flies away into the unnamed darkness.

I chose the month December because, as cliche as it sounds, it's my favourite month and also it's my birth month. Other than that, I did the statistics (just random observation, there's no data at all) that my brain will actively chatter in my head and completely will bug my thinking process if I don't write it down or tell anybody. I would prefer to write because then, I could refer my thoughts again. I don't even know why I do like to read my old thoughts. It just fascinates me how thinking works, how a perception of us on somebody or something can change due to a stimulant that can make a thought turn 180 degree from its original angle.

Actually I have 2 approaches in my head on how to write today's post. Yes, I AM that excited on writing again. (Aku rasa poyo pulak tulis blog pepanjang ni... Sapa je tulis lagi woi!!!) On with the actual post that I wanted to post. Tadaaaa... The fictional narrative approach. It has been a while... Hisashiburi ne..

A thousand words a day, makes your head shut up... hmmm...

Warning: I didn't check my grammar.

1st December 2014

10.00am

It was 10.00am. The gloomy sky painted the room dark that made him sleep so soundly. The only light that shone in his room was his twinkling phone.  Teeeeeeetttt. Teeeeeeetttt. Teeeeeeetttt. The phone couldn't stop ringing. His left hand kept searching the phone to make the alarm stop. He reached the phone and slid the screen to dismiss the alarm. The phone beeped, signalling him that battery's going to die soon. He did managed to check his inbox before the phone shut down. “Sorry, I couldn’t visit today. A thing came up. Mum.” He groaned and threw the phone across the room. He looked outside his window, the trees outside waving at him accompanied with the drizzling rain.

He sighed. “What a wonderful Monday morning, today is... There’s no such thing as Monday Blues, only colourful happy Mondays” He commented to himself half-heartenedly. He got on his foot and forced himself to start the day. He brushed his teeth and without bothering to shower, he put on his favourite black hoodie, not to say his favourite hoodie, it’s the only hoodie that he got. And wrapped his head with a beanie and put on another layer of jacket to keep himself warm. It’s going to be a long, wet, cold, gloomy Monday.

He loved cold weather. But somehow, on this exact day... he wished it’s not a long, wet, cold, gloomy Monday. Just for today, he wished to have a sunny, birds-chirping, tank top, hot Monday. That way he could do more outside of the four walls.

He grabbed an umbrella before going out and walked through the puddles of water without looking back at his apartment.

Breathing was starting to get difficult while he’s walking into the park. He stopped at a coffee vendor that had a couple of other customers.

“Assalamualaikum. Good morning, Adam. Going to visit your sister today?” the barista greeted him with a full-teeth smile.

“Waalaikumussalam. Yeah, Othman. It’s her birthday today,” Adam smiled weakly to himself. “Can I get the usual, please?”

“Coming right up.” Othman continued to make a cup of caramel macchiato with a double shot, that’s how Adam liked his coffee. A cup of joe to keep him awake. Also, it was his sister who introduced him to Othman, the barista at the modest vendor but still, made the best coffee in town.

“Here you go, Adam. And give this flower to your sister, will ya. Tell her I said hi.” Othman smiled again, but now with more sympathy, more sincerity.

Everybody in town knew about his sister. Aliyah, the jumpy, hyperactive, happy kid that always roamed around the town with her purple bicycle and her noisy bell attached to it. The same bell that almost got him caught of stealing a hundred dollars from their mother’s savings; also, the same bell that saved me from got hit with a car that drove past the driving limit.

A cup of coffee on his left, a white daisy given by Othman on his right. He smiled to himself while continuing his walk to his destination. People like Othman made his long, wet, cold, gloomy Monday not so bad.

The drizzle stopped when he’s hiking up a hill. The hiding sun started to come out from the fluffy, dark cloud. A rainbow started to form, colour the blue sky to wonder. He put away his umbrella and embracing the sun light suddenly appeared. When he reached the cliff with an outstanding view of the sea, he sat on a built in bench. He put the coffee and the flower next to him. A smile drew slowly upon his face.

Looked up to the sky, the dark, fluffy cloud went away. Lines of colours curved up in the sky, sun’s shining through. “What a wonderful Monday morning, today is... There’s no such thing as Monday Blues, only colourful happy Mondays,” this time around, he said it with a smile on his face. He closed his eyes and let himself bathed in the sun rays. “Happy 17^th Birthday, Aliyah. I hope you're having a colourful happy Monday today.” He said to nobody in particular.

It was four years ago this day, Adam was supposed to watch over Aliyah since both of their parents went on a business trip for two days. One Monday, he invited all his friends to his home, took the advantage of his parents trip. While having fun, he overlooked his sister’s well being. The gathering went up until late at night, he still oblivious towards his sister’s whereabouts. The next morning, a school day, he went to his sister’s room to wake her up for school. He opened the door, saw her bed was completely untouched and Aliyah was nowhere in sight. He ran around the house, searching for her sister. “Aliyah... where are you? It’s time for school.”

He soon panicked when he could not find Aliyah’s purple bicycle. It’s too early for her to be gone to school, was she at a friend’s house? When did she left the house? Did she ask for my permission? What if mom and dad found out? I’m dead. Dead? No... Where are you, Aliyah?! This is not funny! His mind’s screaming with questions and possibilities. After hours of searching, he finally called his parents about the situation and called the police to report the missing Aliyah.

The searching team took just a day to find Aliyah’s purple bicycle on the cliff where Adam’s currently sitting and the day after that, to find her bloated blue body floating stuck in between rocks near the cliff.

That image of his sister still haunted Adam’s mind. He still blamed himself that his sister was gone now. Their parents too. Adam made a bench and engraved his sister’s words there. Her words that always remembered, “There’s no such thing as Monday Blues, only colourful happy Mondays.” Aliyah (1997-2014) A daughter, a sister, a colourful soul. We surely belong to Him and to Him we shall return. 

“I’m sorry, Aliyah,” muttered Adam, his smile slowly faded, a tear ran down his cheek.