Another Time

It was his 21fst birthday and all that Warence wanted was just to go out for a walk. He told his mother excuses why he'd rather go out for a walk than to spend his birthday with her. "The Philippines is really humid. I was never used to this kind of environment ever since we came here plus the construction noises have been too noisy for me these days. I need this. Even if I don't bring my earphones... I just need this." Understanding right away as she always is "Sige anak (okay son) just take care. I love you." With his foot already outside the hous "I love you too mom." Trying to take in the thoughts he's been holding for some time and just letting them out while walking, he didn't mind the dusty afternoon sight of nearby construction areas, not even the constant motorcycles quickly passing by him while he walks in the narrow streets near the city. At this point, deep thoughts rome around his mind while still being aware not to walk into people along the way and carefully crossing the roads. The destination is at an old park he hasn't been in for a long time. Never having the thought of going there before, he just decides to go to the park. Arriving there, near by the a river, he sits down beside a stone to lean on and brings out his earphones completing a perfect moment for him that he's been wanting to do so for the past few days. "This is nice" he says as he squints looking at a peaceful river view. He can hear everything from the birds, the wind that he feels hitting the hair on his forearm and the weight of his body comfortably placed on the stone which surprisingly fits well upon his buttocks. The phone plays Closer by Nuages. No song could have played any better at this moment, he thinks to himself. At one part of the song he just really felt it and couldn't help but feel happy and smile alone. These are the moments that he treasures the most and these are the moments he will soon miss. Almost noon, he is now satisfied with the time that has passed and decides to go on with his day and maybe buy some food at the groceries before going home. Warence likes making his own homemade bread and sharing them with his family so it is essential to him that he always buys enough flour. So he tucks away his earphones and checks his phone for any messages before leaving and before he could stand up he notices something peculiar. "Well that's weird. The river looks clearer than ever." Not only that but the pavement looks cleaner and the grass and palm trees are greener than any park Warence had seen. Happy with what he's seeing, he stood up and breathed in on what he considered a birthday well spent. Unfortunately, the entirety of these moment died as he turns around and says "Putangina." Not that far from the park he sees a building that seems to resemble a similar architectural design of an old spanish municipality. Except it did not look old. In fact, it looks completely new. From the corners of his view he turns his head left and right. There were small buildings and tiled streets next to the university he attends to. Walking near the park exit with anxiety and a slightly faster pace of breathing, he looks at the bridge where the students cross to get to the university. There was no bridge nor a university but instead a shipping port full of boats and ships as big as the grocery store he was suppose to go to. The roads infront of him where he just crossed this morning to get to the park are now filled with water as if a road has never been built there. And what shitted him the most is that this road that now looks like a streem of canals is connected to the river at the park he was in, creating a system of pathways for small boats to pass. Warence could not speak for a while and had no idea where could he be and what to do next. The grocery is now a giant ass government building and his university just turned into a shipping port that makes use of the wide river that was once a road last time he checked. How can any man explain this kind of insane turn of events to himself? He repeats the word again... "Putangina." Sounds of horse steps on the sidewalk coming closer. "Cuidado!" (Watch out!) A charioteer on his horse passing by, he immediately moves out of his way. Turning clumsily, he bumped into a woman walking behind him. "Que maleducado!" (How rude!) The señorita yells. "What the actual f**k!" Said Warence. By now Warence had realize that he maybe f****d up in the head and most likely this is all a dream and that he is still sitting in the park listening to another one of his feel good indie songs. Well unfortunately no. Being a nerd for sci-fi films and comic books, he decided to play this out as if it was a dream and do what any other cliche main character would do in a sci-fi film... Find his destiny. But Warence really feels that this isn't one of these. There's something you know and feel when it is a dream. A feeling of slightly dreaming but real enough to make you feel emotions that makes you think you're in the real world. Then after that, most likely things start to escalate in a dream so you realize that you are in a dream and then that's the part where you wake up. So he decided to sort this out with the most rational sense as if another person would be lost in a country that he is alien to. "I need to go to the City Hall." With all things being scary for him, he puts himself in a comfortable and sound mind before walking again in this city. "Hopefully the City Hall exists at this place... time .. or time?" And with that thaught he legitimately already scared himself. No plans of using any mode of transportation and talking to people and just hopes for the best that the City Hall is still there, people looked at him perplexed and some astonished while he walks. Warence doesn't realize that he dresses differently from these people. As the males wear slacks, leather shoes and the ladies with tight kneeted dress and expensive looking umbrellas over there heads. Warence couldn't look any weirder wearing his loose jeans, converse and hoodie. He walks faster knowing that the city Hall is still far away.