Dark Lines

Humanly Interaction

16/February/2021

Hello Peter,

I have bad news today, I’m no longer working at the pizza restaurant, in fact I don’t think that I’ll be working any where from now on. My dad didn’t like the job anymore because he said that it may be dangerous, contacting with all these costumers, they might say something that’s unacceptable or rude, but that’s the case anywhere, right?, anyway I think I won’t bother anymore talking and convincing him, sitting in the house all day is boring, sure, but I can spare myself the troubles, plus I’m getting annoyed more and more of people, their stares and all. My mother sleeps all day, and I have one sibling, if you remember, who is my brother; Dean, he stays out all the time, but I guess I have my birds, and you to keep me company, not that you are replying, but at least I feel like somebody is listening, you know.

-ENAJ-

He folded the letter, and placed it as usual in the drawer, then starting wandering around the house, to forget the feel of guilt he has, “poor Jane!”, he thought, she must be feeling so lonely and desperate, it was much better for her to work outside, and get herself busy, so she could forget the miserable life she has back at home, and she had the chance to socialize, make new friends and feel accomplished and happy a bit.

Then he sat to eat his lunch, and Crystal was walking on the couch back and forth, for no reason at all. He opened the windows, took a deep breath, and admired the scene of the sunset, it was gorgeous and peaceful, makes Peter feels like he has no problem at all, and that he should feel grateful that he is alive and seeing this view infront of him.

Having finished two more episodes, he wasn’t in the mood of finishing more tonight, so he made his dinner, and

Crystal’s, then put on some movie, of comedy genre, this will refresh him a bit for sure.

At 11:00 p.m. Crystal went to the bedroom before Peter, she must be feeling tired, or she knows that it’s bedtime. Peter followed her after brushing his teeth, closing the windows, turning off the lights, tossing the plate in the sink, and making sure that the stove is not on, not that he has ever forgot to turn it off, but one can never be sure, so he did that too.

He grabbed the book again after two days of it being abandoned, but it seemed tonight challenging, so he held it and placed it on his legs, turned on the lantern, and decided to finish ten pages, by that he will finish it this month.

Crystal was already asleep beside him, but he was ignoring the temptation to do so, because he was deep in thoughts of those pages and what they hold, it was like peeking through a daydream or a life of some people, somewhere in this world, he can imagine what they look like the way he wants, and what they wear, example; he always imagine the male character looking like him; dark brown hair, tall, slim with big hazel eyes, and dimples who wears a black and white buttoned shirt and a beige pants just like the outfit he has. While the female one has a medium height, light brown hair with hazel eyes too and thick lashes, who always wears cute flowy dresses, with flowers printed on them.

When he finally finished the ten pages, he yawned loudly, then remembered that Crystal might wake up, so he slowly covered himself with the thick blanket, turned off the lantern, and feel asleep.

*******************

Peter woke up at 9:05 a.m. feeling awful, he felt like he was having his head underwater, or was being suffocated with a pillow, a very strong stench was doing all this, it is like a gas stench, but he is fully sure that he did check the stove mast night, but he got up quickly before he suffocates, and was heading to the kitchen, but the door of his room wasn’t opening, neither did the window, he looked around for Crystal, she wasn’t there, so she must be safe, because she knows how to open the door of the balcony, but what about his fate?, the stench is getting stronger along with his inability to breath.

He kept trying to open that bloody door, but it was useless, so he was going to break it, when it finally was opened on it’s own, before he tries to open it again, so he took a deep breath, and quickly went to check on the stove, it was turned off, and the stench wasn’t there, it was just in his room.

He washed his face, drunk a cup of water, and held Crystal tight, he was hardly able to breathe, he was scared so much this time, what if he never wakes up the next time?, what if it happened again, and he didn’t make it?, will he be frightened and anxious all the time, in his own house?.

He was shivering while still sitting in his place in the living room, still panting, he was afraid that while he is showering, he can’t do a thing, if he felt danger, he wanted to be alert all the time, just for a couple of days at least.

Then he got up, grabbed his breakfast, so he looks normal again, and get rid of the stress, and all, he made a healthy smoothie too, and opened all the windows that his house has, kept checking on the stove, and put a chair on the door of the living room, to keep it open.

Then a thought suddenly came to his mind, what if he was hallucinating again?, because the stove was turned off, but the suffocation was real so as the stench, so he will still make some precautions, and stay alert as well as being surrounded with positivity and fun things to do, in order to avoid any kind of bad scenarios coming to his mind, or being made up by him.

The series is really helping with the mental health of Peter, and makes him feel normal, when he sees those normal lives, with cheerful mindsets, the sounds of laughs, the hopeful scenarios, and everything that is included in there.

It’s lunch time now, he was preparing while singing, for the sake of his spirit, and to create a happy illusion around him, then a wild thought came across his mind again, he should order an inhaler, it wouldn’t do any harm, not that

Peter know it would, if he didn’t have asthma, he hoped it wouldn’t be a bad idea, because he would really feel much better if he did, he will feel somewhat secure, so he did order it.

Now he is calmer, having eaten a delicious lunch and getting what he had ordered, he can have some peace for now. He went out to the balcony, and decided to sit there for an hour or so, now that the weather is great, he can drink his cup of tea, without any burden getting on his shoulders, or he will pretend that there isn’t at least, Crystal came along of course, as well as her ball, but Peter accepted to play this time, with soft breeze cuddling their faces, and tingling their skin, and the rays of sun warming them.

At 9:10 p.m. Peter finished his dinner, and was doing some work, while thinking a bit of the worrying time when he decides to go to sleep, this thought was conquering his mind, but he focused on his work, then put on some music to lighten up the mood.

It was time to go to bed, he has procrastinated enough, it’s 12:07 a.m. now, Crystal decided to sleep half an hour ago, in the room, but he kept checking on her, then he gave up, and checked all the things that he thought that may do them harm, turned off everything, then put a chair on the door of the bedroom too, and the inhaler next to his pillow, he read a couple of pages of his book, then fell asleep.

*********************

Peter woke up late this day, he was enjoying a good sleep, forgetting the problems in life, and the annoying details of the day. He got up , showered and checked his emails, he had some work that needs to be done by the evening, then he prepared breakfast for both of them, to start the day with full energy.

“Yes father, yes”, Peter said

“I’m fine don’t worry about me, how are you guys?”, he continued

“Great, are you being careful dad?”, he added

“Dad?,….. Hello?......Hello?”, he said, his dad’s voice isn’t clear, there is maybe something concerning the signal.

“Yes, I hear you now, I said are you managing to stay safe?”, Peter repeated.

“No, I feel a little weird…..”, he said then was interrupted by a loud and peaceful whistle that he couldn’t hear nothing at the moment, so he dropped the phone, and put his hand on his ear while moving in pain, and feeling the pressure in his ear.

He was placing a warm piece of cloth on his ear, after wiping the blood that came out, the pain was horrible, he thinks that he won’t be able to hear properly for at least a week, unless he had lost his hearing completely out of this ear.

He laid down on the couch, while facing the television so that his damaged ear is being pressured by the cushion, he had his lunch infront of him, but he left it for ten minutes before he started eating it, while deciding to cut a piece of bandage, and grab the silicon, so he can stick it onto his ear.

He felt so upset, he is nearly suffocated by the current state of the world, and that of the country, he is feeling lonely and now us half deaf. He turned the volume up, and put on some discovery channel that was showing a documentary about sharks, then he lifted Crystal up and placed her in his lap, and started petting her, she is quieter this days, maybe she doesn’t feel cheerful, or maybe she got used to Peter so much, that she understands his calm personality.

He snatched the laptop, started his work with a cup of coffee, he feels alive again when he is doing work, as well as the chores of the house, talking and playing with Crystal and watching something like a series that is much longer than a film, which helps him to evade his reality, into a world with different settings of time and place, just like the book.