thE cRadLe

Prologue

There are moments of grief when I see this house, moments of joy and longing for the times when these memories were made day by day so many years have passed in this small house in the woods.

They fondly call this house in the woods “The Cradle.”

Since they were a group of five guys, they used to gather here every summer. For three months, they would wake up early in the morning to pitch for firewood in the nearby woods while one would cook them their sumptuous breakfast of eggs and ham. Just then, by the strike of eight o’clock, they would start to pack their hunting bags and tarry along each other’s back to look for their prized trophy.

Down till afternoon, they would walk and walk and searching for a besetting supper of fowls or deer, or anything that would show up for a good shot. Sometimes, they would go fishing down the surging creek a mile away from their “Cradle.” At night, after their supper, they would gather around the light as they tell stories of what had happened to everyone, of the love and tragedy of years gone past. Sometimes, they would tell each other of how they dealt with life and telling them of their own story, the day they met, how they longed for each other’s company until a friend died one night on his way home from work. Then, when the owls start to hoot and wolves moan, they would take their lighted candles to their own rooms and sleep for another of memories.

Day in and day out at the “Cradle” – a place where everything begun.

PART 1 MITCH (The Psychotic and a Love Fool)

There was once a boy who lived in a world he thought was full of fantasy. He secluded himself and shaped a barrier from the undeniable world. He thought that happiness was found in all the material things that the realm has to give. It blinded him so much until he found himself longing for the love he never came to know before.

“Teet…teet…” the cell phone went.

“Where are you? Everybody’s looking for you in here!”

As I watched him from afar, he seemed to be so excited. His eyes were filled with glamour and agitation. But he never knew it’d change his life forever.

I found him standing at the door looking for his friends not knowing where to sit and to mingle. He seemed so confused as if every detail of it was painted on his face.

“Who’s he?” one asked.

“Oh, he’s the newest member of the group.”

I pity him in the sense that he never knew he was the one being talked about.

“He’s way too young to know what the world and existence is,” I said to myself. Perhaps it made me realize that I was just way too protective. Then, I heard him say, “So you’re the one who keeps on going and coming back from the group? Good thing you showed up!” He came into view as someone tactless and uneducated. As if it were he never had the sense of respect.

As I sat in one corner of that room, I observed every move, every gesture he made. Fear started to envelop my being for I know what’ll happen next.

“Can I have your number?”

to be continued...