The sun brightly shone on his skin.
Just before he reached the gate, he looked up, shifting his gaze from his crocs to the bright blue sky.
As far as the eye could see, the boundless sky spread before him. The wind gently pushes the leftover clouds aside. Some were high up, covering a large portion of the sky, while others were far below, just about to part as their gray tone dominated.
A gust of wind swayed his dark brown hair as he stepped closer and closer to his gate.
Before him, a brick wall about his size. Portion of the sky covered by the reddish-brown bricks. A small gate carved out some of that wall.
He reached his hand out and twisted the knob.
It was locked.
Still grabbing the gate, he looked back, slowly turning his body. The apartment door was left open, keys hanging from inside.
He kept staring at it, then looked at the sky. Clouds slowly pushed by the wind.
Sigh.
His hand let go of the gate, and walked back to the door of his apartment.
He removed the keys and held them in his hand.
Without waiting, he walked back to the gate and unlocked it.
Twisting the knob again, the gate opened.
He exited, leaving the human-sized brick wall behind.
Looking at the ground, he saw his crocs pressing against the concrete and some rubble. He kicked the pebbles away as though he were still a kid.
Once he made it to a tree, he stopped. Its branches were spreading across the whole path he was walking on. Some of the leaves were still carrying the remnants of the storm, dipping under the droplets' weight until they'd lose against gravity, finally letting go of it as they got restored to their natural state.
With each drop of rain falling, the impact could be heard as it landed on the ground. It was gentle and quiet. Just the kind that would make someone feel calm in their body.
As he was observing the state of the leaves, a spark of light opened up and shone brightly as its blazing white color had reflected from the droplet to his eyes. He squinted and reflexively tried to look away.
Something stopped him.
Even after looking at it, he let the light burn through his retina. Watching as the small star-like shape light gently burning his eyes. And when he couldn't take a second more of that, he looked away. A small dark-like dot that transitions into a fiery red-like color refused to leave his vision. Each time he blinked, the black returned.
With that dot still in his eyes, he raised his head.
There was a small gap where the clouds no longer covered the sky, letting the light shine through, glowing gold where they had faded and became the light.
While looking at the sky, he heard footsteps.
Instantly, his head flicked down.
Before he could've seen anything, he was already hiding behind the trunk of the tree. His crocs squelched on the wet soil as he leaped away from the road.
With one hand on the trunk, he peeked out. Half of the path was covered by the tree.
Two people. A young woman and a small child, grabbing each other's hands as they walked gently on the road.
"Mommy, mommy! When will we get there?"
The sound of her child's voice could be heard as he was speaking in a high-pitched tone without an ounce of worry.
"We will be there in no time, sweetheart; don't worry," said the woman, trying her best to keep her real feelings locked away from her child.
She tried to paint a smile on her face, though every time her child didn't look, she let her emotions slip. Even after trying her hardest, the corner of her mouth dipped. Her eyes were glossy, but then she quickly wiped her forearm across her face as she kept the same pace as her child.
"I can't wait to see the squirrels." A big, bright smile occupied the child's face in the instant thoughts of his favorite animal flooded in.
The woman shifted her head down.
"You really do like them, don't you?" A flicker of warmth appeared on her lips as she forced them upward into a stiff smile. "Don't worry. We… We will get there in no time." Her mouth dropped slightly.
She looked up, watching the sky above her.
She whispered, "we going to get there…" Her voice carried by the wind.
The woman flicked her head back, squeezing the child's hand a little harder. When the child looked back at her, she already had a smile painted on her face.
The two of them got closer and closer to where the tree was.
Once the woman and the child passed him, he tracked the two of them with his eyes, waiting for them to get further from the tree.
The sound of the woman's high heels clicking on the ground could no longer be heard.
Her long hair swayed in the distance behind her back. And when they were nothing more than two dots merging into one, the boy had emerged from the tree and continued walking on the path.
When he stepped on it, the sun came back, illuminating the whole ground with a vibrant orange color.
As he gazed at the ground before him, a shadow darkened the path. The shadow of his own.
The wind gently whooshed past his ears as he looked at the dark figure's silhouette on the gray concrete. He hasn't seen it for a long time now, but he was outside with the sun out, so it was inevitable that he would see it again.
He followed it.
He could've turned to face a different path, but he was on this one. That was the path he had to walk; he was sure of that. Though, he had no idea why.
In the distance, a lone building stood. Trees encapsulated everything but that, as though it was the only thing there. Further away, ruins ruled the scenery. Some of the sirens and people shouting could be heard far from where he was standing. The cacophony of the grotesque noise was something he couldn't register as real. The closer he got to that building, the more intense that noise became.
Once he was close enough to see the building, he squinted.
A cafe. Barely spacious to fit a few tables in it.
On the ground, away from the path he walked, where grass dominated, hidden in the green, a vibrant red flower stood. Though not much was visible as the long grass covered everything up other than its color.
As the wind accompanied him to the building, he took out his phone just before he reached the entrance and checked his timer.
00:41:58