Chapter 3

 

 

I saw him again. The man wearing a brown hoodie jacket and was walking towards me. The place was very quiet. You could only hear the rustle of leaves and the creaking sound of the rusty swings. The best place to die. I had to close my eyes as he carried me in his arms. The last thing that I remember was the sound of the car engine.

"I made you a breakfast," a man said. I noticed him, he was the one who carried me and saved me. He was not the omen of death. I wasn't in heaven, but upon looking at his face, you would realize that angels exist in reality. Is it a coincidence that he was wearing the same as the one that I have been seeing in what I call The Yarn?

"Eat it before your breakfast gets cold."

"Where am I, and who are you?" I managed to ask even though, I felt like my voice was snatched by a giant octopus living under the sea.

"I am August Manzano, but you can call me Auggie. I saw you in the abandoned children's park. I thought you were dead, but thank God you're alive. This is my parents’ house, but I live here all alone."

"Thank you for saving me," I uttered, trying to reach the fork.

"Here!" I thanked him once again. The food was appetizing. I have never tasted bacon and mashed potato before. My face suddenly brightened when I tasted them.

"These are so good," I said, and he just smiled. "Auggie, where are your parents?"

"They are abroad. Sometimes, it is very lonely that I am all alone here."

I suddenly recalled what happened last night. I thought I was going to die. I thought God already granted my wish of living in The Yarn. I call it that way because my fictitious world is like tangled yarn. You have to untangle everything just to discover what has been hidden. You are probably thinking that why I prefer to live in fiction. Unlike reality, you could create your own plot. It is like writing a story. You have to think about the sequence of events for you to create a story that you and other people would love. In your head, no one will betray you. In your head, there is a whole new universe.

"I prepared some clothes for you. They are in my room," he said.

I tried to stand up. My legs were trembling, but I was glad that he was there to keep me from falling. He assisted me in his room. Their house is enormous. I think that the house of my aunt is just a quarter of the house.

"Thank you, Auggie."

"Call me if you need help okay?" I was supposed to close the door, but he rushed to come inside just to know my name.

"May I know your name?"

"Reign"

"Reign, if you need some help. Call me."

"Thanks, Auggie." The smell of his room reminded me of scent chips and mint. It is all white. There are minimalist paintings on the wall. I went to his desk, and there was a piece of paper full of words in messy handwriting.

"You think I'm weird?" he asked. I didn't realize that he was behind me.

"Sorry"

"Don't be sorry. It feels good to live in your head sometimes. Creating different scenarios like slaying dragons, swimming with mermaids, and stuff like that. When I put my earphones on, I feel like a completely different person. I am stronger, I am courageous, and no one judges me."

I smiled when I heard what he just said, I am not alone. Maybe he always appears in The Yarn because he is like me, our melody is the same.

"Maybe one of the reasons why I saved you is because I always see you in my head. You always appear like a ghost whenever I daydream and fully submerge myself in my own created universe. When I found you in that place, the puzzle piece has been found. It is like-"

"The missing star that belongs to a constellation has been found and it is ready to lead us the way through the place where we can get the answers to our questions," I added.

"Maybe there is a purpose why I appear in your imagination. Maybe we share the same universe. You know Auggie, I always see you too. I couldn't see your face but I remember your brown hoodie jacket. It is exactly the same as the one in my daydreams. Maybe you are that missing star."

I know this is not a coincidence. Maybe all people who are experiencing the same have been living in the same universe, trying to make the melody of the fictitious world and real world would complement each other.

"You experience it too?" he asked.

"Yes, we are the same, using fiction as an escape." He grabbed the earphones on his desk.

"Maybe we can use this to answer our questions."

We both shared the same earphones and completely submerged ourselves in The Yarn.