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Endless Chase
Do I truly live in the present, the boy asked himself looking at all the plans, schedules, and sketches his mind produced daily, is there any other space-time to live in anyway…?
The book was difficult to read, but the effort was paying off handsomely. The Wisdom of Insecurity by Alan Watts treated on the idea, which forced the boy to ponder about his life’s situation. We’ve abandoned the circadian rhythm of our existence to serve the mechanical circles of the clock he noted, letting the chapter’s wisdom sink into his freshly awakened awareness. If you ever want to read something heavy throughout the day he addressed the invisible reader, do it in the morning – it works miracles for my often clouded mind…
*
Sinking deeper into the softness of the couch, the boy fitted the bookmark on the appropriate page and closed the well of wisdom for some time. Resting on the sofa, he wondered just how much the civilized world became a slave to its creation of the mechanism. Clocks keep our lives in order he observed, providing a set of useful tools for sure… But don’t they also bring upon us the chain of restriction…? With the imagery of Clockwork Orange and Alice in Wonderland snapping across the screen of his mind, he closed his eyes and allowed this moment before the morning ‘coffee and page’ time to offer its insight.
*
The tunnel of white, almost silver from its brightness, space seemed to have no beginning, neither an end. There was no noise, no sound to be heard. Only a steady rhythm of four, maybe six, feet stomping across the floor echoed in the distance. The boy rubbed his eyes surprised with his surroundings. He looked up the tunnel, but didn’t notice anything apart from the overwhelming brightness; he looked down the tunnel but didn’t see anything, which would stand out within the space. Only brightness, an echo of steps, and me he noted. Squinting his eyes he cursed the lighting wishing someone would take it down a notch. The steps continued to pound against the surface seemingly approaching the boy’s location. He checked his pocket realizing that his phone was still there. He looked at the screen and noticed that there is no signal, neither a time presented on the glassy projection. No time no problem he chuckled remembering a friend from the past, whose motto would only aggravate the mood whenever both of them were about to arrive late, usually due to the other’s lack of punctuality. The steps gained in resonance and appeared closer than before. Putting his phone back in the pocket, he took a few steps towards the sound of the thumping, hello…?! The word flew down the tunnel resonating against the white, hard to determine, walls. Echo of the word kept bouncing off the walls for quite some time, as the boy listened.
*
The steps seemed closer and closer, which made the boy a little weary of the situation. He promised himself to stand ground and face whatever this situation was to present him with. Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up any way he recited the quote from one of John Wayne’s movies and smiled without conviction. Finally, at the end of the tunnel appeared a few shapes. The boy stood there waiting for them to approach. He struggled to keep the eyes open. Who’s that, a rusty voice asked. Who knows answered a high-pitched bark, he probably lost his sense of time… The three characters approached, and the boy quickly realized they were in a rush. Trying to make out the exact sense of their shapes he stared at the arrivals. What you looking at weirdo snapped a chubby brain-shaped gentleman, who held an absurd amount of papers, notebooks, boards, and books in his folded arms. He was also wearing a backpack, which overflowed with a similar kind of items and was too big for the guy. I… the boy hesitated in confusion, I am… where are you going…? The brain-like gentleman looked at his tall companion, whose demeanour didn’t make sense to the boy. He was wearing a gown, one which could be found in a spa or a hotel bathroom, a top hat, and a pair of wellies, which did not help in this quick pace journey. The tall character looked at the boy and rubbed his suspiciously blue chin – he looks like the body to me… At that moment the third traveller ran into the back of the brain-man making him drop most of the items all over the bright, white floor. Pardon, he exclaimed, as the chubby man reddened and murmured a few words of irritation picking up his stuff. The boy wanted to help, so he leaned toward the floor, but the chubby man screamed making him stop, do not touch my plans! Keeping his hands in front of the chest, the boy took a step back, alright sorry… just wanted to… Don’t you worry blue face interrupted, he is a little in over his head with those plans you see… The obvious wave of the finger against the side of his head made the boy understand. He’s crazy screamed the character at the back, really really crazy! Looking over the shoulder of the blue face, the boy analysed the third of the peculiar characters. It wasn’t easy to tell who this person was. He was wearing a black trench coat, black shoes, a black beanie, and a black set of glasses, which contrasted with the whole tunnel to an extent, which made the boy’s mind boggled. Who are you he asked looking at the face of the blue man. The blue face chuckled taking out a cigar and lighting it up with satisfaction, who are we…?
*
The chubby man finished picking up his things and groaning some swear words looked at his companion. The blue face took a deep inhale and exhaled puffing the bowl of smoke into the boy’s face. Well, we are who we are of course… The three started laughing, as the black-dressed looked at the clock and screamed in panic, we are going to be late! Oh no, the brain exclaimed and squeezed by the boy. Wait he tried to stop the other two from running past him, who are you…? The blue man was still sucking on the cigar, so he was in not as much hurry as others. He turned around and allowed the two-run in front, as he looked the boy in the eyes. You know very well who we are don’t you, he snickered, you’re the body… poor little body… forgotten by everyone else. The boy was surprised to hear the answer, what do you mean? The blue man finished his cigar, threw it against one of the walls, and laughed a short burst of coughing-fit kind of laughs, I am the ego, of course… the other two are the brain, and the identity – they also call him the shadow of the past… He made an awful smile and winked. And you are the body, which everyone has forgotten because they are too busy chasing the time, he shouted triumphantly and run away jumping up and slamming his heels together in his oversized wellies, enjoy the present, you weirdo!
*
The boy woke up on the couch with his neck in a rather uncomfortable position – hanging off the side. It was going to hurt later. He looked around the room and shook his head surprised. What was that he whispered to his mind, did you do that…? Coming back to the initial discourse the boy looked through the pages of the book and noted out a paragraph, which seemed to represent the idea his subconscious offered – ‘…and they are (clocks) very much out of place when we try to adapt our biological rhythms of eating, sleeping, evacuation, working, and relaxing to their uniform circular rotation’.
He looked at the words and pondered, just how much are we out of tune with our nature…?
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#prose #creativewriting #time #chasingtime #satire #foodforthought #takecareofyourbody #innervoice #mindfulness #wisdomofinsecurity