Outside my window, there was a tree, a very ordinary tree. It had a very ordinary tree trunk, which was neither thick nor thin. It had very ordinary branches, which were neither leafy nor leafless. It had very ordinary leaves, which were neither shriveling nor thriving. It was a tree that was commonly seen in the park, by the sidewalk, in the garden, and even outside of another person’s window. Even though there was nothing unique or distinctive about this tree, it was different for me. It was special, very special.
During my years studying in elementary school, I would not say I was the most outgoing person, nor would I say that I was one of the famous ones or one of the leaders in the school. I was the complete opposite. I was the anonymous. I was the quiet one. I was the ghost. Due to the fact that I felt miserable about myself easily and lacked the skills of socializing, nobody really paid any attention to me, much less than talking to me. Thus, I became the ghost of my elementary, the Silent Legend as they called me. Luckily, nobody bullied me at school or they just did not even know that I existed.
Anyways, life was not the most exciting thing for me at that time. School life especially, was exceptionally boring. Daily school routine goes like this: wake up; go to school; listen to teacher talking on and on; recess; teacher talking again; lunch; teacher talking again; and then home. Boring? Yes. Exciting? No. So, to prevent myself from being devoured by a monster called boredom, I started to observe the tree, the ordinary tree outside of my window.
As days and months go by, I found out that the tree adopted a different appearance and behaviour as each season passed by. When Spring came and spread life across the land, the tree would sway happily from side to side as if it was welcoming Spring. As Summer approached and the temperature was at its highest, the leaves would gather as if shrouding the tree from the searing sunlight. When Fall rested upon the land and the leaves danced away with the wind, the tree bowed forward as if it was sad about the leaves leaving. As Winter crashed angrily into the world and armies of snowflakes dyed the world white, the tree stood there motionlessly as if it was hibernating through the cold, harsh season.
To me, the tree had emotions. To me, the tree was not just a tree, it was a person. No, not it. HE. He was a person. He was a person who knew my loneliness; he was a person who would be by my side and listen to my stories; he was a person who would be my best friend. And so we did. We became best friend. Everyday I would rush home after school. Everyday I would be excited to see his new behaviour or appearance. Everyday I would tell him new stories about school, about me. Everyday no longer was a boring routine but an exciting adventure. I found a friend. I would never be lonely anymore. I was happy. However, the feeling did not last long.
High school was unfamiliar and I thought that life would still be the same as it was in elementary, but I was wrong. High school was a much larger place than elementary school; it was a completely different world full of very diverse people. Lots of people started to notice me due to my imaginations and creativeness. They started to approach me and before I knew it, I became one of the members of their social circle. I made friends. I was happier, happier than the time I spent with my tree. And soon, instead of rushing home after school everyday, I stayed and spent time with my friends. Soon, very soon, I stopped observing the tree. I stopped talking to him. And slowly, I forgot about him. He went back to the ordinary tree just like the first we met. We no longer walked on the same path; we were strangers.
Now, standing in front of a mall that used to be my house, I saw trees swaying with the wind. But they were not my tree; my tree was gone; he was gone for a long long time. I did not know if I was sad or not for I only felt emptiness in my heart. Nothing. No emotions. But, I felt some part of me died. Some part of me died with the tree. Some part of me was buried deep down at the exact same spot the tree used to stand.
“Thank you, my friend.” I whispered softly. I knew he had heard me. I knew he would not be lonely anymore. Because, I heard him. I heard him clearly from the soft wind.
“You’re welcome.”
Special Thanks to ThinkWritten for Creative Writing Prompts:
作者: 暗塵風 時間: 2016-9-16 12:48 標題: I Rain “It was raining,” I said. “It was raining all day long.” He turned to look at me, surprised by my sudden urge to speak. We had been in a fight for a couple of weeks which both of us were unwilling to compromise. The “Epic World War III” was what Emma, my sister, had called it while rolling her eyes.
It was not my intention to fight with him, however, fights just seemed to be a problem that was inevitable whenever we were together. It just did. He and I were too different, in fact, we might be the complete opposite of each other. If I were to choose to soar freely in the endless blue sky, he would have preferred to roam wild on the vast earth. If I were to adore the pureness of white, he would have wished for the serenity of black. We were like magnets, positive and negative, south and north, yet we were attracted to each other. We were inseparable.
Everytime we fought, everytime we argued, we would always fall into dead cold silence and ignore each other for a long time. Then, time would always soothe the tension between us; time would always wash out the anger; time would always unite us again, as though nothing happened in the first place. Yet, whenever we fought, we still could not seem to let go of one another. We would still stay in the same room, still see each other, just without the dialogue. Just like what was happening right now.
“It was raining,” I repeated. There was a pause as I waited. He did not respond. Closing my eyes, I continued, “It is still raining.”
I heard the sound of papers being shuffled. I heard the creaking sound of the old, wooden chair. I heard the steady sound of footsteps. His footsteps. And as I expected, I was wrapped in his arms. He stroke my back softly and carefully, as if I were his most precious treasure. I pressed my head deep into his embrace and heard the familiar yet strong and rhythmic beating of his heart.
“Hey, it’s not raining, the sun’s out today. Why don’t we go out for a walk?” He smiled warmly and patted me on the head lovingly. I burried my face into his chest and nodded. Silence fell upon us again, but unlike the awkward silence from before, it was soothing this time. He tightened his arms and kissed me on my forehead.
“Je pluie,” I said, my voice muffled by his shirt. (Je pluie = I rain)
“Quoi?” He quirked his eyebrows with a mix of amusement and confusion. “As-tu dit, “je pluie”?” (Quoi = what) (As-tu dit,"je pluie" = did you said, "I rain")
I nodded in response, just wanting to savour his warmth.
“Veux-tu dire, “Je pleure”?” He frowned, bewildered. (Veux-tu dire, "Je pleure" = is "I cry" what you want to say)
Without replying, I hugged him tighter. This seemed to have taken him by surprise for a warm laugh escaped his mouth. I had always been wondering why were we together. Why were we attracted to each other? Yet, I did not dare to explore deeper into this thought because I feared that I would lose him.
It was raining. It had been raining. It is still raining. But, the sun would always shine through the clouds, leaving a warm patch of sunlight. A little candle of hope.
And at that moment, I knew. I knew the reason why black could not exist without white. I knew the reason why good could not strive without evil. I knew the reason why I could not live without you. Because, we belonged to each other. Where you go, I will follow. Where I stay, you will come. We are one at heart.
“Pourquoi est-ce que tu pleure?” He asked gently. (Pourquoi est-ce que tu pleure = why do you cry)
I looked at our intertwined hands, and smiled.
“Parce que je me rends compte à quel point je t’aime.”
Because I realize how much I love you. 作者: 暗塵風 時間: 2016-9-17 12:41 標題: 【翻譯文】我的雨 (I Rain) 此為上篇的翻譯：
第二篇中間穿插的對話，是什麼語言？作者: 暗塵風 時間: 2016-9-28 10:03 標題: Hope Darkness had crept in, slowly, softly, but with murderous intents. Everything around me screamed in rage and fury. I blocked my ears with my hands, trying to shut the voices out, but my actions seemed to futile for I heard their voices ringing, resounding, and echoing inside my head.
“Coward! Coward!” they shouted. I could hear them closing in. I could feel them. A cry of panic escaped my quivering lips as I scrambled out of my room. I ran and ran, not daring to look back.
I did not know how long I had been running, it was as if I had been in a trance. I did not know where I was going, everything inside me was screaming for me to run away. I stopped abruptly, out of breath and out of energy. I looked around and found myself standing on the rooftop. The rooftop of my school. I crouched down, too overwhelmed by everything.
I sat there, sobbing quietly, though, no tears had come out of my eyes. The night was tranquil. Silence seemed to have descended upon the ground, as if time had just stopped. Not even the wind was blowing. I did not move for I was too tired and too scared. Suddenly, someone caressed my cheeks. I looked up, but no one was there. And at that moment the wind started. Gently at first but increasingly strong. It touched my skin, ruffled through my hair, and whispered in my ears. Whispers of hope, of encouragement, of love. And the sun started to rise. I peeked out from the strong light and felt the warmth of the sun. The wind embraced me and pushed me forward. I felt a small smile creeping along my lips as I advanced toward the future. 作者: 暗塵風 時間: 2016-10-24 08:24 標題: 【翻譯文】希望 (Hope) 此為上篇的翻譯：