99 DAYS

Orange.

A pallette of a blazing inferno.

An array of colors, an infusion of chroma, the firmament ablaze with the etheral glow of the crimson blush, the stretch of the infinite canvas splashed by the brushes of a dazzling evening, pristine and pure. A sweet view to stare at, to rest your gaze for a leisure and drink in the moment of ataraxia.

I perhaps was an exception to this, not interested to indulge my leisure in being a versifier. I had other things to cogitate about, things far more crucial than the surreal sight above.

I strided down the pavement, the prominent pandemonium of the busy city right beside me disappearing into a swirl of nothingness within my ears, my thoughts completely occupied by all the words I had heard previously in the infirmary.

A heap of aggravating contemplations gnawing within the walls of my brain.

"You have to begin your chemotherapy sessions from the next week," the doctor had instructed, scratching his pen upon the medical paper, noting down the names of the medicines I was supposed to intake, "And have these medicines accordingly. See you coming Monday."

What good would it all do, when the venom had already escalated in every nook and corner of my form. A span of 99 days. What good would it all do, apart from the ruination of money and time and all my strength. No one can prevent my demise after all, can they?

Wrapping my fingers around the cold metallic surface, I pushed the door of my house, the musty suffocating smell whirling within making an instant escape through the open space, dust and dirt occupying almost every spec of my domicile. I had no urge to clean, and acknowledging my short period of existence, I didn't put any further effort to it.

I walked indoors, pushing my shoes to one side and closed the door behind me. Placing my bag upon the table, I slumped back on the couch, not really caring about how dusty it was. My vision travelled to the window, through the open panes, the blush of the firmament now transformed into a violet hue, soft and melancholic, pretty picturesque.

The room reflected the confusion of bluish violet outdoors, as the dying Sun struggled to gift a final touch of scarlet to the approaching nocturnal spectrum. The exuberance in the twitters of the returning birds was audible, how happy they were to be back in their abodes. Crickets chirped and the ambience grew darker with time. My eyes felt quite heavy, and with a final view of the divine twilight, I let somnolence rule over my tired self.

It was past 8 by the clock when I rose from the couch. I switched on a light, looked around and felt really empty. Dragging myself to the kitchen, I grabbed a packet of cheap noodles, boiled it and made myself comfortable on that same couch once again, slurping the warm noodles away at ease. The thoughts didn't leave my memory yet, and, as I ate, I couldn't help but delv myself deeper into their chaos.

Placing the empty bowl on the table, I got up and threw a jacket over my shoulders and left home once again. It was quite dark now and slightly cold, not too chilly yet. I strided down the road, my destination similar to yesterday's. Leaving behind the buzzing luminosity of the crowded city, I headed for the dark bridge ahead, of desertion and lone, hands deep into my pockets, pace slower than before and head hung low.

"Welcome back, 'boy by the bridge'," A voice intervened the monotony, making me immediately look up.

The youth from yesterday.

"You're here?" I raised a brow as I drew closer to him. The first thing that I noticed was, this anonymous lad was standing by the bridge, too close. His intentions weren't vivid, yet the presence of something within his left hand cupped in front of him was clearly evident.

His purpose definitely didn't align with mine.

I did not speak, as I walked and stood beside him, the vast expanse of dark waters with an extraordinary splendour of the sparkling moonlight welcoming my vision. For a moment, there was no communication, only the giddy currents of a strong breeze whispering between us. I couldn't comprehend how, but the schemes that I had plotted yesterday didn't seem to effect me presently. I did not want to execute it now, atleast not in the presence of this stranger.

Lost in my thoughts, my attention was not yet devoted to my surroundings, when all of a sudden, I felt something fly past me and drop into the waters, a few distances away.

I was surprised.

I immediately looked to my left and tried to realise what happened. And soon, my realisation met with a visual explanation.

The boy had a collection of stones in the cup of his left hand, and what went past me a few seconds ago was a stone that he had attempted to throw into the waters, and had succeeded in doing so.

I stared at him wordlessly, blinking in confusion.

"This is fun, I promise," he stated, "Wanna do it?"

I hesitated for a while, but ended up nodding my head in affirmation.

"That's cool," he exclaimed, edging closer to me, "Now, boy by the-"

"Seonghwa," my name slipped out of my mouth, not by force but rather, in a flow, "Call me Seonghwa."

The boy paused for a bit, looking at me with curiosity, and then his expressions changed and with a smile, he responded, "I'll call you Hwa. Call me Joong," he continued, "An abbreviation for Hongjoong."

For some unexplainable reason, I felt myself liking that name.

"Anyways, now you take a few," he gestured me to extend out my open palm to him, and quickly deposited a few of the stones from his collection into my space, "And let's compete, who can throw the stones farther."

Childish. I thought, but, I didn't have the heart to turn down his offer. A moment of bliss was quite luxurious for me to afford. Yet when someone was prepared to give it without a price, I couldn't deny it.

I turned to the waters and waited for him to begin. He did, throwing the stone with skill, the object plopping into the fluid surface with a sound, ripples encircling the area for a few moments. The distance was far and I was not very sure whether could surpass it, but I tried.

And as I had anticipated, my stone did not reach even the periphery of the region wherein his had met it's watery grave.

A series of giggles broke the silence of the night, surprising me greatly. The laughter had joy laced within, eliciting from the depths of a heart brimmed with purity and sweetness. And if there could be a reality of being an addict of someone's laugh, then I would have instantly topped the list.

I had never heard such a mirthful laughter before.

And I wanted to hear it again.

And again.

And again.

Time slipped away and we remained unaware, too indulged in our little game. Hongjoong, the guy who was a few centimetres shorter than me as I had observed, won all the points, his skill quite sharper than mine. I had managed to win two, with great effort and almost gave up in the end. Every time I messed it up, the boy burst out in loud giggles, and something within my heart seemed to change places upon hearing it, without my conscience's permission.

One thought occupied my mind for a moment. The person who had come to put a stoppage to his existence just the day before was presently indulged in a child's game with someone who's name he had just learnt. The contemplation of this and the swift changes of moments greatly baffled me.

I temporarily forgot about everything when I was in his presence.

It was close to midnight when he finally chose to stop the game and turned at me, still smiling, "Pause it for today, shall we?" he suggested and I nodded my head, "See you tomorrow."

And with a simple statement as that, he walked away into the dark, his merry giggles still embedded in the air. I was a little disappointed as we couldn't communicate much. But for some unspecified reason, my heart felt at ease, a comfort that it hadn't felt for a long time till the present situation.

I looked up, the sky befrilled with a thousand stars just like yesterday, flashing pinpricks against the inky black abyss. I sighed and stared at it for a few moments, smiling to myself, quite absentmindedly.

And then I realised-

It had been a while since I last smiled.

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Thoughts?