Speak Out

When the koels decided to coo

". . .You don't have to travel off to distant lands or islands when you are in the midst of a real life Tolkien world surroundings –the hills all together standing harmoniously pretending to be behind the skirts of the clouds so plume-like ; the sun casting its special light effects on the expanse, even better than a disco ball; the caressing breeze almost tickling you to your knees; the chirping Koel almost tempting you to coo with them; lake glimmering like the magical diamond castle you might be knowing .And what's more, they all stay positive with such defiance even as the thunder thrust out as in a bloody siege or as a drunkard."

My pen stilled as I reached the almost end of the description. Describing what's around me is my new found reprieve. That's me, Aggy, who is into finding novel ways to distract my toxic thoughts. Thoughts that surround by little why's and why not's concerning peculiar acts of my friends. Like how they went to cinema without me. Or the other time when they called me weird for eating with bare fingers. Or the other time when I was talking to myself and they called me a loon.

I tore off the paper and crumpled it, almost wishing it to be squeezed as my stress ball. After crumpling it nicely, I flattened out the paper only to repeat the process all over again until I realized someone was... Talking to me?

"Wanna switch those with these bright ones?"

I almost stop myself from gasping loud. Just imagine a random guy with the same gusto of Marty in Madagascar 3. Circus afro punk with those cat ears hoodie. 

The way he asked too... No pity, as if he was asking me a question like how the diplomats do in all seriousness. And his palms clad in leather hand warmer that I want to keep staring at. It's almost like a fetish to me. Blame it all on Marvel. They look superhero-ey! 

What is this? Fate's way of teasing me? I'm a cat still, nursing the wounds I had from the past boiled milk, why, just, why torture me with these interesting people whom I would really want to connect but I- let out a sigh in defeat and grabbed them disposing my old ones onto the space on the bench.

And he took my paper. Whyy, just, why? I crumpled the orange roll and flattened them in a faster paced rate. How embarrassing it could if he chose to read aloud-

"To someone who is in constant exposure of a miry clay though...it hurts to see such brightness, it almost... feels unreal..."

I heard the stranger through my crumpling session, their voice almost cracked. Well I think he felt through that one, all my embarrassment replaced with something else I don't wanna know.

"I know, I was only writing what everyone sees." I said, taking time to inspect the hurtful-bright orange craft paper. Wait- was there something written in there?
Unfurling it I see a pair of cartoony almond eyes staring at me. Like the photoshoped ones, ones that make you think they were plucked off from a Disney animation character...Whoa! I decided not to crumple this sheer beauty ever again. "If I were you, I 'd post this on Deviant art and get like 1k favourites and get money and. . ."

"Try telling that to all my other posts which barely got 20 favourites" He clicked his tongue.

 I have a hunch I'm soon going to be addicted to that. Trust me to fantasise over a clicking of tongue. Yep I'm the definition of weird.

"No way, for real?" I couldn't help spilling out the shock. The competition must be really tough I guess. "I used to be there as a hobbyist, the most I've ever gotten was like 5 stars" I sighed.

I turned a bit sideways to see what the hoodied person was doing- I was greeted with Harry Potter glasses, creased forehead that it almost looked too funnily cute. My throat burped out a small chuckle.

A Koel tweeted coo, coo, coo making me laugh even harder. When cute things like in nature and humans juxtapose? I laugh. It's like the universe humoring me and if I didn't see that, what greater FOMO could possibly exist?

"What's funny?" He looked up, with an ever serious face, that I feel sorry I was being inconsiderate for not explaining the joke to this stranger who was too generous. It might be easier to think I was laughing 'at' him so I better clear that.

"Has anyone seen you when you're having this tensed face?" I asked bluntly.

"Uh..."

"Thank you for gracing your presence here with these generous paper balls and your adorkable self" I make a slight bow. "You know I love the koels way too much? And the fact they cooed only when you arrived today, while being almost non-existent all the other days was funny."

word count :834