The Dunes and White Snow
Sitting in the corner of a crappy Chinese restaurant I came up with the best idea I ever had. The morning started off clear and the temperature was just right. I took my dog Cheeky for a walk and got lost. I am new to this place, and the streets led me through dark passages that blocked out the early morning sun, and through lonely sections that reminded me of home. Cheeky and I ended up on the corner of COLBE STREET and WINGTIP AVENUE. I looked around for something that would trigger my awareness to where we were, but all I saw was an abandoned mansion across the street and broken down red brick shops all around. I stood looking at this mansion for a short while; all the windows were broken except for a small one near the peak. My eyes melted over the whole house seeing every crack and all the chipped white paint. I thought about going inside for a look, but before I could follow through with this idea, my dog got tired of standing still and pulled me on down WINGTIP AVENUE. For some reason there was a very strange moment right when Cheeky pulled me along, where I was taken away to a distant feeling or memory in my early childhood. My father and I were walking our German Shepard named Jake and I was holding the leash even though I was so young. We stopped at this one house I’m not sure why, and my father was standing behind me but I could not see him. All of a sudden a man crashed through the second story window, and at that same moment Jake bolted to my right. I was suspended in the moment of this man flying out the window and being yanked sideways. I had never remembered that before now, and after that moment, I remembered falling or being pulled to the ground and my head slammed on the road and I was out. I wonder what happened with that man who crashed out of that window, or what happened after I blacked out.
Cheeky and I continued to walk down WINGTIP AVE and still had not seen one person. Finally I heard the distant engine of a car coming towards us, and I turned around to wave down the car so I could find out where we were. The car came into view, a reddish tan color car with no hood and the back window was gone. As it came closer I saw the driver was a man. I waved it to stop as it was coming up. The car was going very slow, and as I waved, the driver looked at me as he drove, a middle aged black man, but he did not stop, he just looked at me and kept his slow speed down WINGTIP AVE. It was a very surreal moment, like being stalled in time, with us looking at each other and him driving very slowly keeping eye contact and not stopping. I watched as the busted car drove on down the road and disappeared behind a bend. I was in a very strange almost dreamlike mood with a dark twist. My mood needed a gray almost rainy day, but it was the most beautiful day and I was angry. I suppose it was because I was lost and could not find someone to ask for directions, but it felt deeper than that, like there was something awakening inside me that had never opened its mouth to speak. Like a mute wolf letting out its first loud howl. No one was there that I could see and I let out the loudest scream fuelled by deep rage. It felt good and I let out another yell. Just as I had finished my second sound release, a petite woman popped out from a cross street. “Did you just scream?” She asked, although I could not tell if she really wanted to know the answer. “Ye I try to scream at least once a day.” It just came out, but then to change the subject, “I am lost; do you know how to get to VINYARD STREET?” I felt a bit embarrassed for letting out such loud angry cries, but it felt good and actually released that caged bird of anger.
“Sure,” she said, “go down two streets to WHITE STREET, and take it all the way down till you run into SUMMER AVENUE, then VINYARD AVENUE is two streets down on your left.” She gave Cheeky a kind pat on the head.
“Thanks, I was not sure if I would see another person, but you saved me.” She had dull brown eyes, and straight hair that hung to her shoulders. She smiled, “my pleasure,” and continued on her way past me. As I started walking I could feel her gaze giving me a second look, wondering whether I was crazy, or just a guy who screams once a day. On my way down WHITE ST, I saw that clouds were now starting to cover the sky, and for some reason my mood had switched right over to me being the happiest ever. I ran a bit with Cheeky, laughing. By the time I reached my apartment it was pouring rain, and my clothes were drenched and hung heavy, but my spirit was light and free.
The rest of my day was wonderful, and was actually one of the best days that I can remember; I was just happy and content. I had no food in the house, and decided to go out and look for a place to eat. I fed Cheeky, put on my coat and headed out. I had only walked two minutes when I found a Chinese place and went inside. I sat in the corner, and just as I was sitting down, it hit me, I should scream at the beginning of every day and get everything bad out of me so the good could run my day. At the time of the idea I thought it was the best I ever had, but after a few days of screaming in the morning, I realized that just screaming could not give me a whole day of happiness. I thought, at least there are dunes and white snow.