Oranges

It was a dark and stormy night… Nah, I’m just kidding. I’m not going to say that it was a day like any other, either. It was just a day, but it was my day, a day of danger… which I suppose is pretty obvious, because it killed me. Does that make me a ghost, a spirit, what? I don’t know. Where ever I am, there’s nothing but darkness…But, everything has a silver lining, right? Right?! Maybe it just doesn’t work like that…
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I hit the ground running, grinning at the enraged shouting carrying on behind me. It was hard to run with arms full of oranges, but somehow I managed. The market place was always crowded on Tuesdays; it was when I got the most to eat. Tuesdays were my favorite days of the week. Normally, I don’t advocate thievery, strange for a thief, I know, but on Tuesdays I let myself go just a tad. There was something to be said for that gushing fulfilling freedom that taking things brought me. I was good, too. Most places didn’t know what hit them. I’ll admit it; I loved it. Every second of the chase, that thrilling emotion rushing through every nerve ending… It was what I lived for.
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There was a light now... I could see it in the distance. I began to walk that way, wary. The light grew brighter and brighter around me, until it was completely blinding. Suddenly and out of nowhere, a whining, screeching sound started. My ears could not handle it and I was forced to my knees, this sound invading my head. What’s going on? My hands were over my ears, trying to block it out. It’s not working. How is this possible? I’m surrounded by people now, all of them in almost the exact position I am… no, they’re not other people. Those are mirrors… I’m watching myself, my face twisted in pain, a small drip of blood fleeing from my nose… I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know… please just make it stop…
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I ran around the side of a building, crouching down and kneeling next to it, resting for just a moment. I could feel the rough stone of the building to my back. Every sensation was amplified. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander, the cool breeze rustling my hair. This was peace. This was my peace, the essence of my life thrown in to one split second. I listened, knowing my ears twitched a little, my own quirk. I didn’t hear the sounds of pursuit. I knew it was a good thing, but still deflated a tad. I shook my head at myself. It was better this way.
I reimmersed myself in the crowd. Stood there for a moment letting the people’s jostling movements sway me. I looked at the oranges. They were so bright. The rest of the world seemed dull in comparison to their smooth, clean, citrus caress. One rolled right out of my arms. I bent down, whispering to myself, “Come here, little orange… its ok.” I moved to stand and was shocked by the hard grip of a hand in my hair, right at the base of my skull where it’s most painful. The hand jerked me up and pain spiked through my nervous system. There was a sharp prick in my back, and I knew whoever it was had a knife to me.
The knife pressed in just a little more, but I would not make a sound. There was a gruff, terrible voice rasping in my ear, but I did not hear the words that were spoken. I realized I dropped the oranges… There in the middle of this huge crowd of people, someone stood holding a knife to my back. Slowly, the fear was fading from me and, as I looked at the oranges again, which had rolled a couple feet away in all directions. Their soft, hard skin shone in the bright sunlight. I started laughing. I couldn’t help it. It just bubbled out of me… This was the price of my peace. I don’t remember what exactly happened next. But I remember the pain. And I remember lying on the ground and watching one of the oranges bounce as someone’s foot kicked it. And I couldn’t stop laughing.
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The sound is gone now. This is a place of rest… a place of peace… Yes… I earned my peace… I set the oranges free…