The Festival of Light
One revolution after another, the clock continues to tick. One step after another, I continue to walk. The veil of light paralleled the darkness behind me as I began to walk through it. The night sky was proof that even the brightest of stars need darkness to shine. It is beautiful altogether.
Countless voices layered among each other as I walked through a crowd of people under the veil of light. Some parts of the crowd gathered around these booth-like structures laughing and conversing. They shared snacks with each other, while the children ran around chasing each other with toys that blew out bubbles at the press of the trigger.
This was the Festival of Light; the celebration of the darkness which gave us light. I had no idea what to expect when I came here, but I like everything about it. The cold wind accompanied me, and I was the only one to notice its presence. I couldn’t help it though; I was alone. It felt like I jumped off an airplane when I came here. My face was blurred out to everyone else. I don’t know them, and they don’t know me. Yet, the clock of life continues to tick. I shan’t waste my time with thoughts like these.
A man approached me out of nowhere. He was clothed in a gray suit and black tie. It looked like he came here after work. I could see his family in the distance looking intently at us with a smile. I slightly bowed to them and returned the smile. The man in front of me had blue cotton candy on a stick. He extended it to me, as if he wanted me to take it. “We noticed your somberness,” he spoke with a baritone voice.
“My…somberness?” I asked in reply. It confused me, but I guess I hadn’t noticed the way I looked while looking everywhere else. I just got here, and already somebody came up to me. I noticed a smile started to creep across my face. This feeling was unfamiliar. A feeling like a candle freshly lit: warm and comforting. I didn’t want to forget it.
The man smiled. “In a place like this, you’re supposed to have a good time. How would you be able to do that alone?” he pointed with his eyes to the cotton candy, “have some; on me.”
I slowly took it from his hand and examined it. Hundreds of centimeters of candied thread wound up to make this delight. There were hundreds of them like this in the whole Festival. That included me now. The man patted my shoulder and gave me a final smile and walked back to his family.
“T-thank you!” I managed to call out to him and his family. They waved back and started on their way again.
I was left by myself again. But this time, I didn’t feel so alone. The cotton candy represented my interaction with that man and his family. I wanted to eat it, but I also wanted to treasure it. Though, I know the only way to treasure it was to eat it, so I did. It was slightly sticky, and it tasted of raspberry. I loved it. All that remained was the cotton candy stick, and the sweetness of it gave me a pleasant feeling. Relishing in the moment sounded well and all, but I couldn’t just idle around in a busy place like this. So, like the clock of life, I continued on.
There was a slight spring to my step I hadn’t noticed before. A rollercoaster attraction towered over me to my left, and carousels sang to my right with joyous children yelling out “Look, mommy!”.
“Hey you!” a voice called out from the left. I looked and saw a group of teenagers who looked like they were in line for the roller coaster. The person who called out was one of the girls and she was waving.
I thought they were talking to someone else so I pointed at myself with widened eyes which silently asked “Me?”. She nodded in response, “Yes, you! Come here!”
I hesitated. What did they want with me? Were they going to offer me something like the family from before? I slowly walked up to the group. Eagerness and youth emanated from them. Though I dare not question it, youth is a ticking time-bomb but resets every time it detonates. I have to be cautious when dealing with the youthful, explosive ones. Never alone they were, and while that may be true, they would never notice the beauty of the world. A bubble isn’t so great to be in, right?
“You can cut in front of us!” another one of the teenagers said, but it was a boy this time.
I tilted my head. “Cut…? But why?” They had to have waited for this ride for a while. The line was long and even people in the back seemed to be annoyed.
“Well because we needed one more single person to fill the last seat. The couple behind us won’t be able to ride because they don’t want to separate.”
There was that feeling of hesitation again just like before. I’ve never been on a rollercoaster, but I’ve heard of the adrenaline rush. I was almost afraid, yet I was excited. I did exactly what they offered me, I stood in front of the group and thanked them. I heard them return to their chatter about school and gossip. A few minutes later, the line moved and our group boarded the roller coaster. I sat in the very front since I was more towards the end of the group. I fastened my safety belts as the shoulder restraints hugged my body ensuring I don’t plunge to my death. What an unsettling feeling this gave me.
“Please keep your hands and feet inside of the seats at all times,” the man operating the ride announced through a mic. He pushed a button which initiated the ride as it began to creep forward. When we left the entrance to the ride, we were on a straight-away, but I saw it rise up into the sky. We approached it and started going up. I saw the night sky as the rollercoaster climbed its way to the top. I couldn’t help but focus on the stars and the darkness behind them. “I can’t forget this feeling. I can’t forget those stars and why I’ve come here,” I thought to myself. No matter how much fun I was having, I won’t forget where I came from and why I’m here. People are like stars—bright and unique. Even the coldest of hearts can be thawed. Everyone has a core of warmth to offer. As we reached the top, the rollercoaster paused as if it knew what I was thinking. I looked back at the seats behind me and the smiling people in them. The world went silent to me. I can see their mouths agape which showed they were most likely screaming.
I smiled as I realized something. The crowds, the lights, the man and his family, the teenagers, the rollercoaster—I selfishly ignored the fact that I really wasn’t alone.
The rollercoaster then dropped and raced down at high speed, causing my gaze at the night sky to disappear.
That was when I woke up in the arms of the universe. I could hear the clock of life continually ticking.
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