Leanna By Miu

I got out from bed and turned on the lights, still half-asleep not aware of what just happened. My eyes adjusted to the brightness jolting my consciousness awake.

I was in a twelve square meter room, painted in sky blue and white. Piles of books were nestled on the bed, taking half of the s.p.a.ce, and there were game cards scattered on the bedside table. Near the bedside table was a little cabinet stuffed with children books neatly arranged in alphabetical orders. Alongside that was a small size closet with a dresser and full-length mirror.

It took me a while to realize that I was in my childhood room!

I stumbled to get in front of the full-length mirror.

True enough, what I saw was my ten-year-old self.

A tall, pretty young girl with round face and chubby cheeks, prominent brown eyes, thick long lashes, small nose and thin cherry-like lips. Her waist length mahogany colored silky hair fell like gentle gus.h.i.+ng water, a breathtaking contrast against her skin that was smooth as silk and white as snow.

What happened? Was it all just a dream?

I pinched myself and felt that stung. Not enough, I bit my right hand and sensed that gus.h.i.+ng pain.

I"m alive!

It was all just a dream...

But it felt so real...

Droplets of warm water begun to flow from my eyes. The next thing I knew, I was crying and sobbing.

I"ve... I"m... actually... alive... *sob… *sob…

I cried and cried my heart"s out. All the suppressed emotions of more than seventy years, I let it all out.

I never returned to sleep after that. Afraid that if I did, I"d go back to that nightmare.

It was five in the morning when I got up and prepared breakfast and hot water for me and the twins. After I bathe and put on my school uniform, I went to the twins" bedroom. When I saw the two marshmallows curled up with each other, my tears instantly rolled down on their own.

I was not the emotional type of person, but when it came to the people that I love, I became a teary-eyed granny.

Thinking of the dream, the twins" life in seven years" time would change for the worse. Some drunkard youths who only knew how to play computer games were going to a.s.sociate themselves with the twins.

In time, these two marshmallows would turn into alcohol crazed, computer game addicts that would aggravate my mother to no end causing her to have a heart attack and die. My father being depressed with my mother"s untimely death, followed after a year.

Lawrence, older than a minute, would be diagnosed with liver cancer and die after long years of agonizing struggles. Lance, the youngest, would soon follow after someone had stabbed him on the back at a brawl between his drunkard friends.

I clamped my hand near my heart to ease the pounding pain. My breathing became ragged, and the air felt tight and suffocating.

I calmed myself and took sharp intakes of air and gradually released it through my mouth. I repeated the process until my mind became clearer, and my heart regained its usual pounding.

I tightly balled my hands into fists, my eyes determined as I looked at the peaceful sleeping marshmallows.

I must not let that happen at all cost!