A few weeks ago I wrote a short story called Liquid which I did not complete because I was at a crossroads. I didn’t know where the story was going to go. Until I sat down and let my imagination run with it. I really enjoyed writing this story and I have to thank my inebriated self for that. Had I not been drunk on a few too many glasses of wine, the idea of this story would have never occurred to me. I hope you all enjoy reading this story. You can read the first part of the story here. The featured image is taken from Pinterest.

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That day changed my life. For the first time in a long time, I returned home humming a childhood tune I thought I had forgotten. It must have been a bizarre sight to see, for mother looked at me as if she had seen a ghost. Her eyes widened, and her mouth hung agape. Never having received such a reaction before, a sheepish smile formed on my lips before I bolted up the stairs to the tiny room I occupied. I collapsed on the bed, my thoughts wandering to the entity I called a friend. 

Knowing mother would never approve of my friendship with Bubba, I never invited them into our house. We would meet at the deserted park after school on the days that I did not have tuitions to attend. Even though all Bubba could manage was the sound of a gurgling river, I could, after weeks of constant observation, understand the creature that refracted light like a prism.

When Bubba had no intention of doing anything, they would walk around the neighbourhood without any hindrance as various objects passed through their transparent body. When they felt like it, they would drown small articles in their waters. When Bubba got mad, which was a rare phenomenon, their water currents would be so strong they could form mini whirlpools within their framework. Their water otherwise remained as calm and serene as the crystal clear waters of an unpolluted lake.

Truth be told, I admired Bubba, the carefree polygon that roamed the world without any burden on its back. But as time passed, my feelings began to morph into something more. The thorn of jealousy had found its way into my heart. As I watched the innocent polygon admire the world, I would turn green. To mask the envy that found its roots inside of me, I smiled at Bubba. My eyes never moved from the creature with child-like innocence while that longing to be free ached within me.

I was never very good at hiding things. And seven months into our friendship, mother found out. It happened on a rainy evening. I was returning home from my meeting with Bubba, who loved hiding in the rain. After venting about my monotonous life to my non-verbal friend, Bubba had pulled me off the swing for a game of hide and seek. A game they were an expert in. Out of the three games we played, I lost all of them. Even though I had my raincoat draped over my body and goloshes on my feet, the rain poured so hard I was soaking wet by the time I returned home. 

Mother stood at the threshold of our house with her arms crossed over her chest. Her foot tapped incessantly against the cemented floor while her nostrils flared. She reminded me so much of a raging bull ready to charge. Seeing her angry face made my mind race at a thousand miles per hour. Mother had returned home earlier than usual. And I knew she had seen me with the polygon, the creatures she detested.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She asked, her voice rigid as steel. Before I could even answer, she jumped into one of her classic monologues. The subject matter of her speech was me, the ungrateful child she bore to the ungrateful husband who had drunk himself to death. I stood there as the rain pelted over me, listening with one ear and filtering it out with the other. I had learnt while I was young not to pay any heed to her words. But even after years of practice, sometimes she would still manage to find gaps in my armour and plunge her sword when I least expected it.

“I spend so much of my time, energy and money on you. And instead of studying and working hard towards a bright future, you’re out here fooling around with a faceless monster,” Mother said, her face turning as red as a tomato. “You have to sacrifice now so that you can enjoy life later. Or else you might just end up like your no-good father who left us with nothing but more debt.”

I remained silent. Except for the sound of the pouring rain, silence prevailed between us. Mother took in a deep breath before letting the air back out. A sign that she was ready to negotiate. 

“The only way I’ll let you inside the house is if you stop seeing that creature and focus on your studies. You’ll be giving your twelfth boards in a few months. This is one of the most crucial points in your life. You either make it, or you don’t, Sam.”

After a second’s hesitation, I nodded my head, agreeing to her terms and conditions. She stood to one side and allowed me to enter our little house.

“Remember, this is not the time for friends,” She said before I bounded up the stairs.

I said nothing, only nodded my head once in her direction, swallowing the pent up frustration that was ready to burst.

Mother was not always uptight. There used to be a time when she was fun. Father, although sometimes entertaining, ruled the house with his iron fist. He was the epitome of perfection. That was until all his sins caught up to him. Instead of taking responsibility for the financial mess he had created, he turned to the bottle for solace. When he was found lying in a ditch with his hand still clutching his whiskey, mother took it upon herself to be the dictatorial parent. She did everything in her power to prevent me from walking astray. Anything to stop her only son from turning into the man she married. Even if it meant stifling me in my own home. 

After my altercation with mother, I stopped seeing Bubba. My visitation to the neighbourhood park stopped. And the only places I ever visited were school and the extra tuition classes I took. On festive holidays, I would lock myself within the four walls of my house and bury my head in prescribed books that would enhance my knowledge. I caught Bubba many times, standing on the road waiting for me with their head turned heavenward, looking at my window. Guilt washed over me like the waves of the sea. I had abandoned them. Without a proper explanation, I had ceased all communication between us. I knew their intentions were good. But I just wanted to be left alone in my prison. 

The days of my isolation passed by at a snail’s pace, and I was losing my wits. The amount of effort I put in did not tally with my grades causing my mind to unravel. Teachers claimed that I wasn’t working hard enough, which led to mother imposing more rules. I was tired. My soul was exhausted. The bed I fought so hard to get out of every morning. Looked more appealing than ever. To never wake up from my slumber soon became the only thought that occupied my mind.

The burden on my back seemed heavier than before. It was a month before the exam. My mind had exhausted itself memorising formulas, applying them to equations and studying facts that were never going to help me navigate adult life. My eyelids grew heavy with exhaustion. But sleep evaded me. Insomnia set in, and the density of my mind’s fog intensified.

The gust of the February winds began blowing through town. On a particularly windy night, I found myself standing on the terrace of an abandoned construction site. Mother’s speech about hard work over dinner was the pin that pricked the tensed balloon of pent up frustration. Like a dam that let out excess water, everything that I kept bottled up flooded out of my mouth. My outburst granted me momentary satisfaction. Before it vanished, I bolted from the house, giddy from the release.

I sat at the precipice of the terrace, allowing my legs to dangle from the five-storied building. My intense feelings subdued while looking at the stars above. My heartbeat returned to its normal rhythm. Lost in my own world, I did not realise I had been followed. Until Bubba appeared out of nowhere and plopped themselves right next to me. They made a gurgling noise asking if I was okay that made my eyes well up with tears.

“I’m so sorry I abandoned you,” I said through my tears. Bubba raised their hand to wipe my tears away, and I watched in wonder to see them become one with their body like a small stream joining a mighty river. I looked up at the humanoid face that stared back down at me. 

“Let go,” I heard a voice resonate in my head. 

I looked around me. Other than the two of us, no one else was there. A gust of wind blew past, and realisation dawned on me. 

“Did I just hear your voice in my head?” I asked.

Bubba cupped my face in their hands and nodded their head. They placed their hand over my chest, and I felt my heart flutter. All of a sudden, I could smell the freshness of the air and taste the freedom my heart longed for. 

“Let it all go,” I heard the voice again. Bubba raised their head and looked up to the stars. From somewhere within their body, light began to emanate, bathing me in a warm glow. My eyes widened as I watched. It started from the top of their head. Bubba began evaporating in front of my very eyes. Turning into a veil of mist before dissipating into the air.

“Wait,” I said, holding out my hand only for it to pass through their body. 

When every part of Bubba had become one with the air, the light that had illuminated the place disappeared. Once again, I was left all alone. Only this time, the loneliness sunk deeper piercing flesh and bone. The tears streamed down my cheeks as I looked heavenward, Bubba’s last words to me echoing in my head. I stood up and took in a deep breath.

“Let go,” I mumbled as I looked at the horizon dotted with lights resembling the twinkling stars. I closed my eyes and took one step forward over the precipice letting go of everything, detaching myself from my humanity. I felt a tug in my gut as the wind whipped through me while I plummeted towards the ground. My body stretched and folded, morphing me into something incomprehensible. When I opened my eyes, I found myself standing on the ground, instead of being splattered against it. I raised my hands to examine them, only to see transparent humanoid limbs instead of human hands. My heart leapt with joy when the realisation hit that I had turned into the creature that I admired. I wanted to let out an exuberant scream but stopped when my world tilted. My vision blurred, and my consciousness slipped away from me.