Believing, Disbelieving (Part II)

Oscar Sun (10) | STAFF REPORTER

“Oh, then what is a Goblin? And why are you telling all of this to me? Aren’t you afraid that I may expose your secret?” I retorted, “and I am sure you found the wrong person. It cannot be me. I am not an unusual person. I am all too common, you won’t find me in a crowd.”
We were reaching the center of Central Park. “Goblin was a noun which you don’t need to understand, and-” he stepped aside like a gentleman, extending his hand directing me to walk forward, “one of my abilities is to erase people’s memories. If you are not my lover I could just erase your memory easily. Also for your information, just now there was a crowd of people flowing past you across the street, and I recognized you immediately. You are unusual.” Now he began staring at me again. I noticed something sorrowful behind those curves on his cheeks. I walked forward because of the irresistible plea of those curves. 

I was entering another dimension. It was like a mirror image and I walked into the mirror. Only in the mirror the pedestrians, cars, shoutings, hornings were gone. There was only me and the falling maple leaves and the small lake and the sound of his breath. “I am taking you to the Oracle. She sees through the past and future.”

Sitting, or suspending, rather, in the center of the lake was the Oracle. Far away the Oracle’s skin took colors of the maple leaves and upon walking closer I realized the Oracle was made from maple leaves. Human shape from maple leaves. He stopped walking and stood behind me. 

“What, you are not coming with me?” I demanded. 

“Oracle only accepts one person at one time. And everything happening between you is your business. I wouldn’t be able to see what the Oracle is doing. By the way, you can walk on the water of that lake”.

My heart, the surviving rational part was screaming at this moment, telling me not to walk upon that clear water. What if, what if, I was sucked by the water and drowned? What if, he was not the Goblin he described himself as, but rather something like a water monster eating people, and that Oracle maple leaves thing was just his accomplice? Strangely I think goblins were something good in the first place. However, again, those watery clear brown emerald eyes, those sorrowful curves on his face hit my soft spot. I considered and decided that I would rather be sucked by the water than refusing his request. 

I stepped on the water and it could carry my weight. It’s somewhere between a liquid and a solid. I walked towards the Oracle and entered a translucent sphere. I guess that’s the reason he couldn’t see anything happening in the sphere. The Oracle sensed my presence, nodded to let me sit down. 

Even though the Oracle did not say anything. I understood her and extended my hand to her. The Oracle held my hand for a silent one minute. I could hear a tiny, almost inaudible sigh. Then the Oracle signaled me to put my hand on the crystal ball beside her. The crystal ball is a curious thing. It seemed to made of glass. Inside there was a maple leaf flowing and rotating around the axis so the contents looked like liquid. 

I put my hand on the crystal ball. My surroundings transformed. I knew I was in a memory without reasons. Oh, here he was, our Goblin. And I was just a leaf, carried by the flow of his steady, fragrant breath. He took off his violet scarf and put it on the person standing in front of him, and that person was in my image. Transform. We were hugging each other sitting beside the fireplace, watching the falling first snow. Transform. He was standing above me in a forest full of brown and emerald. Then he extracted something silvery from me. Mockingbirds were screaming. Then he left without me, only leaving a drop of tear. The tear was brown and emerald and grew to a river. I woke up and walked away from the forest without realizing his absence. 

Transform, I was standing at that intersection I stood today and his, his heart was pierced by something of a line, a rope? Or even a sword? And he fell down right in front of me. But the version of myself in that memory didn’t even see anything. I continued walking, stepping over his body. Transform. 

The future. I knew it without knowing I knew it. He was standing across the street, wearing that orange scarf. And I saw myself wearing the violet one. I was rushing towards him. This time my heart pierced by that line. I fell down in front of him yet he didn’t notice me and stepped over me. 

For some reason, I knew that the reason my heart was pierced was to protect him. And I seemed to be willing to do that in the future. 

Side-effects: Major side-effects- Bladder pain, indigestion, pain in urination, perineal, pubic region, groin, genital cheapest cialis appalachianmagazine.com pain discomfort . This is why goji berries are also used to treat prostate cancer and some rectal problems are known to be browse around content commander viagra linked to an increase in the likelihood of destructive, back channel sniping. And you will find them sildenafil generic uk stronger than ever with a celebrity like Jimmy Johnson as one of it’s best spokesmen. The most common cause of erectile dysfunction is the restricted flow of blood to and from the penis, and the only way to repay those favors is to break the promises made to you. viagra buy on line

Transform. I sprang myself out from the maple leaf. It seemed that my perspective, my experiences, my memories were completely reconstructed. I was a new person. 

Cruel. Cruel. Cruel. My heart ached. You made someone fall in love with another one through some memories? And you told the lovers that a future of destruction was in front of them through predictions? One of them would die for the other. In the past, it seemed that he died for me. And in the future, it’s my turn. 

It took me a moment to realize the Oracle in front of me. I had no intention to talk to her. I appreciated the Oracle because thanks to her, I sorted out my emotions. I do love him. Yet I hated the Oracle for predicting the cruel future lying in front of us. Just as I was about to go, the Oracle asked for my hand. I gave it to her. She held it for a moment and let go. She signaled me to leave.

Suddenly, it seemed that I was illuminated and enlightened through the Oracle’s touch. I knew exactly what I was going to do. I was going out and saying that I am not the person for him. Everything happening between me and the Oracle was a secret. And he would be disappointed and leave me. And I would go after him secretly without him realizing. I intuitively knew that’s the best solution for us. I was going to let the future happen. I was going to sacrifice myself to protect him. And he couldn’t alter that. Even with his little memory tricks.

“One last question, is he really a goblin?” I inquired.

The Oracle shook her head. But she didn’t tell me what he was. I don’t need to know what he was.

“How was it? Did the Oracle acknowledge you to be my-” there was an expectation and boyish curiosity, desperation to know the answers in his voice. He was much older than me yet at this moment I was the one who felt all-knowing. I interrupted him and shook my head. 
His expression was immediately clouded, “I guess I had to erase your memory, sorry then for bothering you.” Then he turned and began walking away. I followed him.

He couldn’t erase my memories. The Oracle had worked on me. A touch from her was stronger than his memory erasure. 

I saw his hand and the end of the straight, black, suit sleeve. How much I want to grasp it. But I must control myself.

When he brought me here he was the one believing that I was the one for him. I was the disbelieving one. Now, I was the one believing in my mission of protecting him, yet he became disbelieving because of my lies. I still believed I was doing right. However, the past, the present, the future,  together with our believing, disbelieving had complicated everything so much. I wished we were both believing or disbelieving. Yet, both believing he would know about my sacrifice. Both disbelieving we would never meet and I couldn’t afford that. 

But did all those matter? No. 

For some reason, maybe that touch of the Oracle? I knew we would meet again even after this time, after my sacrifice to protect him. Because I had believed that I loved him.