The Stricken Corridor

Fall tumbles relentlessly on our door steps young winter birds inducing provoking sounds scamper in trees Watching winter crawling slowly under our feet. The night rain wet the ground with sadness washing away the environmental stench purging the atmosphere of its infectious dew And I could absorb fresh air in my lungs again. I fell into a deep sleep shortly after nine but woke up by my next door neighbor bustling activities. Nice showers clean fresh air is the perfect night to be drenched with sleep but instead I was on my knees. An unknown burden overshadowed me, disturbing my spirit raising my curiosity, causing me to ponder over unknown mysteries unexplainable matters that doesn't concern me, yet they troubled me. I soaked myself in prayer seeking for a plausible answer And after praying I fell asleep again; a sleep that I thought would be peaceful but here I am again on an unannounced journey to the Far East. I mysteriously found myself on a university campus in the Far East, no paint, no color, everywhere was deserted, no one was around except for dry leaves spreading out on the troubled ground and dull trees astoundingly lingering in the autumn breeze. I walked propitiously through the front door along a bare corridor in search of a toilet to ease my body pressure. A desolated corridor whose hope seemed to be diminished with the passing of time a million feet must have trodden upon it, feet in search of freedom , feet looking for peace, proud feet, dirty feet, bloody feet, stubborn feet. Feet looking for revenge and feet marching to the destiny of doom. I moved anxiously from door to door but every door that I opened I saw Asian toilet embedded deeply in the ground and clean water flooding all around. I opened another door and found a western bath filled with clean water I kept walking along the corridor but all the Asian toilets were flood with water. At the end of the corridor I found one that was completely dry but there was no toilet inside except for PVC pipe fittings planted firmly in the ground. I tread along the opposite side of the hallway still searching for a toilet but only rooms whose doors were removed and leaning helplessly in front of them occupy the other side of the stricken corridor. I anxiously left the building and a slim young man in his early twenties wearing shaded glasses ran behind a reception area outside the campus ground and pretended as if he was at work, but that was only a deception. As I walked passed him he tried to reached out to me He complained about someone who has treated him badly and pointed to a friend who was instrumental in turning his life around. A sizable crowd gather around him as he illustrates his painful story. He and his friend took me to the other side of the campus where a larger crowd of young people had gathered for a wedding some were sitting under large beach umbrellas While others congregate in groups all over the campus grounds. I walked upon a platform where the wedding ceremony was about to take place but daylight suddenly exploded in my face. ©2014 Christine Phillips