Sea Lion's Den

It was a family video.

The father the one recording.

The family of five were walking on a trail and ended up at the edge of a cliff. The father was carrying the youngest son in a basket.

They were all happy and joyful on their family holiday.

The father accidentally dropped the basket into the water.

The basket floated right up. Every one let out a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, for some reason a lion appeared out of the waters. But missed the basket. Another sigh of relief.

Suddenly, 2 lions came, 3, 4, 5... The lions started fighting and they were gigantic!

Miraculously the baby survived and was sound asleep.

The Lift

A day earlier they met the "child". My parents drove him to his destination as he needed a lift. But something happened once they arrived that made them want to find him again.

***

The next night, they repeated the whole thing again, only difference was, I came along.

They went to the old repair shop, as they did the previous day. Went in the shop and spent a few minutes there before exiting.

As expected, the child was there. Waiting.

He was in a old American cab. Without even asking they went into the car and drove. My dad in the front with the child, my mum and I in the back seat.

We shot past his destination spot as we wanted to be in a crowd when the child did his vanishing of some sort. So we headed to a mall. Where there were lots and lots of people. The child was rather upset.

For some reason, he changed his form, into my cousin. We spent they day that way. Mum, dad, me and my cousin. It was actually fun. My "cousin" was well behaved and seemed to enjoy herself.

Eventually she became cranky, and started morphing into other things. A small child, and old lady. It then made a scene by throwing a tantrum in front of a crowd. We decided to head somewhere else. So we entered the lift.

We pressed the button to where our car was parked.

Down the lift went. Down, down, down, down, down, down...

It didn't ever stop. It kept going. Floors and floors. We were the ones being tricked.

The child smiled at us. We then stopped.

When the door opened we were in a meadow or dessert. It was somewhere bright. Outdoors.

There was like a tent in the meadow that led to an exhibition that led to an escalator that led to a mall.

The we ended up in The Pallasades. My sisters and I were suddenly doing what we did best, shopping in Forever 21.

The Plague

A holiday gone wrong.

For some reason, it is so freaking difficult to run from something you can't see. Well, obviously.

On the streets of Jakarta, everyone suddenly panicked. The decease had spread to the town I was visiting.

I had to cross highways by foot, forest in the dark and waters in the cold nights.

No one helped each other. Only themselves.

Minotaur

He was in the forest. He knew he was morphing.

Running. Running. Panting.

He needed to get away from other life forms. The villagers. His loved ones. All of it.

He headed for a ditch. This is where he placed his chains and bounds to contain him. Prevent him from attacking and harming others once he changed into the monster everyone feared.

He was too late.

He totally transformed before he could chain himself. He was now the Minotaur.

The beast was free to roam about now. He had no control over his other form. In fact after he turns back into a man, he never has any recollection of what had happen when he was a Minotaur. He only has the after taste of guilt and shame when he finds out he had hurt and harm innocent lives.

***

The beast was running. Fast.

It barely took breaths in between large gallops. It was going too fast it did not notice it was falling.

Falling into the waters of a waterfall.

Splash!

The Minotaur opened its eyes. Fear stuck.

It saw stones of Minotaurs surrounding him. They weren't arranged. They were scattered all over the shallow waters. It panicked. It's eyes saw the angry stones. It's ears could hear the loud thuds of the waterfalls.

Then a gentle yet firm tap was felt on it's shoulder. He turned and saw a creature just a frightening and beastly as itself. Only larger. It was another minotaur. Only it was two times bigger. It seemed stronger and scarier. But there was something about its eyes that were kind and trustworthy.

"I am the gate keeper, of the Netherworld. Behind these waterfalls is where you will find peace. You need to let go of all your anger and join your brothers in a world were it is safe for you, and for the those around you," said the abnormally large minotaur.

He explained that in order to be free from the curse he had to leave this world. It is for the better of everyone. His soul would be free. His body however will remain a minotaur made of stone and frozen in time. However, before leaving this world he had to show himself in his beast form in front of villagers as a peace offering. The villagers must not fear him. If they were to fight him, he must not fight back. He was be limp and calm.

He agreed.

***

The first born was the one who opened the door to be struck by the shock of her life. Turning her face pale and a streak of her hair gray.

The minotaur was in front of her door step.

It looked like it was ready to charged.

She shouted to alarm everyone about the danger that came. The whole house went chaotic. They ran as fast as they could and tried to distract the minotaur at the same time.

For some reason, the eldest child realized it was all in her head. She willed the minotaur to weaken, and just like that, it disappeared.

Sophie's

Sophie had chosen Stewart instead of Zach.

Stewart was smart and kind. He had a future, and was studying to become a doctor.

Zach was, and always will be just her best friend.

***

Five years later, Sophie was married to Stewart, they had a house in the country side, and Zach remained faithful to Sophie. He worked in their house as a house keeper, maintaining the house, and keeping Sophie company while Stewart was at work.

Stewart was very ambitious. Living in the quite country side and working in a hospital that was generally not very busy was not enough got him. He wanted something more, he wanted to contribute his knowledge and help more people. He was unsatisfied. So, during weekdays, he would be in the city, working. He will return to his Sophie every weekend.

Naturally, Sophie felt lonely. She was hoping after two years of marriage she and Stewart would try for a family, instead he was too busy building his career.

***

"I've been offered a better job in the city. I know you'd prefer living here, so we'd still have the same routine. I'll be back every weekend. Should be fine right?". He casually announced his promotion to Sophie while painting on his canvas.

"I'm unhappy Stewart." She storms off, and he follows her. Sophie walks into the room and slams the door at her husband who was right behind her. She slammed the door so hard, he had a mini heart attack and he lost control of his hand and dropped the pallet on his face. Paint was all over him and he lay down on the floor feeling depressed.

Zach was obviously not very far away. He was always near by, as he practically lived in their house. He was baking and had a box of flour in his hand. He took the opportunity to humiliate Stewart even more by pouring the flour on Stewart's face.

Stewart didn't flinch. He was used to the fact that Zach was jealous of him and that he was obsessed with Sophie. He understood him. After all, he did know Sophie before Stewart did, and who wouldn't fall for her. She was perfect.

Stewart could tell Zach was overjoyed that he and Sophie had an argument.

Sophie however was clueless on her effect on men.

There was a knock on the door. Then the door bell rang. Stewart sprang to his feet and tripped. He fell and was tangled up in tissue roll for some reason.

When he answered the door he did not look quite like his usual presentable self. He had paint, tissue and flour all over his face and white T.

"Are you Mr. Zoey" said the man at the door.

"Yes?"

"I was hoping you'd say no, however I am not discouraged. I am Mr McGee from the new medical centre in town, about 10 miles from here. I'm here to offer you a position as one of our medical researchers. We offer a decent salary and you'd be close to home. Here is my card, and once you are all cleaned up, please do not hesitate to contact me"

***

"Sophieeeee! Great news!"

I wonder what is to be become of Zach..

Sounds familiar right?

Motion was they key to it all.

For some reason that day we decided we wanted to shop some where different, yet familiar. A place we visited not long ago. But getting there was a problem. It took at least 16 hours by plane.

So we held hands and to form a human circle. Closed our eyes, begun spinning and pictured our destination. It was as simple as that. I could feel my legs floating. It was unreal.

When we opened our eyes, we were some where new. But it wasn't were we wanted to be. Our concentration must have been disrupted during the process.

I grabbed their hands and began running, closed my eyes and pictured a beach. And there we were, in a beach.

Then a lift.

Then plane.

Flashes of different locations. Different memories.

I closed my eyes again and pictured a train station.

It was an isolated station, in Japan. It was an old fashioned station, small and in the middle of a vast forest. The next train was coming, and it might take us to our destination, USA.

As the train approached, they rushed into the train, leaving their belongings. I tried to call out, and remind them of what was left behind. Since I was ignored, I gathered the items myself. The train left. Left me.

I could have just pictured the destination myself. Surely I could move myself there easily, since it was me alone. But why would I risk it. I might as well wait for the next train, which will arrive in 43 minutes, or wait for them to notice I was missing, and come back from me.

So I waited. Alone, I think.

Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride

We took a cab to the island of Hawaii. We stayed in this really really tall hotel. Like 50 stories high, and we stayed on the top floor. I was really freaked cause the hotel had a balcony, and the fence surrounding the balcony was only like 1 meter high. So any one could have fallen anytime.

So then it rained, really heavily. It rained and rained and rained, till the island was flooded. The water almost drowned the whole hotel building, but the top floor (The one we were on). So we were safe, for some reason.

Then we turned into mermaids and got in the water.

It was freshwater, and not seawater. We were seawater mermaids. So I was kinda worried we'd have some sort of allergy to the water or something, but we didn't. So that was good.

We bumped into other mermaids. Freshwater mermaids. They weren't to happy to see us. They were kinda scary too. Like 3 times bigger than us and were made of seaweed. Well it looked like they were made of seaweed, cause they were a chlorine greenish colour and wiggly. I mean, they were not that scary, but they were BIG.

They thought we were trying to attack them, cause they seemed kinda dumb. Like neanderthal-ish.

But we managed to save ourselves, cause they were too dumb anyway.

A Pale Whale before it Hales

I came from a family of superheroes! Except for mum, my two siblings and I got the abilities from dad.

It was one the best family vacations ever. The five of us were on a beautiful island. Great food, friendly people and awesome weather. But we soon realised all this changed quickly.

As my my sister and I were walking to the chalet that night, we noticed the sky turning darker. How can the sky turn darker at night? It just did for some reason. And thats when we saw it. Although we could only see the silhouette. It was huge. It was a whale, and it was blocking the moon.

We quickly met up with the others and devised a plan to remove the whale who was out of place. Mum was of course againts all of it.

"Its going to rain," she said. "Its not safe. There might be thunder. We should all go inside and wait for everything to cool down. I'm sure it will all be fine."

She was just being a mum.

***

And being a mum, she was right. Obviously. It did start thundering. It was pretty bad. But the four of us were already in action. We all had the same abilities and worked as a team.

***

The next day, Mum bought us wraps. It was very good. We were all very happy.

Cranium.

The crowd was massive. They came to see the house. It was even more beautiful up close. Everyone had been talking about the house that was up for sale. The owners decided they didn't need such a large house anymore, since their children have homes of their own and the couple simply didn't need the extra space.

It was an auction.

They were all trying to get on the good side of Mr and Mrs Hector.

It was getting late, and it was time for everyone to leave, so they could decide who they will sell their house to. The crowd was too overwhelming and could not be controlled.

For some reason, as the real estate agent, she felt responsible towards the chaos. She used her mind to control everyone else's, guiding them to form orderly lines and leave in a calm manner.

She opened the all the doors, just from where she was standing, with her mind as well.

She knew she could do it, she just didn't know she was that strong.

She shared the news with her parents. Her father said she was only allowed to move each item only once from their original position. He thought the gift was not something to pride and should be ignored. She was slightly annoyed that she had to suppress herself like that.

Her mother however was thrilled. She told her to help others in need form afar.

***

They went to the forest. Just the two of them. It was hunting season. Her mother told her to help the animals who lost their mothers to the bullet. Fawns, leverets and lambs (I know lambs are not found in forests, but it was there for some reason).

She saved them from drowning, and gave them food to eat. Her mother was proud.

Forever

They were so in love!

Ever since they first laid eyes on each other, they have never spent a moment apart. They were prefect for one another, and as long as they were together, nothing could go wrong.

Rhea and Cronos both lived, loved and shared everything. Their joy, their sorrow. Laughter and pain.

Cronos was the keeper of the forest. God of the Forests, and Rhea was his companion, Goddess of Earth. They ensured the forest they lived in was always lush and beautiful with greenery, plants and fruits for all.

After several months, the Gods started to complain, "How can you be so biased! Other parts of the earth need fertile soil and plants as well!"

Balance had to be restored.

It was not allowed for two gods, to be taking charge of one place. Cronos was asked to leave the forest and leave his Rhea. Rhea wanted to follow him, but that was not allowed. They had to be separated.

On the night he was set to leave, Rhea begged him to stay. He spent on more night with her. This was a grave mistake, and it angered the Gods.

A curse was sentenced to the both of them.

Swallowed by the soil, and roots chained them. Leaves covered their skin, and they were not able to move. They were now part of a tree. Together, bounded as one.

However, this is exactly what they wanted. To be together. To be one. Forever.

For some reason, the Gods had made a mistake, it was not a punishment, it was a reward! Maybe it was because they were consumed be jealousy. Everyone envied Rhea and Cronos' love affair.

Their tree is now always green. Through the Spring, Fall and even Winter. Different flowers bloom every season. It was truly amazing.

I'm Not on Drugs

It was weird how everything could change in such a short time span.

After the movie, she walked along the empty streets. It was a straight road, with shops parallel to the road on each side. A few shops were open and the sun was bright. She then saw a few men. Dressed in gaudy expensive suits. Shades of purple, red and sea green.

They were looking for a bank.

She told them, the ones here only provide basic services. They ignored her and continued walking in the opposite direction. The men were angry and impatient.

She felt uneasy and went in the nearest convenient store and waited.

Several minutes later, there were gun shots. Blood was on the streets.

For some reason, she knew something like this was about to happen. Those men were drug dealers. She knew that too. The police were the ones who came shooting them.

The trees started to fall on the roads. The buildings crumbled. She was safe in the store. Watching. As everything around here collapse. Panic was in the air.

She stared to cry.

The shopkeeper questioned her presence, and accused her of being involved with the drug dealers. She didn't know what to say, as the accusation was a shock to her.

He had a granddaughter, who was about the same age as her. His granddaughter had sad and forgiving eyes and said "Solve this Math question and if you succeed, it means you are not high on drugs and you are innocent."

She handed her a book. Questions on probability. She managed to solve the questions and was allowed to take shelter in the store.

The shopkeeper was still grumpy and unhappy, but she was thankful. She could at least clear her mind, and try to figure things out.

She looked at her feet, and said, "My dad gave me these sandals, about a month ago. My biggest concern was the size. They're too big, see. Now I look back and think, how petty my worries were."

Wires

So she was involved in it, all of a sudden. They included her to obtain her signature to allow the plan to go through.

Two teams. Good and bad.

Although I knew he was not on my side, against me in fact, I could not help my feelings towards him, and I knew he felt the same way. He had both charm and charisma. It was torture to resist the fact I was falling for him.

The plan was to bring me to their head quarters, a big and modern office building, and coax me into signing those papers. He was being confident and of course intimidating as he lead the way to top floor.

As he pushed through the glass door, he held my hand. I could almost see him blush. My heart skipped a beat.

I sat down, and they handed me a stack of documents. His hand was still on mine. Then I noticed key cards, hanging on his waist. I slowly slid my hand and took them. He didn't notice of course. But secretly, I think he did. He wanted me to have the keys, he wanted to do me a favor.

I was on the next train. I had to diffuse it before it was too late. Using the key card in hand, I rushed to the top of the clock tower. The bomb was set to explode in an hour, so it was not one of those moments of suspense or anything. I had plenty of time.

Success.

Then I was on my way. I had a family dinner that night. My grandfather congratulated me. He was pleased. Indeed he was.

Then I saw him. Standing across the room, for some reason. Was he waiting for me?

He was smiling, and that made me smile. He had an amazing smile. Absolutely drop dead gorgeous. He asked "Did it work?"

That Girl

For some reason I was in college. I've been in college for about 3 or 4 months. And the term had already ended, so I was heading back to KL.

I had made a few new friends. I was talking to a group of them. We were all joking and laughing, and everything seemed fine. Suddenly something felt like it was out of place. One of my new friends, who was actually quite funny and was cracking jokes, suddenly fell silent and left the group.

He walked away towards his dorm. Silent and expressionless. I asked the others why. I asked if he was not feeling well or something. The others told me he was always like that. One moment high, then later low. They told me not to think too much about it.

But I did.

So I went to his room to check on him. I knocked, but there was no response. I went into the room an saw him. He was just standing there. Still not speaking or changing his still expression. His room was empty of course, since everyone was heading home for term break.

Then I noticed a little girl in the room. She had really long black hair, pale white skin and eyes like a cat (Typical features of a ghost, except for the eyes part). I was kinda freaked out. So I asked him who she was, no response.

Then she touched me. Just one light touch on my arm.

***

In KL, I was with my sister. We were all alone at home. My little sister, me and the girl. She doesn't say much, but we know what she wants. She doesn't have to say it. We just can feel it somehow.

Usually she wants food. So my sister (who was also touched) had to follow her every demand as well. We were both frightened of her. We felt tired as her presence drained our energy to allow her to survive.

My aunt came over one night. She saw the girl with us and dragged her downstairs.

"Don't touch her! She's dangerous!"

She didn't seem to have much effect on my aunt. I guess she only harms children.

Moments later, my sister and I headed downstairs. We saw a whole pile of those girls on our dining room table. My grandfather had killed them all! Hooray!

The girl makes duplicates of herself after touching a person. She does it to drain their youth and energy to allow her to survive. But thanks to my grandfather, she's dead!

My mum came home. Where was she this whole time?! My sister and I were both a bit annoyed as we were in so much fear and she was not there. We told her what had happened, and she said "Oh, THAT GIRL? I thought she was our pet. I'll always feed her when she gets whinny".

*Slaps forehead*

Ryu

There were many things I was unsure of. But one thing was certain, Upsetting her was not a good idea.

Ryu was 15. She lived with her parents and had friends who she would spend most of her time with.

She had a dream. To fly away form the town she was living in and make her parents proud. She wanted to fly planes. Or at least be in one. Working. Part of the crew. It gave her excitement to imagine one day she will part of the skies.

She would proudly tell her friends about her ambitions, and they would listen in awe. Ryu and her fiends would spend nights out together, sometimes past their curfew. This would worry their parents and naturally they would report their child's absence to the police.

Ryu and her friends agreed that if they ever see lights of hear sirens they would separate, and run as if their lives depended on it. Save yourself.

True enough, one night, lights appeared. Ryu ran towards the forest and didn't stop. She kept running and running. She must have fallen asleep there in the forest as she woke up among the leaves and grass.

Ryu headed back to her town. She was lost. She couldn't find it. It was gone. Ryu searched but failed. All that was left was just gravel and soil.

It was a bomb. Voices echoed in her head. No one survived. I'm so sorry.

Ryu is now all grown up. With an ambition to become a pilot. She lives with her aunt.

For some reason in her mind, she is still 15 and will forever be. Her parents are still by her side. Her friends, still carefree and there to play with her.

Her aunt told me this, while I stared at Ryu.

It was too weird for me to handle. So I ditched them.

Sambalina

One day, I was in the school canteen with my sisters and cousins. We were chit chatting waiting for our food to be ready.

Then my Aunt came in sight. She brought a plate of Nasi Lemak and said "Keep an eye on Harez okay, while I get drinks". Yes, baby Harez was kept in a plate of Nasi Lemak and for some reason he was about the size of my pointer. Didn't ask or argue about it though. He was sleeping in the rice. So comfy and warm.

Our biggest concern was to keep Harez away from the sambal. You see, he was not ready to taste the spicy sambal.

Harez was asleep, so we continued our conversation. Come on, a finger size baby couldn't get into that much trouble, right?

We were WRONG!

When we checked the plate, Harez was gone!

We started freaking out as it was very difficult to find him. He was so tiny. After moments of panic we spotted that little munchkin. He was not far from the table we were sitting on.

He was covered in anchovies but he was fine. We let out a sigh of relief. Harez was giggling and smiling as usual.

However, the food we ordered sure is taking a long time. Hmm.