Zlane was a peaceful planet on the far side of the Quinx zone C. Its red sun peeked through the clouds, and its sunrays beautifully touched everything that inhabited Zlane. The seawater was tossed back and forth on the sandy beaches, and the trees swayed in harmony, as if the wind were a conductor of God's beautiful creation. The one place you would want to be, on a planet that offered no troubles, no earthquakes or volcanic activities, no tornadoes or tsunamis, only many rich natural resources like gold and diamonds in excess, and a very rich and cultivated land, whose produce knew no bounds. No time or season. Zlane the small, Zlane the patient, Zlane the welcoming, Zlane the rich to the poor, so many multiversal names have been given to the land of dreams to express its nature.
"I hate this place". Derek, the 25-year-old man, sat on the bench on the sidewalk. The sky grew into a dusty pink colour as the sun set deeper and deeper, but instead of admiring the beautiful view in front of him, Derek stared at his feet, depression written all over his face.
"Of all places in all the galaxies, I end up here. This cursed world, this hell". He says inwardly as he looks up to the sun.
"Sun, where are you going? You must be at peace high up there, right? With nothing to worry about and no cares whatsoever. Hey, don't go. Take me with you".
He slowly dropped his hand down to his thighs and squeezed hard.
"Technically...it's not going anywhere".
Derek startledly looks over his shoulder. He finds this blond lady standing behind the bench, staring at the sunset with him. "We're actually the ones rotating away, the suns just there making sure we don't fly out of orbit and, you know...die". She said.
Derek turns away, a bit upset, obviously he's upset, and her unsympathetic nature isn't helping his case, and she knows it. "Leave me with your science lady, I'm not in the mood for that, I'm sorry". Derek said quietly, holding back his emotions.
"What was that? Sorry, I didn't hear you, you were mumbling just now".
"It's fine, just leave it be". Derek wasn't willing to converse with her.
"...Leave what exactly? I don't understand". She said, genuinely confused.
"Woman, please". Derek stares at her angrily. She doesn't look moved at all. Derek turns back to face the sun.
Derek planned on watching the sunset peacefully this evening, before he had to face reality at night; perhaps this moment of peace was going to be his last. It was supposed to be his moment of peace at least.
"Um...Um..you don't happen to have a pickle on you, or something to eat at least do you"?
Derek turned to her slowly, "...No, no, I don't have anything to eat".
"Oh, my bad, who would have thought watching the sunset would be so starving?" She said.
Derek turned away slowly, not saying a word back, hopefully his lack of response would keep her quie--
"Should have brought a pickle. Sandwich, anything". She said to herself. Derek stared at her from the corner of his eyes, but he was going to let it slide; perhaps not saying anything would keep her quie--
"Pickle sandwich, hmm, that sounds good, when last did I have one of those"?
Derek took a deep breath in and pushed out all the negativity with a deep breath out. He wanted to find himself in the right mental state to face what was coming, perhaps he could find some sanity in the quie--
"I wonder why I can't still make a pickle sandwich, it's literally just a pickle and a sandwich together, where's the--".
"Please!, Derek yells a bit. "Please, let me have my moment, just pretend like I'm not even here, take your thoughts to that side of the bench away from me, while I stay with mine, okay, please".
Derek sighs deeply. He's not usually harsh or direct with his words; the tension in him is just too much for him to bear.
"I'm sorry, okay, I didn't mean to be rude", he said to her. "I...I've been caught up in something I don't know how to get myself out of. I've known them all my life, and I have called them friends even when all they did to me was hurt me and humiliate me. I was stuck in my medical bills, so in desperation, I turned to them. They treated me nicely and handed it to me, but now, they're asking for an interest in the money I borrowed; the money that I don't even have in the first place, s pardon me if I sound cranky, I don't know what I'm going to do if I--"
Derek was already tearing up when he turned to look up at her face. She stared at him with wide eyes, stunned, confused, completely lost.
"Um..I...um, was that...were you talking to me, cause I...I thought I was supposed to pretend you weren't here". They stare at each other in silence. "Can you repeat that? I didn't catch that". She asked.
Derek slowly turned away, "It's fine". He said.
They both stare at the sun in silence until it sets completely and the sky begins to darken.
"The sun can't take away anything. I ran after the sun once, nothing changed". She said as she began walking away. "Sometimes, it's better to just face your problems and finish them there, rather than to run away".
Derek turns around and watches her walk away.
"Nice watching the sun go without us, dude". She said, waving him goodbye without turning around. Derek sits back.
"What does she know"? He asks himself. "Ever since I was young, from one city to another, my bullies never left me alone. Somehow, we ended up in the same school, living in the same environment, and they toyed with me. I thought by now adulthood would have grown on them, but now I live the life of a slave. I need to get out of here. If I ride to the sun, away from here, maybe...just maybe...they'll finally leave me alone".
Derek's chest pocket begins to ring. He puts his hands in and brings out a small square pod with a small rectangular screen on it. The screen read 6:30 pm.
"I'm supposed to meet them here. To give them their payment. What was I thinking, borrowing money from them? Now what do I have to offer them? If I walk home on my two feet after tonight, then they will have had mercy on me". Derek said.
He begins crying to himself. He tries to suck up his tears to the best of his capabilities, but it is all futile. He looks to his left and to his right, no vehicle in sight. "All I can do now is wait...for my inevitable beating". He groans and whines on the bench.
Then, the sun began to rise again, the wind blew the other way, and the trees swayed backwards. It almost looked like time was reversing, and Derek didn't notice until the sunlight hit his eyes. Shocked, he looks around, wondering what was going on.
"What the, what's going on? How is this happening"?
He looks around. An alien girl walks along with her basket in front of him.
"Wait, was I here all night? I can't believe it". He stands up and stretches, looking everywhere. The only thing in sight is the peaceful scenery in front of him; he survived to live another day without any bruises. He pulls out the pod from his chest pocket, 6:33 am.
"I survived".
He wasn't sure of what was going on, but he slipped his hands into his pockets and walked home cautiously.