'Good' Morning

"Not again!" I said, screaming in my head as I stared aimlessly at the ceiling fan.

My eyes were red, with black circles around them. It happens on rare occasions; when I don't get enough sleep but lately, it has become a usual occurrence.

I mumbled as I slowly got up from the bed, heading towards the bathroom in my room. It was dark outside and I hadn't gotten enough sleep - something I expected. I staggered to the lights first and switched them on before proceeding to the bathroom.

There was a mirror, my favourite and only one. It gave me motivation just like other bathroom mirrors in the early hours, reflecting a beautiful face which I knew was definitely not mine.

I turned on the tap and sprinkled a bit of water on my face in a bid to clear my vision.

"Ahh! That's too much," I said accidentally spilling a whole ocean on my tender eyes.

It was probably because I was distracted by my parents' arguments and couldn't help but try to make sense out of their words.

I grabbed the towel, beside me and roughly wiped my face as I came out of the bathroom; the only place I find solace in the house.

"Good morning." I greeted, slowly coming out of my room. It didn't seem like anyone heard me amidst the arguments so I raised my voice a bit.

Again, no one responded except my little sister Mia, a six-year-old embodiment of happiness. I smiled as I leaned towards her.

"Good morning brother" she responded in her low voice. I patted her head and walked my way to the kitchen.

I grabbed some snacks and went back to my room where I freshened up. I always had the weirdest thoughts while I showered, thinking of walking around naked on the streets.

"Oh another intrusive thought" I let out a devious smile as I opened the door about to actualize my thought only to get disrupted by a sudden slam of a door.

"Good morning son" my mom, a very kind woman spoke. I could here her fatigue in her voice.

I quickly closed the bathroom door, my face turning slightly red. I felt embarrassed and I could feel the emotion welling up. Immediately, I snapped with disregard to my mom's strenuous acts of trying to liberate me from my dad's awful ideologies.

"How would you consider this a 'good' morning when you shout all the time?" I could here my voice switch tones three different times as I spoke.

"Puberty hits hard, doesn't it son?" She replied.

I smiled as I continued my shower remembering how helpful my mom always has been. Soon after, I heard the door close and just then, I dried myself and came out of the bathroom.

I picked up some clothes from my wardrobe, wore them and began devouring the poor snacks. With every bite I took, it was as though the cries of the snacks echoed in my ear.

I let out a big grin, satisfied with myself as I dumped the snack wrappers fashionably beside the trash rather than directly in it.

I looked at my phone, as I expected a message from a friend. We had planned a meeting today but it was unlike him not to message me in time. But my questions were soon answered.

My eyes slowly shifted to the time and it had just struck 4:00 am.

"I guess I have to go to bed now," I thought slowly mumbling my way back to my bed.

"I got all excited for nothing. This house is a mess, I can't believe it's this early" I was extremely disheartened as I sadly talked myself to bed.

6 Hours Later...

I felt a gentle breeze caressing my arms as my hairs danced to its tunes. My eyelids slowly opened and I found myself engulfed in darkness.

I thought it was just a dream, and blinked a couple of times just to try and regain consciousness but I was wrong. I tried lifting my arms, and to me they felt equivalent to the mass of the Earth, which is an unbelievable amount.

In other words, I couldn't lift it more than half a millimeter upwards but I felt my arms touch my eyes. My sight wasn't in harmony with what I felt, arousing confusion in my mind.

"Wait, is this... sleep paralysis" I said, gripped in fear as I trembled in my oversized clothing; a trend at the time.

It was a good thought, explaining the unusual weight of my arms and the darkness but something didn't sit right with me. There weren't any demons or ghosts and my legs could move just fine.

I lifted my feet and started moving. I could feel myself rise from the bed, and the gentle breezes pass scratch my exposed legs as I continued moving.

Suddenly, I felt a ceramic vase slightly make contact with my legs. Before I could stop my self from moving further, the vase had already succumbed to the force imposed by my feet.

"Ahh! Isn't that my flower vase? But that can't be, this should be a dream."

I started questioning myself, immensely desperate to find an answer. Then, I heard the sound of a door opening. It sounded just like the door to my room and I could feel the rush of air too.

"Who's that?" I screamed, thinking that the darkness would disrupt my voice from being heard.

I looked towards the door and I saw a woman whose face and body was blurred. I couldn't make much sense out of the situation, so I walked towards her until I heard muffled sounds that was synchronized with her lips.

"Wait, is she talking? Is that an ancient language or something?"

For a second, I thought I was in a novel about to gain powers but deep down I knew this would only be a curse. As soon as the thought fled my mind, there was a sudden rush of light and I heard someone talk in a loud voice.

"Levi! Can't you hear me? What was that sound just now and what are you doing staring at nothing this early in the morning?" My mother spoke.

I was confused, and answered my mother with a confident answer accompanied with a smile.

"Oh mom, I was just dancing to some music and I accidentally kicked the vase. I was standing out of shock," I responded, immediately realizing the flaws in my lie.

"But how were you listening to the music? You don't seem to be wearing any headphones," she replied as she slowly advanced into the room, eager to find out the truth.

"I kept them as soon as I broke the pot so that you wouldn't find out I was being careless again."

I stopped her motion into the room, and assured her that all was well. I picked up the pieces of the ceramic that was left as my mom reluctantly closed the door.

Filled with fear, I put on the lights so that I wouldn't experience that phenomenon as I went back to bed, staring at the ceiling in confusion, thinking on what had just happened.