The heart: a machine of wonder and awe. For centuries it
was shrouded in mystery by the unknown. Primitive men attempted to fill that
obscurity with superstitions—some still endure up to this day. It has been
widely associated with love—with passion. But what it really is—is an organic
engine that keeps us alive. Each pulse it creates makes one stronger. And each
accidental or deliberate attempt to corrupt it makes one weaker. It has already
started beating since long before a person is born. It does not stop, it does
not rest—it just continues to beat on until the last moment of life.
Amidst the void,
there was a sound so familiar—it was his heart. It was all he heard and felt in
the darkness. He remembered his childhood days, the days when he would borrow
his mother’s stethoscope and listen to the rhythmic beating of his own heart. In
a blinking instant, that scene of his memory paused and then suddenly he was a
bit older. He was watching videos of the beating heart. He observed every
detailed movement in each throb and every pause in-between. He read books and
virtually knew everything that needed to be known about the heart. He
remembered that it was the very reason why he wanted to practice medicine.
Slowly, the world
came back, as if the darkness gradually dissolved and revealed the light. He
cautiously opened his eyes and found himself still in his defensive posture. He
lowered his arms and saw the vehicle just inches away from him. He was
baffled—he was certain that it would hit him, but it didn’t. The driver was
wide-eyed while holding the steering wheel. He turned his head to the sidewalk
and saw Ava supported by her friends wearing a stunned look as her eyes gazed
right at his.
He gathered
himself and ran away from all the attention. He didn’t bother to wait for Henry
anymore. He went on rushing to his house which was roughly over a quarter of a
kilometer away. Confused and left in disbelief, he wondered how it could have
happened. Impossible, he thought. It
was what he wished for, but it did not leave him jumping in joy, but instead,
it left him with more unanswered questions than ever before.
The next day,
everybody has already heard about Ian’s heroics, but he didn’t go to school. Ava
felt disappointed because she was planning on thanking him for what he had
done. And besides that, she wanted to tell him something—something that he
never would have expected.
Again, the next
day, Ian still didn’t show up. Ava grew more concerned about him. She was
worried that he might still be traumatized by the whole experience. She felt
that she had to talk to him, to help him clear his head.
Before their
classes started, Ava approached Henry. He was busy writing something when he
noticed her. He moved his head and saw her face.
“Hey, Henry!” she
greeted. He felt surprised, it was very rare for Ava to just come up to him and
say hello.
“Hey!” he said
grinning.
“You and Ian are
close friends right?” she asked.
“Pretty much,
yeah.” he said. As much as he wanted to look at parts of her other than her
face, he just couldn’t. It seemed like she was emanating an aura that disabled
his dirty mind. “Why’d you ask?” he continued.
“I was wondering
if you could take me to his house you see. I just wanted to thank him for what
he’s done.”
“Sure, but he’s
been a bit over the edge lately and I don’t think talking to him would be a
good idea.” he warned.
She smiled and
reassured him “Don’t worry; I’ll do my best not to make things worse.”
“Alright.” he then
continued to go about his business.
Ian grew desperate.
He literally had his eyes just inches from the computer’s monitor trying to
find a solution for his problem. But he didn’t actually know what the problem was;
he just knew that something was wrong. But
what?—he asked himself. He then realized that nothing was actually wrong,
he just felt as if there was.
He was not sure,
but part of him told himself that he was the one who stopped the vehicle,
saving his life. But he refused to accept the idea; it was just too—fantastic.
The doorbell rang
twice. He halted his search for answers and checked to see who it was. He peeked
at the window and saw Henry waving goodbye to Ava and left her at the gates.
He was surprised,
he never saw this coming. To actually see Ava waiting outside of the house was not
something that he could imagine happening, not even in his dreams. But he
realized that he was too tired to be too shocked. He had been in front of the
computer for hours already and hasn’t slept for two nights.
He assumed that
she was just there to thank him and would be on her way after that. So he
thought that it would just take a minute. He asked the maid to open the gates
and let her in.
Finally they
arrived at the door. When the maid opened it, Ava saw Ian standing inside. He
looked eager; he looked as if he still had something to do. And it was exactly
what he felt. Ava’s beauty didn’t distract him this time; he didn’t even notice
that her hair was fixed in a bun. He just wanted to sit back in front of the
computer and continue what he was doing.
“Hi.” she said
hesitantly.
“Hey.” he responded
hastily.
Ava took a few
steps forward inside and paused. The maid moved towards Ian and said, “I’ll
just be upstairs cleaning your mother and father’s room, okay?”
“Okay.” he answered.
After the maid
left there was an atmosphere of awkward solitude inside the house. For the
first time, Ava was the one who seemed shy.
“Listen,” she
broke the silence, “I just wanted to thank y--”
“Don’t mention
it.” he broke her off before she could finish expressing her gratitude.
“How’ve you been
doing?” she asked.
“I’m okay.”
“Are you sure?”
she questioned with a worried voice, “You haven’t been to school for two days.”
He turned away,
heading for the computer and said, “I’ve been busy.”
She followed him,
“Maybe I can help.”
He sat down in
front of the computer and rejected her offer, “I don’t think so. But thanks
anyway.” then typed something on the keyboard.
“But I can.” she
said with a smirk.
“Really?” he said
with a sarcastic voice, “What makes you think you can help me?” he turned his
head to her.
She leaned forward
to his ear and whispered, “I know what you are.”
The Mover Episodes
Episode IV
>>PROPERTY OF JUSTIN CAÑARES, PLEASE DO NOT COPY WITHOUT PERMISSION.<<
NOTE:
ReplyDeleteMay 03, 2012--THURSDAY--12:37 AM
Made changes to the third paragraph in Episode I after numerous accounts of it's incomprehensibility.
12:37 PM*
Delete