[lamchopz]

Chapter 5: Revelation

The night fell deeply into silence; yet, our bodies remained, not knowing the chill, or the coldness it brought.
Well, that was what I really wanted to say anyway…

“Don’t you think it’s a bit cold out here?” I enquired, scouring for a “yes” in his worn eyes.

“You may leave, if you wish”, his eyes still locked on the glistening moon.

“I never intended to abandon you”, I padded his back, and stood up.

“A little stretching might do magic for now”, my arms and legs were constantly in motion.

The man left his seat, and rose tall, for the first time. Merriness somehow blazed in his sight. “You are an interesting fellow, I must say. So let me tell you a story, as a reward for your compassion”, his arm extended across my shoulders, and we started walking.

Then came the revelation of his past, of the reason why he had been crushed under the wheels of despair and devastation.

“Men make counterfeit money; in many more cases, money makes counterfeit men (*). Is it a fair description of our contemporaries?”

“In that case, let’s blame it on greed”, I said.

“But in the end, the person is the sufferer”, stopped on his feet, the man threw a morbid gaze at the creek nearby.

“What is the most important object in your life?” asked I.

There was only quietness.

From his pocket, the person took out a Valentine card whose cover was dated the year before.

“Would you do anything for the one you love?” the question was already a cliché, but its repetition in that second was more than the weight of three mountains.

He nodded.

“So what are you waiting for?” I urged.

Then he ran. Into the curtains of darkness he lifted, one after another, to find the path of light, to find the object that held his being together. Once it shattered, so would he. That was why he had to sprint hastily, restlessly, arduously, and hopefully, he would win the race against time, against all odds that had chained his feet, melted his heart. It was not a race to salvation, but recuperation.