JonnyAsmar
02-17-2011, 09:06 PM
It was raining when I walked out of the bar; refreshing after the scorching heat earlier in the day. There were people everywhere in the parking lot, which distracted me from looking for my car. Probably better I didn't anyways as I'd had quite a bit to drink. I decided instead to walk around the plaza and mingle; full of liquid courage. I stepped down the stairs, stumbling slightly and that's when I felt it. Not the alcohol... but a shuddering rumble beneath my feet, preceding a bright blue flash of light across the sky. Not exactly what I had expected walking out of the bar.
The flash of light up the sky like it was daytime. I instinctively threw up my hands to shield myself as my eyes struggled against the brilliance. A few moments later, it was gone. It was taking a few minutes for my eyes to re-adjust back to darkness of the night when something caught my attention. There was no sound coming from anywhere. Where was the clamor of the plaza and the soft patter of the rain? Looking up, I saw that no-one was moving. Everyone had frozen in the midst of whatever they were doing. Even the rain was suspended mid-fall. It was as if time itself had stopped.
I stumbled back a few steps and tripped backwards on the steps I just descended. My head collided with the knee of the man behind me. It was like hitting a brick wall. A sharp pain seared from the back of my head into my face and my eyes began to water. I turned around to see the man I'd hit; a burly man, at least 6'5". He had one leg up, like he was stepping down the stairs. It was the leg I'd hit, but the man hadn't moved a muscle.
For a moment, the pain in my head subsided, as the reality of the situation hit me. I was the only thing moving in the plaza... I felt my face bump into the suspended water droplets in the air as I gazed around at this spectacle. After a moment, I closed my eyes, doubting their accuracy. Suddenly, my mind filled with vivid images of falling rain. Startled, I opened my eyes again and the plaza was bustling; the falling rain from my imagination, now a very real thing.
A loud cough came from behind me. Looking back, there was a line of people trying to come down the stairs where I had fallen not one minute ago. Annoyed faces stared at me, eyes that told me to get going. I jumped up, gave a quick apology and took off, heading towards a small cafe in the corner of the plaza.
As I entered, the waitress gave me a questioning look and waved me over to a booth at the back corner of the shop. I slumped down into the seat. “Can I get you anything sir?” piped the waitress. I managed to stutter a reply, "Uhh..Ill have a coffee." She gave me a quick disapproving look and walked away.
Thoughts of the tonight’s events filled my mind as I wrestled my now-soaked jacket off and placed it idly aside. Questions filled my brain. Had that really happened? Was that just my imagination? Maybe it was the alcohol talking. Suddenly, an explosion of pain racked my head. My eyes squeezed shut, my jaws clenching. It wasn't from the collision earlier with the burly mans knee, but it was as if there were too many thoughts in my head, each screaming and clawing for my attention. After a minute or two, a quiet voice pierced through the mental fog and turmoil, steadily getting louder.
“Can I get you anything sir?”
I opened my eyes and the pain vanished, as quickly as it had come. Shaking my head a few times, I looked up. The same waitress stood before me, one hand holding a notepad, the other, a pen. “I ordered a coffee a few minutes ago”, I said. “Umm sir, you just sat down”, she replied. That’s when I noticed that I was still wearing my drenched coat. I had never taken it off.
My first thought was of the collision with the burly man's knee. Had it knocked something loose? At the thought, a dull pain arose, throbbing deep within my skull. My nerves were wracked, making it hard to discern the throbbing from my heartbeat. I took off my jacket, again and tried to recollect the night's events while I waited for the waitress.
It started with the tremor and the flash of light, but why was I the only thing frozen? Instead of an answer, I got another severe jolt of pain that encompassed my entire skull. I shut my eyes again, praying for a sip of coffee and again, I saw vivid imagery; the clarity of 1080p, with the surrealism of a dream. This time of the waitress walking over with a check.
I looked up and opened my eyes as she set the check down in front of me. "What's this for? I never got my coffee...", I asked, wincing as my head throbbed. "Umm sir, you've had three already", she answered with a confused look as she motioned to the table. There, I noticed six empty creamers and a mug...
I handed the waitress a twenty, "i don't need any change, thanks." As I reached for my jacket I realized that it was dry. I pulled it on over my shoulders and and struggled to get out of the booth.
"Man this headache is really ****ing with me", I thought to myself. I whipped out my phone thinking who I could call for a ride, knowing that I definitely couldn't drive home, but not because I had been drinking...
** Continue this story or start a new one at Once Upon a Time (http://jonnyasmar.com/?story=151#t6) - Social Storytelling
The flash of light up the sky like it was daytime. I instinctively threw up my hands to shield myself as my eyes struggled against the brilliance. A few moments later, it was gone. It was taking a few minutes for my eyes to re-adjust back to darkness of the night when something caught my attention. There was no sound coming from anywhere. Where was the clamor of the plaza and the soft patter of the rain? Looking up, I saw that no-one was moving. Everyone had frozen in the midst of whatever they were doing. Even the rain was suspended mid-fall. It was as if time itself had stopped.
I stumbled back a few steps and tripped backwards on the steps I just descended. My head collided with the knee of the man behind me. It was like hitting a brick wall. A sharp pain seared from the back of my head into my face and my eyes began to water. I turned around to see the man I'd hit; a burly man, at least 6'5". He had one leg up, like he was stepping down the stairs. It was the leg I'd hit, but the man hadn't moved a muscle.
For a moment, the pain in my head subsided, as the reality of the situation hit me. I was the only thing moving in the plaza... I felt my face bump into the suspended water droplets in the air as I gazed around at this spectacle. After a moment, I closed my eyes, doubting their accuracy. Suddenly, my mind filled with vivid images of falling rain. Startled, I opened my eyes again and the plaza was bustling; the falling rain from my imagination, now a very real thing.
A loud cough came from behind me. Looking back, there was a line of people trying to come down the stairs where I had fallen not one minute ago. Annoyed faces stared at me, eyes that told me to get going. I jumped up, gave a quick apology and took off, heading towards a small cafe in the corner of the plaza.
As I entered, the waitress gave me a questioning look and waved me over to a booth at the back corner of the shop. I slumped down into the seat. “Can I get you anything sir?” piped the waitress. I managed to stutter a reply, "Uhh..Ill have a coffee." She gave me a quick disapproving look and walked away.
Thoughts of the tonight’s events filled my mind as I wrestled my now-soaked jacket off and placed it idly aside. Questions filled my brain. Had that really happened? Was that just my imagination? Maybe it was the alcohol talking. Suddenly, an explosion of pain racked my head. My eyes squeezed shut, my jaws clenching. It wasn't from the collision earlier with the burly mans knee, but it was as if there were too many thoughts in my head, each screaming and clawing for my attention. After a minute or two, a quiet voice pierced through the mental fog and turmoil, steadily getting louder.
“Can I get you anything sir?”
I opened my eyes and the pain vanished, as quickly as it had come. Shaking my head a few times, I looked up. The same waitress stood before me, one hand holding a notepad, the other, a pen. “I ordered a coffee a few minutes ago”, I said. “Umm sir, you just sat down”, she replied. That’s when I noticed that I was still wearing my drenched coat. I had never taken it off.
My first thought was of the collision with the burly man's knee. Had it knocked something loose? At the thought, a dull pain arose, throbbing deep within my skull. My nerves were wracked, making it hard to discern the throbbing from my heartbeat. I took off my jacket, again and tried to recollect the night's events while I waited for the waitress.
It started with the tremor and the flash of light, but why was I the only thing frozen? Instead of an answer, I got another severe jolt of pain that encompassed my entire skull. I shut my eyes again, praying for a sip of coffee and again, I saw vivid imagery; the clarity of 1080p, with the surrealism of a dream. This time of the waitress walking over with a check.
I looked up and opened my eyes as she set the check down in front of me. "What's this for? I never got my coffee...", I asked, wincing as my head throbbed. "Umm sir, you've had three already", she answered with a confused look as she motioned to the table. There, I noticed six empty creamers and a mug...
I handed the waitress a twenty, "i don't need any change, thanks." As I reached for my jacket I realized that it was dry. I pulled it on over my shoulders and and struggled to get out of the booth.
"Man this headache is really ****ing with me", I thought to myself. I whipped out my phone thinking who I could call for a ride, knowing that I definitely couldn't drive home, but not because I had been drinking...
** Continue this story or start a new one at Once Upon a Time (http://jonnyasmar.com/?story=151#t6) - Social Storytelling