An Adventure Inside

The sunlight from a hot summer weather began to dim. The color of the sky started to change from sky blue to a deep and rusty tint of orange. Vehicles passing by were starting to shine their lights on. Street lamps together with billboards and advertisements from the towering buildings began to shine. Busy people, from left and right, began walking as if they were being played fast forward in movies. All these moments were happening all at once, as I stood in front of the gates of my school, which apparently, is located at the busy part of the city. For a split second, I thought I was just day dreaming as I was standing alone at awe in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city.

If you are wondering, why am I standing in front of the gates of my school? Well, to start off, I just finished the last test of my senior year high school, which means today marks the first day of summer vacation. I just can’t help to nourish the last moments with my school and finally go home and do something I love the most. As this thought entered my mind, I whispered to myself “Tonight will be a special night”.

And so, I started to energize my legs again to prepare myself to walk back to my house. As I was walking, the same thought has been lingering still inside my mind.

“With the school year just finished, finally, I can do it. Finally, I can do it again.”

At the time I arrived in front of my house, the sky, from an orange tint already turned to pitch black. My guess it was probably seven in the evening. I see my good old neighbor, Mr. Wallace, holding a glass of wine as he sits peacefully on his wooden rocking chair by his porch.

“Good Evening, Sir Wallace” I greeted him.

“Same to you, young sir!”, he replied.

I stepped on our porch and opened the door. I went straight to the kitchen, where my mom and dad were just about to eat dinner. Tonight, mom cooked the meal. It was this braised beef covered with gravy. As soon as we started chewing, I asked my mom.

“So, can I use it tonight?”

“As you wish son”, she replied.

As she said these words, I can’t help but to smirk a little bit in front of my plate, still full of the meat.

“By the way, how’s the last day of school?”, my dad asked.

“It was good” I replied. Now, wishing that they could skip talking and start eating faster.

In our family, dinner has always been the time where all the catching up happens. This has been the routine for all of us ever since I started going to school. My mom and dad, coming from their respectable jobs, always find the time to cook dinner, and I think this is a really good way for us to show our affection after a day filled of responsibilities. In addition, discipline has always been implemented in our family, so we often follow a schedule for catching up with each other. However tonight, I just wanted to eat the meal my mom made as fast as I can, and go to my room straight away.

When we finally finished eating, I immediately took out the trash, which was my job after we eat dinner, and went straight up to the stairs going to my room. Our house isn’t that huge compared to the houses nearby such as Mr. Wallace’s. We only have two bedrooms, one for myself and a room for my parents, which were both located at the second floor of our home.

As I touched the door knob of my room, suddenly I felt yet again the excitement I was feeling when I was in front of my school. I can tell you, this feeling is like seeing the person you have been crushing about ever since the start of high school. The feeling where all you want to do is jump and dance like nobody is watching. The feeling like nothing will go wrong ever again.

Alas, I said to myself, “This is it”.

I opened the door knob, closed it gently, looked at the wall facing my bed, and there she was.

She was sitting beautifully, underneath my flat screen television. As I came closer, small white dust particles have already touched its black surface. I blew gently, just to clean its surface from any dust, and grabbed the controller. Yup, you might have guessed it right.

The time has come to play with my PlayStation.

I changed into my pajamas, picked a game I wanted to play so bad, turned on both the console and the screen, sat down on a wooden chair, and started to play like there was no tomorrow.

Every button I pressed in the controller, I felt happier and happier. Every enemy I plundered and defeated felt like I was winning the lottery for a million bucks in cash. Every round I won felt like the girl of my dreams kept asking me to marry her.

It was an absolute surreal and sublime moment for me as if no problem can ever destroy this excitement again.

As all these happen, I checked the digital clock behind me. It was the first time again since I last made big movements to my body. The time was 3 A.M. It was way past my bedtime and I can already see my eyes making me go to sleep.

“One more match” I told myself.

As I got ready to play my last match, I suddenly savored again the feeling of both excitement and relief. I was finally able to play my favorite gaming console after a very long time. In fact, I can imagine myself to be a watchmaker, finally touching the tools for his watch after a long hiatus. Or, a sailor, finally being able to ride his sailboat on a calm sunset just across shore.

For me, this was my own craft. Some old folks may say that this isn’t considered one. However, it was a masterpiece of craft based on my own perspective. Through the greasy buttons of the controller, I was able to spurt my imagination and create my own magical and enchanted world, shining right in front of my face. Somehow, it was an underrated craft that not many seem to appreciate especially to young individuals like me.

As I finished my last match, I made both the console and the screen rest, unplugged the wires connected to the socket, and laid down my sleepy body to the soft bed.

There was no one else there to cheer for me tonight, but myself; and that, that is enough.

END