Temple Underneath

Big Fishes' Carnival at The Lake - Temple Underneath

The word 'damp' couldn't even describe the place in which I found myself starving in. While I expected the whole corridor of moss to be completely pitch-black, it was instead illuminated by a dim blueish green light with some shade of purple, which was even more eerie than necessary, for the light seemed to came from nowhere. In such a vile space, I slowly wandered around, prepared with live ammunition I wish I could eat instead.

After All

Big Fishes' Carnival at The Lake - After All

He had been hurt, but that wasn't a reason nor an excuse for him to hurt her. Then again, reason was of the most complicated and difficult for them to understand. None understood why he came to her. None understood why she nodded. None understood why he was furious, and none understood why she was crying. Only one word engulfed their mind: failure.

Cheating

Big Fishes' Carnival at The Lake - Cheating

She was a girl.

Never before had he seen such unique, beautiful creature. He did not know much about her, only that she was his and she was cold. A tight yet careful hug was seen as necessary, and thus he did so, while leaving the cold room illuminated by a blinding light in which he had bathed. Only three witnesses: her, him and the core. Chaos engulfed his common sense until a conclusion came to mind: but she was human. She was still feeble from external harm, just like any other babies were. She needed feeding and care, just like any other babies do. She needed a parent, like he used to do. He was determined to be her parent; but was it not wrong to do so?

For Meeting That One Girl

Big Fishes Carnival at The Lake - For Meeting That One Girl

Have you ever gotten frustrated just because of a malfunctioning button or switch? You would probably try to push the button again and again, the next attempt with more force than the previous, blindly hoping that brute force would solve problems like magic. Flipping useless switches also invokes similar annoyance, but it wasn't similar anymore when the switch determined whether the plane you piloted could continue flying. Tension and fear overruled frustration, and as clouds began to dominate the vision, a piece of memory surged into my consciousness.

Sugar to Cake

Big Fishes' Carnival at The Lake - Sugar to Cake

"Will you be coming tomorrow?"

Now how am I supposed to refuse, a plea from a little girl with such a sweet voice yet augmented by unconscious depression and sufferings? I bent down and kissed her forehead, she who had all her seven years of happy life taken away, leaving her in the cold, hard wasteland I was supposed to live in by myself. Well, not that I didn't enjoy her company.

Isn't There

Big Fishes' Carnival at The Lake - Isn't There

“How would you describe yourself?”

Never before had a question from a simple English homework had thrown me into such dilemma. When I no longer heard the voice of my brothers’ scream upon horror movies, when the only sound I could hear was the sound of the gently but abruptly ticking clock, I decided to roll my pen over the whole page and jump to my bed. The homework wasn’t due tomorrow anyway. I still couldn’t believe that I had my eyes opened still for an hour or so thinking about myself.

For Him

Big Fishes' Carnival at The Lake - For Him

I stared at the painting, the piece of art I’ve worked on for months.

It was a simple piece, really. It was meant for my father, the person I’ve been looking up to for all my life. He wasn’t the perfect father that I imagined; in fact, there were many of him that I disliked, but through the years together we overcame the disputes between us and become a truly bonded father-daughter pair for a while. While I do love him because he’s my father, I love him more because of himself, him as a person: his way of talking, his care for animals, his impartial considerations, his commendable personality for a person who’ve lost the love of his life.