City of Masks (Chapter 1)

“Huh?”

I realized that I was staring into space in an empty playground. It was quiet save for the squeaking of the swing I sat on. I looked left and right. No one else was here. The wind’s voice echoed in the background giving me the chills.

“How did I get here?” I asked aloud as the grass rustled.

 I stood up and brushed the dust off my skirt then made my way to the exit.

As I pass through the gate, I find a dusty grey city filled with a few people roaming about. They looked rather odd. They wore long black robes that almost touch the ground coupled with a hood over their heads. Their loud footsteps were made by the boots they were wearing. What made them more unnerving was the white expressionless masks they wore that looked like a theatrical stage prop.

I wanted to go home.

I took a deep breath and approached one of them.

“Excuse me” I said. “Do you know which way to-“

Then I realized something: I don’t remember where I live.

The masked man scratched his head and spoke “Hliib, R wlm’d fmwvihgzmw blf.”

 “What?” I was confused. His words sounded like gibberish to me.

“Wlm’g ylgsvi nz, prw” he said in a harsh tone and left.

The other masked people stared at me.

“Excuse me, can anyone help me?” I asked them.

 I couldn’t tell how they were reacting with their masks on but they turned away and ignored me.

“Wait! Stop!” I insisted.

I was brushed off. No one would help me. I walked around the streets and tried to think. What am I doing here? Where do I live? Do I even know my name?

“F-flor” I muttered. “My name is Flor.”

I chanced upon a restaurant as I wander around. I looked at the huge glass window and saw my own reflection. I was a kid. My clothes were tattered and I was covered in scratches. My untamed hair prompted me to fix it.

There were masked people inside the restaurant. They took notice of me but quickly looked away.

As I continue to fix my hair, I could see the other masked people in the reflection walking in the street. But there was one that looked different. He was staring at me.

I glanced behind and saw him standing near me. His mask was different. It was shaped like that of a bird’s head with a long beak. He also wore a top hat and brought with him a black cane.

“Blf!” he pointed at me with his cane.

He hastily approached me then grabbed my arm. He started to pull me.

“Let me go!” I yelled at him.

He ignored my plea and continued dragging me. In desperation, I started to hit his arm with my free hand. He paused and pointed at me with his stick.

“Hglk gszg!” he threatened.

I kicked him in the shin and fled. He started to chase me.

I took a few turns passing by random areas and narrowly missing some masked people. The bird-man however bumped to a few of them giving me an advantage.

I know he saw make a turn for an alley filled with piles trash. I took a wrong turn. Before me was a wooden wall. It was a dead end. I had to think quickly.

I kicked one of the planks a couple of times and made a hole large enough for me to get through. However, another idea came to mind. I hid in the pile of trash instead.

I could see the bird-man looking at the wooden wall taking notice of the narrow opening I made. He must be desperate. He forced himself to get through. After a few painful grunts, he got to the other side and I hear him run off.

Phew.

Who was that guy anyway? And what did he want?

I got out of the stinky pile of mess and wiped off some of the stuff stuck on me.

“Hey!” a voice made me jump. “Is he gone?”

I turned around and saw someone emerge from a nearby pile of trash. She wasn’t wearing a mask or a black robe. In fact…

“You look just like me!” she commented. “Are you running from that bird-man too?”

“Uh-huh” I replied. “Who are you?”

“Me? I’m not really sure. ‘Renei’ does ring a bell.”

“I’m Flor. I lost my memories too.”

“Nice to meet you, Flor! But, you seem so familiar to me.”

Renei inspected me while walking around me. She wore a dress similar to mine.

She muttered “Maybe. Just maybe…”

“We are…” I continued.

 “Twins!” we said at the same time then laughed.