Familiar

Written by Jacob Ibrag

Can’t swim, and yet I don’t

mind drowning in her hazel

cryptic eyes. Feel like I’ve

known her my whole life. She’s

a familiar soul and yet I swear

that we’ve never met. She’s

asking for directions to the

nearest train station while I’m

gathering enough courage to

ask for her name.

‘It’s three blocks to the left,
you can’t miss it.’

As she takes her first steps

out of my existence, a small

part of me starts to feel broken.

It’s that thing in my chest that

 I’ve been neglecting till right

this second. I’ve accomplished a

lot in this short life, and now it all

feels pointless. I don’t care about

any of it. I knew there was a

void, but it was a spec at best and

now I’m hanging from its frozen

edge. I am the newly crowned

king of emptiness and feel like

it’s making its way through my

blood and skin. I quietly clear

my throat and try to say anything.

‘I know it’s random and we
don’t know one another, but
would you like to get a cup of
coffee with me later?’

As she stopped, the whole

world halted with her. The ground

disappeared below our feet as the

clouds above took its place. Placing

her hand on the back of her neck,

she bit her lower lip as she slowly

made her way back to me.

‘Sorry.’

As expected. Why would she-

‘I’m lactose intolerant,
how about some tea?’

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Artist Unknown