Twinkle's Story: Chapter 6

A warm ray of sunlight slants through the window in my hospital room and hits the bed, right where I'm sleeping.

 Or was. I stretch out one of my paws, my wrist hanging off the edge of the bed. My wrist meets with metal that's ice cold to the touch; the material that supports my bed from being stuck on the floor. The warmth of the sun's rays hitting my bed and the sudden contact with cold metal, wake me up.

 I try to swallow in my throat, but it burns and stings. My throat feels raw, and I bet if I could see it, it would be red. The color of sore skin underneath my light blue fur color. It's fine, I'm not sick even more or anything. I reach over and read the time on the clock that's set on a table next to my bed. I see the bright green numbers displayed on the clock. 6:47 am. My eyes are still tired, so I raise a paw over my eyes. Shielding them from the bright green glare. "How did I manage to wake up so early?" I think aloud. I shake my head, too much work to think about that now. I now sit on the bed, my feet dangling over the edge as I fix up my pillows again.

 I fell asleep at 1:39 am last night.  Oh what a time I had last night- and with Duke!  Last night, we watched a rather boring movie at a nearby movie theater  and ditched it mid way through; it was that boring.   Then we did the same thing we did the first time we met each other at night: going onto the Tall Tower's roof and hopping along the edge of its roof.   Me 'flying' as Duke holding me up in a bird-like position beyond the several stories building's roof. If he hadn't been holding onto me so well then, I'll certainly be dead on the pavement below. Looking as if I jumped off a roof of the tallest building in fox territory; committed suicide. No, I'm not gonna think about those thoughts now. I shake my head trying to forget those thoughts. Duke and I screaming at the top of our lungs on the edge of the Tall Tower's roof. Telling so many hilarious jokes until we didn't know what we were saying anymore.

 I giggle at myself as I remember the first time we'd done that. It was raining that night, and I was terrified at first when he held me beyond the roof's edge. Wind blowing wildly in my face as well with tons of raindrops falling surely seems like a place to slip and perhaps fall. I shiver once again at that terrible thought. I remember grabbing so hard at Duke's wrists that his turned a lighter shade of black with all the weight and pressure of me. He had to place me back on the roof and hold me beyond the roof again so many times. Then again, the cycle repeats again. Somehow, we managed to do just that for a long period of time. The first time we did this, we started at 8:00 pm; we ended and just climbed into our beds at 11:32 pm. No, I (or we) don't have to deal with Dr. Fox when leaving and returning. He basically left my hospital room and only stops by occasionally- says he has more 'serious and important matters to deal with and discuss'.

Doing these fun activities are fun, but also makes me feel alive and free.  I bet Duke feels the same way too. Well, maybe not to my extent.  Me finally feeling happy again after being stuck in my house with my parents- except to go to school and things like that.  But one thing leaves me wondering of what Duke said to the open sky that first rainy night. '"We're on top of the world. On top of our world on fire."' Is this how he sees our world? This chaotic? This too organized, perhaps? The idea of animal species living in different, specifically closed in, isolated territories? So many more questions come to mind about what he meant by 'our world on fire'. Why does Duke think these things? He hasn't been through it (the torture of a world on fire). I have. Then my thoughts turn from this seriousness to what Duke told me last night right before we went our separate ways. '" Ha. Ha. I love the color blue anyways."' as he ruffles the fur on my back, almost at my neck.

 Then Duke said, '"I truly do love you, Twinkle. When we have to go our separate ways- you to the hospital, me to my house- I... I can't stand it. It's hard dealing with being away from you."' Then in the glowing moonlight, we hug, silhouettes in the night sky. He departs with, '"See you tomorrow night, Twinkle."' But the day has changed; we would visit each other the same day. Now, I realize, I feel the same feeling Duke told me. '"It's hard being away from you'"... As I get ready for breakfast, sitting on my bed in the hospital room, I think aloud in a dreamy voice. "I can't wait for tonight..."