Land of the Dead

Grey mist everywhere. Grey, grim, gloomy. Everywhere he looked, the view seemed the same. The distant horizon only helped reveal how the “sky” was a little lighter than the ground. The shadow figure moved across the scene, that of a boy, resembling an illusion, kind of like a hologram, maybe like a ghost. He took long strides, the light mist swirling around him as he went by. Eventually, he could make out silhouettes in the distance. He quickened his space, for he recognized it as his destination.

            It was a junkyard, surrounding an abandoned, shabby concrete house. Such sites were scattered around in this strangeland. But he had heard, from the wisest of the dead, that one of them contained a special object…one that had a mysterious link to the world of the living. He searched around the debris…broken instruments, shattered and dusty mirrors, worn-out dolls, lifeless trees, cracked pieces of china, moldy electric gadgets…among the descriptions he was given of the object was the square shape. As he continued, he reached an old TV set. To his surprise, it was the only item that seemed to have any sign of life. Its screen was lightened, but blank, a dirty white color, all the while emitting a continuous small sound. He got closer. Sometimes, the screen would flicker, revealing wavy lines…suddenly, human figures materialized for two seconds, disappearing quickly. The boy shot out his hand to turn the knobs about, trying to adjust the image. The TV crackled, sputtering robotic sounds. The picture returned, first weakly, gradually looking sharper. There was a group of friends laughing as they walked about a suburban town on a beautiful day, their schoolbags slung on their shoulders. Many carried skateboards. Palm trees swayed in the breeze as a train passed over their heads on an elevated rail.

            He had waited so long to find this, to have a glimpse of life. It was more beautiful than he’d imagined. Yet he had been deprived from it, even before he could have a small taste.

*if you're going to listen to this song, please ignore the lyric video so you can appreciate the music, which is what really has to do with this post. I suggest you use headphones :).