Nothingness….
Complete abyss and spiral of nothing.
But then something happens.
Angelo regains consciousness to acknowledge the pitch black nothingness.
Confusion swims over him for he cannot speak, and his thoughts are too quiet for him to comprehend.
Then there is a tiny spark of light in the center of the darkness. In just a moment passing a Giant flash takes over, and Angelo is able to see his hands over his face as he's shielding his eyes while closing them.
When he opens them he's in a completely different setting and the world is covered in pure white light. He's standing on solid flat terrain that is also pure white light.
In nothing but his light blue silk pajamas and bare feet he starts walking, hearing only an echo of his patting feet and deep ambient noise you would hear in a large cave.
He looks all around and every inch is the same white surface. What that flashing light Angelo has seen earlier can only be described as the big bang that Roberto read to him aloud about 3 months back.
He keeps walking only to see no change in the absolute abyss he's in. He stops after about five minutes of walking and just sits there. Strangely he still cannot speak but he is able to hear his own thoughts now.
*What is this place?
*Where am I?
*Was that the big bang?
*Is this definitely a dream?
He begins shaking himself in an odd fashion by wiggling his arms and legs that you would only see from a crazy person.
He loses his footing and falls on his butt that oddly didn't hurt one bit.
This didn't stop his subconscious from reacting to pain he should have experienced.
*Ow!
After getting up on his feet a few steps later he begins to see something. A structure began to fade into existence right in front of him.
Then he realizes looking around him he sees
this structure forming all around him.
Third dimensional shapes begin to reveal itself and just like that it's complete.
All round him is a labyrinth of the same white surface transformed into stairs leading up. The confusing part is that in a distance upward there are more stairs leading downward all the way to the ground.
It's like Angelo was transported into a puzzle.
Some stairs were sitting on walls and without realizing it Angelo looks down and he finds himself up a couple of staircases. The only way he's able to identify these shapes is from the shadows located below them.
Angelo looks beside him only to find a tall doorway that wasn't there fully before.
He's relieved he found this door because he wasn't too eager in running up these strange staircases.
He walks through the doorway and what's through it is very clear.
Everything is still pure white but this room is very familiar. His eyes widened, this room can't be anything but his living room. Everything down to the very last detail looks exactly like his living room back home. The fireplace, the chair, even the family painting. The painting really caught his attention because it's the only thing in the room not white, it's painted black and grey even though the real one at home has many beautiful colors.
In the painting he sees his father Marco standing over Giulia's right side who is seated on a chair. Marco's face is serious and expressionless, he's wearing the usual suit and tie for the painting and Giulia has a slight smile on her face wearing a victorian looking dress with a web like pattern on the edges. Marco has his right hand planted on a ten year old Matteo's right shoulder standing beside Samantha. Matteo is smiling, the kind that reaches his eyes to show an expression, he wears a white sailor uniform. Samantha is pouting, they couldn't quite convince her to smile for this painting so it ended with this distant side glance pout, it's probably because of the uncomfortable and ugly ivory dress they had her in. Then there's Roberto and Angelo which were seven years old at the time of this photo. Their faces remained confused and focused on the painter as he worked, leaving their faces plain with their mouths slightly opened. They both wear buttoned up shirts with suspenders and flat top hats.
"You have an amazing family"
Out of nowhere there is a voice located from behind Angelo. He turns around and to his surprise sees a man he doesn't even recognize.
The man was tall, way taller than Angelo and had amazing side parted hair.
At least he thinks it's black, the man is just pure white and black shadows like everything else in this strange world. Which is strange because Angelo seems to be the only thing in color.
The man pays no attention to Angelo, he just looks over at him admiring the painting.
He walks past Angelo only to get a better look to appear right in front of it.
The man now has his back turned to him. Angelo tries to speak but once again nothing comes out. If he could speak he would ask who in the world he was.
" My name is Borne ".
The man turns around and makes eye contact.
"That's what you were trying to say right"?
Angelo nods.
The man smiles- "Yeah, I know everything that is going through your mind right now".
Borne walks up to Angelo and gets on one knee and proceeds to extend his hand right out in front of him.
"It's glad to finally meet you, I've been waiting a long time".
Borne is a handsome athletic built late twenty to early thirty year old looking man.
His voice is deep, sincere and insuring.
He wears a white sweater with pitch black pants and shoes.
He has a strong chin and incredible facial harmony while his face is somewhat narrow.
His eyes are piercing,dark, and intense, with a relatively small gap between his brows and eyes.
In no way this can be a dream, because there is no way in the world Angelo, a nine year old boy could make this face up.
" I agree, a ten year old couldn't possibly make up such an individual".
And he seems capable of reading thoughts just as easily as listening to someone speak.
"Who am I? That seems to be the real question here…. Let's just say I'm your biggest supporter, and I've been waiting for your arrival."
*Waiting for me?
*Does he know my name?
*What is this place still?
" I will answer all of your questions, but first….. What IS your name?"
*So he doesn't know my name?
*He's waiting for me to tell him
....
*ANgeLo OweLI
Bornes eyes widened " Angelo Oweli…".
He smiles a very genuine smile.
He gets up and turns his attention back to the painting, placing both hands on his hips.
"This painting is my favorite thing about this room, not because it's a decent painting. But it's because it reveals humanity."
*What is he talking about?
*What does he mean?
*He hasn't answered my questions
"Your father is serious and seems aware of the state of the world and what's going on around him. Your mother doesn't care and lets out her happiness regardless of the trouble. Your sister looks like a failed Mona Lisa and only cares about her feelings.
Your older brother only cares about others feelings because he hides behind a fake smile acting like everything's okay. And as for you and Roberto… you are oblivious. Too young to know what's going on and are just existing".
Angelo could not see Bornes face because his back is turned but he knows he's wearing a very serious expression right now.
" We are allies connected by a dream Angelo. This world is merely a world of your cognition. These words don't mean anything to you yet but it'll make sense when you're older. This room reflects everything you know, it's the room you will forever recognize as a comfort zone."
*Why is everything white?
*Why are you here?
*What was all that about the painting?
"Everything is white simply because this world is premature just like you and not of the real world. With age comes a stronger cognition. As for why I'm here,it is simply because I live here".
*You live in my head?
*What is your purpose?
Borne's eyes track to the ground as he scratches his nose "I don't know what my purpose is, all I know is my name and your desire that makes us alike".
This man lives in a world of white purity, nothingness and solitude waiting for Angelo to appear so that they may finally meet. That is formula for absolute loneliness, the kind you wouldn't catch from the way the person acts but once you think about it everything makes sense.
Borne has the eyes of melancholy behind that perfect exterior, a lonely hermit living in a boy's dreams.
*You must be lonely…
Borne gives a slight nod.
"What I meant before. I was talking about the war between man and inhuman. Many die everyday between the terror coming all the way from your peoples history".
Angelo can hear a story brewing. Finally he's met an adult that takes him seriously and is willing to finally tell him something about the world around him.
*I can't wait…