When I was child, I once laid eyes upon a bird. Its feathers were dark. I thought it was a crow, maybe a raven. Didn't matter. The bird roosted on a branch. I felt like the bird was watching me. Its eyes never moved, it didn't blink either (do birds even blink at all?). Even now, its presence was felt deep into my adulthood.
I hadn't gone far. I still live in the same city. Mom passed away when I was a teen. Dad was long gone before I was born. Do I love them? Maybe. It wouldn't bring them back. I would rather have them not die, but it already happened anyway so I wouldn't linger much.
Today was Friday. I consider it as a weekday, though some might argue it is a weekend. Nevertheless, it is a workday for me. The office wasn't that far from where I live. It took only fifteen minutes for me to reach there by foot. There was also a bar just across the office. The manager usually held a drinking party with the other employees there.
I stopped by a coffee shop for a latte, as well as a piece of glazed donut. I sat down on the chair just outside the building. It was a rather popular place, but not so popular that it gets overcrowded. The coffee shop was run by an elderly couple and their family—The Wilsons. I knew them, though not very well. I exchanged a few words with their son, Jonah Wilson, someone around my age. I didn't do it often, considering that we have a lot of differing interests. But in those very rare occasions, he would express his desire to do more things aside from managing the coffee shop. He would told me about how his sister hadn't found a man and all that. I didn't understand why he would do so. I was merely a stranger, but he seemed so eager to share his problems with me. When asked, all he told me was that I looked trustworthy. I didn't press further on that.
The air was cold. Even with my dark, somewhat layered clothing (it was a black jacket, a grey waistcoat and a white shirt), I still felt cold. Maybe I should wear gloves later on. As I enjoyed my coffee while my hands froze, I saw a black feather fell into the table in front of me. I looked up; nothing was there. I didn't hear any flaps or noises, just a feather that fell down. I dismissed it, knowing it isn't worth it to linger on such things.
Jonah stepped out from the shop and greeted me. He sat on the chair across me, telling me about the new connections he had made. I nodded as I listened to his words, but I couldn't help but to notice a petite doll strapped into his apron. It was like a keychain, but with a small bear-like doll with a human-like face on it. Truth be told, I wouldn't call it cute. Although, I might have stared too long since he quickly addressed it.
"This doll? Don't you know it's trending nowadays? Well, I didn't see why, but my sister insisted on me having one. Mom and Dad didn't allow her to purchase in bulk. Not that we can't; we just have no reason to." Jonah revealed to me.
It made sense. From what little conversations I have with Jonah, his parents were strict with their spending. Not that they limit everything, but the things purchased must have a reason to be bought or serves a purpose. This doll, aside from being accessories, didn't bring much to the table. I understood their point.
I bid goodbye to Jonah. Looking at the time, I wasn't late. I didn't want to. Work starts at 8:30, I stopped by the coffee shop at 7:45 and went back on the road at 8:00. The coffee shop itself was located in a spot in same direction as the road to the office, so in the end, the distance I took remained the same whether I had or I had not stopped by the coffee shop.
At 8:10, I arrived at the office. There, I saw that only a few people had been there. The others were probably still on their way, or just too lazy to wake up early. There, I saw something strange. The others also had the same dolls that Jonah had in his apron, it was strapped to their bags and phone cases.
When I got into my cubicle, I overheard my co-worker, Daniel (he was a tall, flamboyant man with pale complexion and blonde hair) flaunted his golden doll. Apparently, it was called a "Takut" (pronounced: tah-koot) doll. A word from an obscure language that means "fear"... Take it with a grain of salt. I didn't study foreign languages in the first place.
I struggled to comprehend this trend. They might have seen me staring at them, as they asked me whether I had one or not. I told them no, I didn't have one. Their faces were horrified, I assume. They would bring me to a nearby shop to buy one of these dolls, as they had declared with vigor.
I left the matter and starts working. When it was lunch break, I saw even more people with those dolls strapped to their phone cases in the cafeteria. It began to feel a little overwhelming for me.
Since it was Friday, we could go home earlier. There, they brought me to a shopping mall. I saw many neon signs with numbers such as "20% OFF", "Black Friday Sale" or "Buy 1, Get 1 for Free". The brightness was nauseating, and they didn't even bother to use the heater. I still felt cold, albeit not to the degree that was the air outside.
Daniel and the others quickly dragged me into the section that sells the dolls. I didn't really care, so I picked one for random. I paid for it and felt a little surprised at how expensive the doll was. I could have a nice, simple meal with it.
I opened the box, the faces of the others speaks of anticipation and hope, only for it to crumble away as I got a green one. They seemed to only care for the golden doll, like the one Daniel have.
In the end, they too bought more of the dolls. I thought it was about me buying one, maybe it was not. We had a little drinking party on the bar nearby. It wasn't our usual, but Daniel seemed to know his stuff. Maybe he's been here a few times. I didn't order much, as I am not a fan of alcohol.
"Ah. I have the golden one... Isn't it perfect, for a perfect person like me?" Daniel muttered out drunkly.
The other co-worker, Sarah, replied to him, "Ah! That's just you being suuuupeeer lucky~ Just see... I'll get one even..tually..." She slurred a little bit.
When I got home, I heard flaps of wings. Then, something called out to me. "You should buy more. It yields the best feelings, trust me~" Its voice was raspy, but clear. I looked at the doll I held on my hand. Knowing that it isn't the one speaking, I glanced around. There was a silhouette outside. A bird silhouette. But it couldn't be, could it? A bird couldn't speak. Deciding that I might be drunk (even though I only drank a few sips of alcohol at the bar), I fixed myself small amount of mashed potatoes and drank a few glasses of water before changing to pajama.
I slept soundly that night.