Staying Existing

She always felt a sense of calm from being in the waters, having her body immediately recognize the given situation. Reacting instinctively, not breathing, as her body has access to so many memories in regards to her current state. She felt weightless surrounded by the pressure of water. Refusing to open her eyes just yet as she still had some oxygen left in her lungs to cherish this moment for a little bit longer. Maybe it was the silence or the disconnection from reality that made her lose track of time, as she suddenly felt the urgency to breathe, having her body react alarming, desperate to fill her lungs with air. Gasping for air she stretched out, feeling something solid under her feet and using it to push herself up to break through to the surface. Coughing and with pained lungs she finally broke out of the water, grabbing on the first thing she could reach, desperately longing for support. She was almost hugging the newfound, lifebuoy, pressing her whole body against it. Still out of breath and now shivering she examined her stone-cold savior. It was a sculpture of a man reaching out of the water. She was brushing a wet strand of hair out of her face as she continued exploring the new surrounding she found herself in. Letting her eyes wander, sighting some more sculptures before finally realizing that she was sitting in a fountain. Although the sun was shining and she was sure it was not cold, she could not stop shivering. Was she cold? Or was she trembling out of shock? She needed to get out of the water, she thought while moving carefully to the edge of the fountain. With one swing she got herself pulled up and rolling over the edge, landing on her back. Grass was tickling her neck as she laid there, with water dripping from her clothes. She watched the sky, realizing she hadn't looked up to the sky in a long time. A few minutes passed by, almost forgetting the dilemma she was in. Laying here wouldn't help her find out where she was and with that thought she got herself to sit up. No longer shivering she looked down at herself, the white blouse was sticking to her skin, robbed of its function, barely covering but soaking wet and see-through.

As she got back on her feet she felt slightly dizzy from the sudden movement. Now all the more aware of her skirt hugging her thighs, she felt the weight of the wet fabric. She walked slowly around the fountain, following the path that led down the clearing while inspecting the area. Allowing her eyes to wander, she couldn't deny the beautiful sight in front of her. Trees carrying a chain of red lanterns guiding the way, and flowers of all colors guarding the path from both sides. She may not know where she was or how exactly she got here but the beauty of this place was undeniable. She couldn't think about anything else but how she wished she had her phone on her to capture the rare sight in front of her. It wasn't the first fountain or flowers of such magnificence she saw but this place was oddly special. Magic seemed to be carried by the wind, blowing through the trees before reaching her, leaving traces of goosebumps after brushing against her skin. With every step she took her concerns were fading, moving forward leaving them bit by bit behind. By now she could hear a distant tumult. The closer she got the more voices she could recognize. It must be a crowd, she thought walking faster now. A sharp pain sending through her feed had her stop in her track. Now realizing for the first time that she didn't wear any shoes, barefooted she was rushing down the trail. Fortunately, the trail wasn't too rough but had more of a sandy texture. Still, she was surprised about her own carelessness not so much about the injury, sooner or later it would have happened. Balancing her weight on one foot to be able to examine the other, she found the cause of her pain. It was a small piece of green glass sticking in her skin, causing a slight but certain bleed. Now, more cautious with eyes sticking to the ground observing her every step she continued walking while putting the most weight on the unharmed leg.

Motivated by the louder getting noises she was eager to find closure. Inevitably she picked up speed as the trail led downhill. Viewing people who looked like they were standing in line at a food stand. Suddenly she was uncomfortably aware of her appearance, all of them were at least dry, some even fancy-dressed, she however embodied a mess. One last time she took a look at herself, still wet and up to her calves covered in dust, water drops were leaving traces of their way streaming down to her heel. Taking a deep breath she was walking straight towards the crowd never taking her eyes off them. It wasn't her fault, that she looked the way she looked. Nothing to be ashamed of, she was in the need of help. A victim even! But a victim of what? She didn't know what happened, so what was she supposed to tell them once reaching them? Her thoughts riled in her mind. Just tell them as you know, she thought, biting her lips. But what exactly was that? That she woke up in a fountain? They will put me in psychiatry, they will think I'm mad, she mentally exclaimed. It wouldn't be the worst thing, she then thought, as they had to find her parents, alone for bureaucratic reasons. There were laws to obey! No keeping of minors without the signature of their legal guardian! Her thoughts continued the mental debating. Concentrating on believing every word she said to herself. You got to fake it till you make it, she thought. Nobody is going to believe her if she can´t even herself. She was never good at lying, refusing to burden herself with it. She would rather remain silent.

Standing now right in front of the gathering she didn't lose any time to think and went with her head held high in the crowd. She was in awe of the many booths, standing close by one another. It was one long street, packed with all kinds of foods and other offerings and as many people. Mindstruck she was strolling through the street until one booth, in particular, caught her attention. There were all kinds of fabrics in there, many different colors with one elderly woman sitting behind the desk sewing on a beautiful yellow dress. Never before did she find the color yellow appealing in clothes, but this was not a shrill yellow but rather a calm, sun-flowery one. She kept herself from stopping, giving it one final look before passing. As she continued walking a delicious smell was surrounding her, involuntary her eyes began searching for the source, finding it a few stands further the street. So far its was the biggest stand she saw, looking more like a small restaurant with a counter where people sat and ate. From this distance, she could even see what they were eating, the mouthwatering sight caused her to swallow hard.

"Hey!" called the tallest man with the large belly, behind the counter.

Was he talking to her? Did he think of her as a beggar? She asked herself still a little startled from him raising his voice so suddenly. He must be the owner, he definitely was the cook as there was no one else working, besides him, she thought.

"Yes, you. The one without shoes, you're new here right?" he was now leaning over the counter as he spoke. He did mean her!

"Yes… I just arrived- well more so woke up to this place. Can you maybe tell me where I am? I really have to call my parents. Tell them where I am." she says moving a few steps closer.

"They are probably very concerned by now." She was nervously rubbing her hands together as he looked at her, with compassion or maybe pity written all over his face.

"How about if you tell me everything over a warm soup?"

Eying him up for a moment before deciding, she silently took a seat at the counter. Immediately she could feel the steam from the open kitchen warming her up. Her slightly bluish lips changed into a more healthy color the longer she sat there in the warmth. The other guest didn't address her in any way, maybe each gave her one swift look before continuing their meal and she felt very thankful for it. Feeling oddly at ease, even in this uncomfortable situation as she not only looked like a beggar but also was fed like one. Not wanting to think about her state anymore, she pushed the thoughts behind allowing herself some rest from feeling embarrassed. Following the chef's every step, she was hypnotized by his movements. Even though she couldn't see much of the actual cooking because of his broad shoulders, the sound of cutting onions had a soothing effect. It felt homely. He looked passionate, this was not only his workplace but his joy. She could get a great insight into his persona. You just have to look close enough. “The daily surroundings say a lot about the person.”, she remembered her father once said. Her eyes began tracing down the furniture getting a better understanding of the place and maybe the owner. Almost everything was made of light wood and decorated with bamboo, which reminded her of the many vacations she had spent with her parents who were infamous beach fanatics. Every vacation was a beach vacation, they loved laying in the sun not really doing anything else. She however dreamed of a ski vacation and being surrounded by snow and the coziness of a campfire. The roof was held up by four pillars and was adorned by fairy lights and the same lanterns she saw earlier hanging from the trees. This place was made with a lot of love and care, it wasn't fancy by any means but cozy and inviting. Her observation was interrupted as a steaming bowl was placed right in front of her. Having the owner nod in approval, encouraging her to eat. She thankfully obeyed, eating hastily.

"You're really tearing up the plate, huh?" he remarked, amused by the sight. Only able to shake her head in agreement she was grabbing the bowl with both her hands, drinking the rest of the soup. As she emptied the bowl she looked up to him, signalizing that she was ready to answer questions.

"My name is Afaqs, I'm the owner of this," he more so announced with his arms spread out. He was proud of it, that was undeniable. "And the chef." he added with one hand back on his hip and the other on the counter.

"I'm Hollis. Hollis Lowell and I… I don't know where I am or how I got here," she begins swallowing hard. "I woke up in the fountain up the trail. That's why my clothes are so wet and I must've lost my shoes back in the water." she continued playing now with her fingers, feeling nervous and helpless at once.

"You woke up in a fountain, like Lao from the flower stand woke up in a field of flowers, and Sahra on a rock! Can you believe that? Had to climb the thing all the way down," he exclaimed in disbelief. "What I want to say is, that it all happened up the trail. We all came down from there and now we are here. Of course, we all woke up to different things but here we are, at the same place."

"But why? I mean how can that be? Can´t we return? Go home?" she whispered the last part.

"I need a phone! I will call my Mum she will pick me up!" almost yelling from excitement, thinking she had solved this problem, leaning almost over the counter.

"There are no phones here. If you need something you have to go to a stand for it. There is no such thing as a return, waking up here means you have to put your everything into staying existing." he explained calmly, making sure she heard every word he said.

"Staying existing?" she was now sitting back in her chair again, looking at him with questioning eyes. He nods once before taking the bowl from the counter and washing it in the bucket filled with water.

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Her voice was small and the tone flat, the thought alone made her feel exhausted.

"You need to find something you are good at or that's useful to the people here. Stay relevant. Be important." he said, having her quietly snort at that. Her shoulders felt heavy causing her to drop them even further.

"Then I won't be here for very long. I´m not really good at anything, let alone important." she stated without looking up, having a discouraging smile gracing her lips. She herself was amazed by the wave of sadness that swept over her after this confession.

"Believe me you are, and here is where you´re going to find out what exactly at." he assured, never leaving her eyes as if he was making a promise to her.