NOTE: This story is depressing, dark and more or less reflects how I feel most of the time.

MANNA SURREAL INTRODUCTION

She looked up at the sky. Oceans of orange and red…. lilac and yellow… And underneath that, another vast ocean, this time with all shades of blue…turquoise…indigo… The shore was always a lovely place, but not today…not today…

It had been three years since her father had lost his life out at sea, and obviously, the scars were still there…still hurting… Manna had isolated herself from all of her friends back then…they were all happy…she was not. It hurt, but she didn’t show it…she couldn’t show it, because if she did, then they would all sympathise, and she did not want sympathy. She thought she didn’t deserve it…a rather strange attitude, but that was the way Manna thought.

“Father…” The words had barely left her lips, when a sudden gust of air swept them away to the heavens above. The sunset was always beautiful, but this evening, Manna could not savour the beauty of the scene. She was drowning…but not in the blue abyss of liquid, like her father had…. She was drowning in her own misery…

“Manna! Manna, is that you? Manna!” She turned and gave a forced smile as she saw Leila running towards her. Leila’s beautiful long blonde hair streamed out behind her, swaying in time with her movement. Manna could feel a tight lump forming in her throat…that same lump that appeared whenever Leila showed up. Leila was so…pretty, so beautiful… She was everything Manna wasn’t. When the blonde reached the taller girl, she threw her arms around her. Manna flinched. She didn’t like physical contact with anyone. It made her feel as though she was being toyed with…as though she was being made a fool of.

“Oh…Leila…um…how good to see you…” She stammered. Leila let go of her friend and gave her a curious glance.

“Manna? Are you okay?”

“Oh, of course.”