Daybreak Tales | I Told You I Would Write About You
Daybreak Tales
Philippine copyright © 2020 by Shei
Facebook: Daybreak Tales
Medium: Daybreak Tales
Graphics & Artwork by Jay Bongat
Email: rebyuhanngbayan19@gmail.com
YouTube: rebyuhanng bayan1
Facebook: Rebyuhan ng Bayan
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author, addressed “Attention: Author Coordination,” at the indicated e-mail address above.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
First published July 2020
Quarantine edition
Daybreak Tales is an anthology of flash fiction and short narratives, inspired by stories the author has known, heard, and created during the quarantine.
This brought back her passion for writing and served as a pastime during the current world recession. Her mind usually wanders at dawn whenever she’s having a hard time sleeping or experiencing grogginess with medications. By writing this anthology, she is living up to the child storyteller within her in the hopes of letting others know the unknown and hear the unheard.
Daybreak Tales’ Prologue and #1 Check Your Pridyider: https://daybreaktales.medium.com/daybreak-tales-8fc7cf0a74cd
Daybreak Tales’ #2 Touch Me Not Or…: https://daybreaktales.medium.com/daybreak-tales-2-touch-me-not-or-8383711c4f19
Daybreak Tales #3: I TOLD YOU I WOULD WRITE ABOUT YOU
Note: Imagine where you want to be right now as you read this.
I told you I would write about you someday when I have the luxury of the time to do nothing but think freely all day; someday, when I’m finally away from you and I can’t find a way to reach you; someday, when I finally have the spirit to paint how our days were spent. That someday is today that I’m writing about you, as I sit on this wooden chair in the middle of an empty home filled with nothing but possessions that aren’t all mine.
How could I ever forget you? You were the first one to see me out of my comfort zone, the first one to embrace the once young and honest person who’d talk to you endlessly from morning until daybreak. You were there when I was confused about what tomorrow would bring, answered all my questions without hesitation, and guided me without any judgment. You welcomed me fully into your arms, like a lost kitten that I am, craving for warmth, needing attention. You accepted me for who I am, reminding me not to feel sorry for being myself. You were there when I started, failed, and picked myself up. I told you countless times how faulty I could be, but you never see me the same way. You were there, always standing tall and strong, telling me that all and sundry may be unique in their way, but you adore the oddity in me. I am no special, you have the best people — the beautiful, intellectual, outstanding, and successful ones, but I felt like I always belonged to you. I’m just a simple girl on the side, the one who would tell you how her dull day went or what bullshit she endured for the day, but you see a different light and showed it to me. You knew every version of me; I memorized every piece of you. You’ve acknowledged what I’ve been through, and I would tell people how dear you are.
You were there when I was ecstatic and winning in life. You were there when I needed to scream for a moment and curse everyone who had done me wrong. You were there when I cried in silence because life continuously fucked me up. You were there when I almost gave up and went still for a moment. You were there when I shut down and hid in the corner. You were there when I was catching my breath and suffering from pain. You never let go of me until I was better — giving me enough reason to hold on and stay moving. You were the one who told me to live in the now because we have the future all to ourselves.
When I thought I had lost all the care I could give or take and swore I couldn’t appreciate anything else in the world, you were there to prove me wrong. No matter how short I felt, you were there to accept me. You’ve seen every version of me: the good, the bad, the wild, the kind. You’ve seen me grow step-by-step and helped me get to be where I am. You made me realize that life has ups and downs, but amidst those curves, you are there, loud and proud, looking up at me. You erased all the bad memories and replaced them with the most hilarious, wildest, and finest ones for me to look back to whenever I’m down. You made me feel secure, and never manipulated me. I was never good at calculations and expressing intentions, but you paved the way for me to take risks and open myself up.
There’s nothing more sparkling than being alive at night and spending those moments with you. Oh, how I miss those late nights, neon lights, and striking sights! I would excitedly dress up and get lost for a while, and you’ll be effortlessly delightful. We would go out, have fun, get drunk, and laugh like there’s no tomorrow. I’ll lose count of all the glasses I had, and I wouldn’t remember if I was numb, drunk, groggy, or a combination of those, but you’ll make sure I go home to you safely. I would rush in the middle of a stream of traffic to get to you. I’d tell you all my secrets and others’ secrets, too. We’d either cringe to death or laugh at it hysterically over dinner at your well-loved spots. I long for your presence on holiday haste where your light shines the brightest. Sometimes I hate you at your favourite season when the crowd is at its peak, and I would disappear from the vastness. Those moments were never a flashback or a dream. To me, they were so real and concrete that I could almost touch and relive them in an instant.
Don’t ask me where I’m going to drink out tonight. I don’t want to be anywhere else if it’s not with you. I could ditch a couple of bottles and come home to you for a good night’s sleep. You know how I’m very fond of you. I always love to see you glow, as you dance in the shining light under the moonlight. I like watching you from afar. Even with poor eyesight and blurred vision from all the drinking, I see your beauty comparable to none. You’re not like the others who are relaxed yet dreary, immense yet dangerous. You have just the exact combination of where I want to be. You’re not the hybrid of what perfection is — but you’re always the right one for me.
You once told me to go big or go home. The truth is, I never felt as big as you are, but with you, I felt at home. How could I thank you for letting me dream big, giving me room to grow, and embracing me whenever I come back?
Even when the music stops, the song that you’re singing will never fade. Even when they turn all the lights out, the inside of you will always gleam. Even when the party has ended, the mirror ball in you will never stop showing the beauty in your reflection. Even when people are gone, you will always stay where you are. I don’t know if this it’s enough for me to wish on the stars and pray to the moon to keep us together. But I know, one day, if I ever go away, it will make me realize that the distance between us will make me want to come back to you.
One day, if we meet again, we’ll hang out with our favourite people, and grab a drink, or two or more. We’ll sing and dance our hearts out, and party like it’s the end of the world because there is nothing more fulfilling than feeling that drunkenness with you; nothing more pleasing than just being with you; nothing more comforting than coming home to you. You turned all the moments of sorrow, shit, and pain into a massive black hole and threw it away. That emptiness within me before is now a large pool of self-acceptance where I never fear to dive.
I told you I would write about you someday. That someday is today. Now that I am far from you, I realize how much I miss you. You were never mine, but I am always yours. Let it be known by you and the whole world that there is no other place like you.
A-LETTER-TO-MAKATI-CITY
Yours Truly
“It’s strange to love a place like you would a person, but I do.”
- Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shei writes for a living and to have a reason for living. She started writing young, kept the stories to herself and ruined those unpublished works from childhood. After realising that her dream of becoming an astronaut is farther than the distance of Earth to Pluto, she focused on her writing skills instead, took a shot, and landed a job in advertising. She’s worked with the most creative and fun-to-be-with ads, marketing and events people in the industry, which is quite surprising for a self-confessed introvert and homebody like her. One-fifth of her life was devoted to writing, storytelling, rendering overtime, strategising for brands, getting late-night drinks over dinner, and overthinking ideas, existential relevance, and conspiracy theories.
Her photo does not have a face not because she’s shy but because she wants you to meet her in person (though virtual is much more preferred).
Email: hellodaybreaktales@gmail.com | Facebook/Instagram: @daybreaktales
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Jay was half-forced by the author to support this anthology (lol, I asked for his consent and ideas). He loves to analyze films, TV and movie series, news, and social issues during his free time or when he’s not sleeping in the morning. His passion for art and history started at a young age. Jay used to curate several art exhibits and create short films. He now creates video content for his critical works and film reviews, so go follow his passion projects.
Follow and subscribe to his YouTube and social media accounts.
YouTube: rebyuhanng bayan1 | Facebook: Rebyuhanngbayan
