Broken Dream

by Joyce Chng

  Expiry date!

  Where is Tern? Where is Tern? They shouted and followed me as I made my way skywards.

  She is dead! I cried but the wind tore the words away from my lips. I looked at the stream of angels, chasing me, their wings in all colors. They were beautiful. They were ephemeral.

  Laughter bubbled forth from my body, unbidden, welcome. I laughed as I winged towards the hiding sun.

  ~*~

  I am still waiting for that final day. I have to admit that a few years have passed and I have taken over Tern’s role. I am twenty but my body feels as if it is fifty. Perhaps, Tern is right. You can feel it in the bones.

  Meanwhile, Meng remains the same. A broken dream.

  Author’s note:

  I took a lot of references from Chinese culture to create a world that is half-dream, half-patchwork of many things. Indeed, the name “Meng” is a literal translation of the Mandarin word for “Dream”. Similarly for “Min” (“Life”).