In the Blink of an Eye

The sky peeled itself like old paint, cornflower blue flakes raining down on our heads. I closed my eyes expecting to feel their landing like gentle kisses dusting my hair, my eyelashes, the tip of my nose.
But there was nothing, nothing to announce the dissolving of the sky. Sid and I stood in an abandoned street, not completely sure how we ended up here. One minute the city was alive and thriving, the next it was desolate – a concrete desert. Dustbin lids littered the streets, some of them split in half, showcasing the wrath of unmerciful lightning.
Then a stray black and white cat crossed our path; its rich emerald eyes glimmered back. I tried calling it but as soon as I did the ground began to shake, the buildings shuddering as though they were cold.
The street seemed to contract, a brittleness flooding its foundations and local surroundings before it splintered like glass, crumbling to pieces around our feet. When we looked at the world again, a field now inhabited the space. A sea of wheat-coloured grass stalks filled our vision.
What amazed me most was the sky – serene lavender, rich with ink. I stood there gaping while Sid cavorted amongst the reeds, his lanky body far too conspicuous to go unnoticed. He laughed. The sound erupted like a whip crack in this muted place and quickly travelled across the vast field.
Behind the thickening curtain of lavender sky, the sun’s molten lozenge face dipped towards the horizon.
Soon, night would be upon us and then what would we do?
I turned to Sid.
‘Where are we going to sleep?’
Sid waved a hand.
‘We’ll just kip right here like Mother Earth intended us to.’
‘But what if it rains?’

In the Blink of an Eye

‘We’ll get wet, genius.’
I felt my face grow hot, a thread of anger flaring suddenly inside.
‘How did this even happen?’ I shouted at the sky. ‘I mean it happened in the blink of an eye.’
‘Which means?’
Sid snapped the head of a grass stalk and chomped on it.
‘That it could happen again at any time!’
‘That’s right, genius. So quit moaning and enjoy yourself.’ With that, Sid began walking towards the sun.
‘Where are you going? Have you got a plan?’
‘Sure,’ he called. ‘To explore this haven.’
I watched him recede into the distance, the dying sunlight scorching his silhouette on my sight, his lanky frame now diminutive compared to the seemingly endless horizon. Around me, a cool breeze shook the tall blades of grass, slicing the heavy silence. The sky remained a hypnotic lavender like a blanket draped above us, and gradually my fear began to ebb away. It was pure, constant, comforting. Sid would be back soon, and then we’d have the rest of the night to look forward to, watching the sky transmute from lavender to indigo to umber.