A calm wind.
The rustling of leaves.
Chirp. Chirp.
Flutter.
A blue bird, tiny and round. It swayed down then settled on a surface beneath a tree. It shook it's and jabbed its beak at the marching ants.
Its ground shook but it didn't notice.
He was a boy deep in sleep. His head lolled, shaking in fits, his legs and arms twitching in the same slow rhythm.
Unaware, the bird stayed on his shoulder.
"..."
And with a sudden breath, his head snapped up.
The bird launched; the boy stayed still— his mouth ajar and his eyes blown wide.
His body shook with each heartbeat; his jaw trembled.
"Hah, hah, hahh.."
He stared at the view before him, large hills and a field of green; his eyes fluttered and he closed his mouth.
He drew breath and rubbed his eyes. "A dream..."
He paused, fingers lingering over his brow.
A warm slickness clung to his skin— sluggy and wet.
He lowered his arm. His fingers trembled—stained dark with blood, skin split into cuts and sores.
His heart hammered; his mouth fell open again. He set his hand on his lap and laid back against the tree, eyes fixed to the sky.
A distant engine rumbled—then a steady thud, a harsh screech.
The wind rose, tearing at the clouds.
Sirens ululated—close now, layered and keening.
The sunlight struck him; footsteps closed in. Voices murmured behind, muffled and urgent.
Hands reached for guns; fist curled; every available weapon was leveled at him.
Two men stepped forward—one in black, one in white—plain–suited and immovable besides armored soldiers bristling with plates.
Their jaws were tight, brows knotted. "What did you do?"
"..."
Not a word, not a glance. He didn't even move. He fixed on the Sun; it beat down on his sickly eyes, his muddied face, the dirt on his clothes and the blood that stained them all.
One of the suited men nodded. "Take him."
Armored soldiers surged foward, yanked his arms, forced him face–down, bound his wrist and gagged his mouth.
Voices swelled into a low murmur.
A faint voice called out,"Konin! Konin!"–high, trembling with something like hope.
The name brushed the edges of his mind but he couldn't take it in. He was too busy staring at the ground.
Reminiscing on old days and replaying endlessly the days before Christmas.