Chen.

I always feel like I’m missing something. It’s never something I forget, but more like something I haven’t found.

---

I got ready for the day as usual. I have a routine, so that I never forget anything. I hate forgetting something, because I never forget something little, it’s always something really important, and I hate forgetting it. But recently, I’ve felt like something was missing. It was never something I needed to bring, everything was always with me. Something bigger was missing, and I just couldn’t out my finger on it.

I hurried on my way to work, and busied myself with my job as usual. But I was always missing something. Something was always at the back of my mind, telling me something wasn’t right, something wasn’t there yet. But what?

I finished the day at work and went to spend the late afternoon reading at the park as usual. I sat down at the same bench I always sat at, and began to read. I always got so absorbed in the stories I read, usually I block out everything else around me and get lost in the world in the pages. But today something was off. I couldn’t read it like I usually did. The words just didn’t make sense, the noises of the park were too loud, everything was distracting me. I looked up at the trees, they were swaying in the wind. The sky was dark for an afternoon, the clouds were thick and grey. I liked it.

But the strange thing was, I didn’t feel like something was missing.

A short man came and sat next to me, and we both watched the clouds in silence. It was nice, awkward I’ll admit, but nice all the same.

“Do you like storms?”

I was surprised that he was trying to talk to me, but after I realised how rudely I was staring I answered right away. “I guess I do.”

“What’s your favourite part about them?”

“Hmmm, I guess I’ve always liked lightening since I was a little boy. It lights up the whole sky, and then the thunder sings out. It’s great.”

“You look like a lightening type.”

“What about you?”

“Hmm?”

“In a storm, what’s your favourite part?”

“I like the thunder, because it sounds like an earthquake up in the sky.”

“Cool.”

“So, it’s going to rain pretty soon. You wanna wait for the lightening?”

“Excuse me?”

“Let’s wait out, for the lightening! It’s your favourite part.”

“I’ve got books, and work papers! I can’t get them wet!”

“Just until the lightening comes.”

“No, I’m sorry. You’ll have to excuse me.”

I gathered everything I needed and started to walk home. When I got home I put everything away and went to get a snack. When I got to my lounge, I heard something slide under the door. I walked over, and picked up a piece of paper. I walked over and sat on my couch, and opened the paper to see what it read.

It’s good you like lightening. You can see it whenever you want. Just try and you’ll see.

Scoffing at this silly message, I put it on my coffee table and continued to eat my snacks. But something in the back of my mind was bugging me. That note, the storm, my mind wasn’t feeling like something was left out. They felt like the missing pieces. But how?

I walked over to my window and opened it, leaning my elbows on it and putting my head out in the damp, storm ready air. I took a deep breath in, unable to help the smile spreading across my lips. Maybe a storm was what was bugging me? But it couldn’t be, I’ve had this feeling for months now. One storm a bit too early for it’s season couldn’t be what was missing from me. I looked out onto the clouds, waiting for the rain to come. But it didn’t.

I waited a long time for it to start raining, but the only thing happening was that the sky was getting even darker as the evening approached.

I decided to play around, and pretend to control the storm. I had done it often when I was a boy, thinking of lightning and thunder during the storm and they happened almost the same time that I had thought of it. Why not re-visit my childhood once more, after that conversation in the park I was feeling reminiscent. I lifted my hand and pointed my fist to the sky. I spread my fingers and imagined lightening, as soon as I did I saw a flash and heard the thunder roll across the sky. Same as when I was younger.

I smiled to myself and decided to go to bed early while I listen to the storm. I slept almost instantly, feeling at ease with the storm. Nothing felt wrong, nothing felt missing, nothing left out.

The next morning the rain had stopped, yet the sky was still dark and heavy. I didn’t have work, so I decided to go for a walk. The instant I was out of the door I was greeted by the damp and rainy air. I decided to go out to the park, nothing better than smelling the wet earth and seeing the trees glistening with morning dew. As I got there I saw the same man from yesterday sitting at the bench. I decided to sit next to him as the next bench was ages away, hopefully we could have a better conversation than yesterday.

“Hello, it’s you again.” He smiled at me as I sat down next to him.

“Yup, it’s me.”

“What are you doing out in the park this morning?”

“Just enjoying the scenery after last night’s storm.”

“It’s pretty isn’t it.”

“Yeah…”

We sat in silence as we listened to the animals of the park start their day.

“Do you wanna see something cool?”

“Sure.”

“You’ll have to show me something cool first.”

“But I don’t have anything cool to show you.”

“Yeah you do, lift your hand to the sky and show me!”

His eyes glistened with excitement, and I honestly didn’t know why he was so excited. But I lifted my hand and flexed it, expecting nothing to happen. But some lightening flashed right in front of me. I jumped, startled, while the man next to me started laughing and clapping.

“Do it again!”

“What!?”

“That was your lightening! Again!”

I shrugged and did the same action, and yet another bright bolt of lightning flashed in the park. He patted me on the back while he calmed his laughter before he spoke.

“I’m D.O. Nice to meet you.”

“Uh, I’m Chen. Nice to meet you.”

“Do you wanna see my trick now?”

“Sure.”

I was still a little startled at the lightening thing, but D.O leaned forward on the bench and lightly tapped his foot on the ground. I saw the concrete and earth crack before my eyes. He tapped his foot on the floor again, and the earth split further. I couldn’t do anything but let my mouth hang in awe.

“I’ve got the power of the beast, you’ve got the power of lightening.”

“No way…”

“We’re gonna be seeing a lot of each other from now on.”

“Are there more?”

“Yup. I think there’s 12 of us all up.”

“Wow…”

“So, you wanna go to where the other’s are staying and we’ll fill you in on the details?”

“I guess, sure.”

“Great. Let’s walk, I like walking.”

“It’s great weather to walk too.”

---

I found what I was missing, a whole secret I never knew about. Sometimes you don’t know what you’re missing until you’ve found it.