What if

BRYAN KENT

It was a gloomy Monday morning when I walked out into the street going to my friend Liam’s house. The weather was chilly despite my heavy clothing, I could still feel the cold air piercing my skin. My wrist watch indicated that it was past 7:00 a.m. but when I peered around, it seemed like it was still early hours, since the sunbeam hadn't yet arisen from the eastward.

I grabbed my phone out of my pocket, opened a messaging app, searched for my other friend, named Ethan, and started typing.

“Hey, where are you? I'm heading right now to Liam’s house — I'm shivering.”

After messaging, I straightaway started to walk, when I saw a street dog leaning on the side of a street lamp, it was obvious from its body that it feeds little. I lost my attention when my phone rang. As I turned to look at the screen, I saw, “Hurry up! I was here! Aunt made us some hot chocolate!”

I was surprised when I read his message, “How is he already at Liam's house?'' His place is beyond where we are. So, I just thought that maybe he either stayed the night before or left early at their house.

Even though it was cold, I forced myself to run quickly so that I could go faster. I began to move much faster than earlier.

During these past days, my friends and I didn't have time to enjoy ourselves since we were too busy with our own lives.

So, it made sense when our adviser, Mr. Cannon, announced last Friday that our semester hols would start the following days. We’re so ecstatic that we started making plans, and I guess we all ended up with the same idea about how we wanted to spend the holiday—sort of chilling out and —having fun.

I knocked four times, when I heard footsteps approaching the place where I was waiting—the door—while I continued to wipe the sweat that was constantly pouring.

After a short wait, the door swung open, showing Aunt Lucy—Liam's mum—smiling, but as soon as she clearly noticed me, the smile instantly faded and was swiftly filled with surprise.

“Goodness. love! What happened to you, you're panting so much?”

 Even though I was still breathless, I smiled and replied, “I ran.”

After that, she immediately let me inside their house. 

"Liam and your mate are in the room, just go, they've been waiting for you upstairs," she says as she walks away, pointing up. "I'll just bring something to eat later."

I gave her a quick glance before starting to walk up the stairs. I was still a long way from the right room, but I could hear them watching movies. I hurriedly approached the door, and Liam greeted me.

“You’re late!” he said—I chuckle. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, saying, "Nah, I'm not late," and showed the screen with the analog clock "See, it's still early." pointed at the screen while raising my eyebrows.

“BRAYN KENT!”

As I walk through the room, Ethan approaches me, arms outstretched. He is wearing a green winter long sleeve fit flare dress, which looks like an ancient one.

“Don't shout,” I say.

When I finally entered the room, my suspicion was clarified, that they were currently watching a film.

“Did you watch it without me?” I asked as I’m about to pretend to be sad.

They both glanced at me, until Liam said, "It's just a trailer,” and sipped from the cup he was holding, which I think was filled with hot chocolate. I took off my hoodie jacket and hung it on a coat rack metal stand placed on the side of the small table with lampshades.

 I sighed deeply before sitting on the other side of the bed and asking what we had planned for the day. Ethan puts his right hand on my left shoulder and his left hand on his hips, and grins up at me.

“Thoughts.?”

Ethan Dylan, a quite tall guy with very long blond hair, is probably one of the most amusing people I have ever met. He's part of the gay community and–proud to fly the flag–not ashamed to wear clothes that others think are feminine.

I looked at him. “About what?, about what we'll be doing the whole day or you're wearing today?”

“Both, mate, both!”

I nod. “I wasn't really sure, but your dress was lovely, are you going somewhere?”

Ethan steps to one side and lunges. “I knew it was lovely! Should I do this more often?”

“Definitely!”

I glance around, and I notice Liam seated on a chair near the window while intently looking at his laptop.

“You okay though?”

He turned his gaze to me, his eyes that were too busy looking at the bright screen of his laptop went directly to where I was going to him. I looked at what he did, and I noticed that he was busy browsing for something like movies, which I don't think we've watched yet.

"This," I said, pointing to a familiar film that I always see when I browse through social media. They both looked at the screen where my hand was pointing. I'm not sure, but I've read a lot of positive feedback about the film, so I'm curious whether what they're claiming was true.

“Good choice,” Ethan says, while he continues to twist his hair with his fingers.

I caught Liam still staring at his laptop, and reading the movie blurb that was posted underneath. Recently, I've noticed that Liam doesn't talk to me all that much—I'm not sure why, though. If I don't go near him, he won't talk to me either. It's strange! But  I simply assumed that since I know Liam, it might be because he's not in the weather or that he's going through something.

 I was startled when I saw Liam looking at me and grinning.

“Well, most likely, let's start this,” Liam.

“Yeah, maybe we should start, so we have more movies to watch today!” Ethan.

“Fair”

We sit in a comfortable bed in silence as we start watching. The film I was referring to earlier was Everything Everywhere All at Once, starring Michelle Yeoh, who rose to fame in the '90s. Liam picks up his pillow from the right side of the bed, and hugs it. Then, turn up the volume, and lean back on the bed.

Throughout our almost half-hour of watching, I realised that the film is about life and the pursuit of happiness, which the protagonist may or may not admit to herself that she has so far failed to attain on every level, by examining various worlds and connecting the possible lives that each could lead, that it illustrates that reality.

It is a story that alludes to an alternative world that might already exist in some ways which we are unaware of.

“Do you guys want any food?” Liam says as he about to go downstairs.

“Mm, I’m good,” Ethan says, which I agree with.

After Liam left, Ethan and I went back to watch, but as my eyes returned to the laptop screen, where the film was still playing. I couldn't help but wonder if the multiverse, which I constantly hear about and often in the context of Marvel films, and other movies— was actually real.  If so, who might I be in that multiverse?

What would I look like?

And —what kind of life form would I be?

Although hilarious, what if there is an alternative reality?

Would I still look like this or maybe in a new body?

Would these people who are with me right now in this realm still be with me in another universe?

When I turned toward the right side of the room and peered out the window. I spotted a bird perched on a branch of a tree. So, "How in another universe am I a bird?"  I wondered. That can fly anywhere and see everything from above, or “I am just a tree,” that just stands straight in one place, and stares at the same landscape with my eyes. Or it could be like the dog I saw earlier while walking to Liam's house, who lives on the street and no one cares—or maybe I'm in a family where I'm considered a member.

But what if I exist as a human being in another universe? Probably, I could be in a different place in my life right now. Maybe, I could be the son of a billionaire—able to buy anything I want, or I could be a talented celebrity with many admirers.

"Why are my thoughts so far from reality?"

My thoughts were disturbed when Ethan's phone made a loud noise, causing me to face him.

“Sorry, mum’s calling.”

When my eyes drove back to the show I realised it was over.

"Have I been thinking for too long?," I told myself.

“You alright?”  Ethan says.

I just nod.

"What was I even thinking?"

A few minutes later, the door opened and Liam appeared holding a wooden tray, which I think had food. He placed it down next to the bed. "The food is ready!" He exclaimed excitedly.

End.