Relato Corto Blog Fiction

The Man in Yellow

T

The minutes passed slowly. The hours of physical labor were a blurred memory. William slowly went down the stairs of the metro station. His mind uselessly tried to organize the ideas that he managed to imagine. I’m going to fall asleep again.

The memory of endless trips back home. Waking up far away from his stop. William decided to rest for a moment, regaining his strength before boarding the train. This was the first time he found the station benches welcoming.

William walked toward the bench with a smile on his face. A few minutes will be enough to recover the energy. Tiredness was the perfect companion for a journey that began almost immediately.

When he opened his eyes, the world returned to its original colors.

“Welcome,” said a mechanical voice. “You have received 300 points in your time in the recovery chamber.”

William only remembered having entered the chamber the day before. His dreams were fading like distant memories. Despite his insistence, it was almost impossible to make sense of images.

Apparently…I haven’t been able to generate enough points again, he thought.

William had to assign the points to different aptitudes to get out of the recovery chamber. Once he finished…the screen went blank. He opened the door with ease and returned to the only world he was used to.

A yellow cloud entered the chamber. William walked out slowly, looking from side to side. Everything was covered by the same cloud. Unusual—something must be going on. He pointed all five of his arms in different directions. His fingers loaded to shoot in case of an emergency.

This was the first time the chamber had appeared in such a distant location. Despite his insistence, William never managed to figure out the reason for waking up in random places. The only thing left to do was to look for others like him.

In the distance, creatures of darkness surrounded the man from whom the yellow clouds sprouted. William had no choice. The only way to survive the day was with the help of an ally.

William ran towards the creatures of the darkness. He shot bullets out of his fingers to get their attention. The creatures took on different aspects. Shadows with arms, wielding swords with blades of black smoke.

It was not the first time that William had seen the smoky sword. Although on previous occasions he had fled from creatures of darkness. This time was different. The points he has been allocating to the same talent were finally paying off.

Lighting struck in front of William. He grabbed the hilt and pulled it out of the ground. Raising the sword, he noticed that the bolt seemed frozen. Three of his hands hid behind his back and he began to run.

Some creatures of darkness turned towards William, raising their swords of black smoke. While the man from whom the yellow cloud sprouted was still on the ground.

William attacked furiously. Feeling the power of the sword of lightning clashing with the black smoke. More creatures of darkness spawn. Raising their swords and approached the man from whom the yellow cloud sprouts.

William fought to exhaustion with one of the creatures of darkness. It must have had a lot more points in dexterity since it was easy for it to parry William’s attacks.

It was impossible to get through so many creatures. William watched, unable to do anything to help. The creatures just ignored him.

The man, from whom the yellow cloud that surrounded everything sprouted, stood up. The creatures of darkness were ready to attack. Yet, for some reason, waited for the man to initiate the confrontation.

William looked at the yellow cloud returning to the man. It quickly entered his body. William watched as the cloud passed between his legs—revealing the crystalline rainbow of the ground.

Impossible, William thought. Witnessing the creatures being ensnared in swirls of yellow clouds. What is he doing?

The man raised his hand and closed his fist, compressing the creatures of darkness in the yellow swirls until they vanished.

William watched in amazement as the yellow cloud began to sprout from the stranger again. He wanted to get closer to the strange man. He wanted to discover the secret of his powers. This was the first time that William witnessed an experience of this magnitude.

“Sir,” William said as he approached the stranger. “How did you become so powerful?”

The man turned. A yellow cloud began to envelop William. Trying to escape was useless. Eventually, everything went dark.

When he opened his eyes the memories disappeared. William was still lying on the station bench, but he was not alone. Next to him slept a tramp who had not enjoyed the pleasure of being under running water for a long time.

The stank was repulsive.

William fell to the ground to get away from the man. How long has it been? he asked himself before looking for his cell phone. Six hours sleeping next to that rotten smell. William was surprised to notice that his belongings were still in his pockets. He then boarded the train to continue to his destination.

About the author

Sebastián Iturralde

Writer of enigmatic tales, weaving captivating narratives that provoke thought and stir the imagination. Unveiling the depths of human experience through words.

23 comments

  • Mesmerizing. I read it twice. I will need to read it again. I wasn’t clear on where the chamber was located perhaps the bench was the entry point. But it appeared after exiting he found himself at different stops. The part of getting on the train was a bit confusing. The story is very effective at conveying William moving out of different states of consciousness. This in addition to feeling tired from the ordeal of battling the creatures. I felt what William was feeling.

  • When I thought about it further I thought you might be suggesting while he was asleep on the bench he was battling the creatures and that the chamber was a separate time and place where he was preparing for the encounter with the creatures. I wasn’t sure what the yellow smoke represented, but generally yellow denotes positive energy and light so perhaps the gentleman’s strength was positive energy and light.

  • Greetings Sebastian – I see you’re reaching like me to new ways. I’m giving thanks that we’ll both learn the way to reach the end of our dreams. It’s only a matter of time. love, in lak’ech, Debra

  • I look forward to reading it when it is public… as I know you are a good writer…

  • The story itself is excellent. Almost puts one into a trance, a state where you can envision what is going on. The ending threw me a curve that I never expected.

  • Fantastic description of something anyone who takes public transport in the city has probably experienced before. Really enlivening the imagination here. Not that we laugh at another man down on his luck but my word…the stench can be truly overpowering. 😱

  • I enjoyed reading this. It was cativating to say the least. I didn’t have the time to analyse though. Thank you for sharing this.

  • Very interesting. One interpretation is that everything that happens is a dream that William has while he is sitting on the subway seat, although that possibility does not reveal itself until the end of the story. So, I think the end is a great plot twist. Thank you.

  • Very interesting! The mystery surrounding the yellow man has been woven well. It was tight and crisp. Look forward to reading many more, Sebastian 👍😊

  • Your Fiction stories resonate with my stories, which are factual communication with the spirits of Dreamtime. And a great way to get side-tracked.

  • Hi Sebastian! A great read as always! You have taken imagination to a whole new level! Keep them coming ! Warm wishes.

  • Thanks for this story. I am thinking of reality (light / temporary) and actuality (dark / permanence).

    The light shines and gives us the ability to see and parse what we see. It is a world of naming, identifying, defining, claiming and possession. It is dominated by expansion. It provides many answers and experiences that only Light can provide, but temporary.

    The dark is mysterious until we see what has come from the dark. Primarily, our bodies. Almost all functions of life, perpetuation and regeneration to power our amazing vessels – is done in the dark. Our thoughts and emotions do not require light and work equally in dark or light. Our spirit or God power, also known as the Consciousness Field or the Aether – are all invisible and immeasurable. They do not require light. Only Eyes, require light.

    But even our eyes, seem to work in the dark, as we can imagine images in the dark and with our eyes closed. So again, even the eyes, do not require light – to see.

  • Interesting plot and storyline. Good surprise ending. Those always seem to make better stories.

Relato Corto Blog Fiction

About Author

Sebastián Iturralde

Writer of enigmatic tales, weaving captivating narratives that provoke thought and stir the imagination. Unveiling the depths of human experience through words.