a midsummer night's dream

'I am that merry wanderer of the night.' - Puck
in A Midsummer Night's Dream, a play by William Shakespearre

It's a chilly night in the middle of Spring. Well I'm not complaining, as long as it doesn't rain, it's all good. Rain. I used to absolutely love rainy days, but Ireland ruined it for me. They don't have the beautiful sound of the rain splattering against the window, with angry storms, and the flash of lightning bolt. It's just a lame misty rain. You can't hear it. You can't even see it. All it does is drench you wet all the way down to your socks.

But I digress.

I walked over to the fan heater I bought to save my sorry arse from freezing in winter. Switched it on and felt the immediate sensation of artificial heat. Warm and dry. My face stings from the mask that I have reluctantly put on. My skin is red and sore. Sunburned, no thanks to my preference of walking all the way home from the hospital, instead of taking the bus. I need to buy a good sunblock. Freaking high maintenance sensitive skin. Annoying.

Esok nak puasa. Pulling up the loose old blue pyjamas Mama bought for me about 8 years ago (most of the pyjamas I have, she bought for me), I walked slowly downstairs for some food. Careful not to disturb my housemate's sleep. The daytime is now significantly longer than the nighttime. Isya' is at 10.40pm, and Fajr (Subuh) is at quarter past 4. Everyone is adjusting their biological clock to the somewhat insane prayer times. Dugaan untuk iman kami.

Picking up a bottle of milk that was clearly labelled '-Za-' for Nurkhazalina, I poured myself half a glass of milk. Esok pergi Dunnes beli susu baru. Nanti boleh cakap kat Aza aku curi susu dia, and bagi dia minum susu aku. My sahur was two farley's rusks dipped in milk. I'm currently on my third box of rusks. Ingat comel sangat ke makan makanan bayi?

Masa winter dulu, Subuh pukul enam, Maghrib pukul 4.30pm, bukan nak habiskan puasa ganti and puasa nazar siap-siap. Dah spring ni baru terkial-kial.

My head felt like it was vacant. Maybe it's because it was past midnight. I pulled up my pyjama pants as I stood up (it is always threatening to fall off because it's so old and stretched), and walked to the fridge again. Semi awake. Poured myself another half glass of milk. Glass half full.

I sighed when I opened my bedroom door and saw the state of my room. The patchwork blanket my aunt gave me last summer was spread on the carpet, with a fuchsia/orange pillow and striped fleece thrown haphazardly over it. Three Pharmacology textbooks laid open on the floor.

Summer exams. How I loathe thee.

x
Atiqah