TEN THINGS
J o n a t h a n   A n d r e w   Y b a n e z

D I S C L A I M E R :

I would like to remind you that this is just a part of the imagination of the author and none of these events ever happen. Though this story is about a particular boyband, any similarity between events in the story and situations in somebody else's life is purely and absolutely coincidental, accidental or, just simply, impossible. This story doesn't state or mention anything about the celebrity's sexuality or choice of lifestyle, implicitly or explicitly. Remember this is just a composition based totally on the imagination of the author.

This story contains a homosexual premise and has homosexual undertones. If you are a minor, you know the rules. Please don't read this and find something more suitable for you age. But if you reach the age of majority, you can come back. If you're a bigot who just wandered here by mistake, you are allowed to stay. I would like to request you, however, to please keep an open mind.

Please enjoy!!!

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TEN THINGS
By: Jonathan Andrew Ybanez
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T E N   T H I N G S

	See a rainbow at dawn
X	Taste the first snowflake of winter
	Go to Disney World
	Flash someone from a car
	See the dawn
	Be a star
X	Touch a snake
	Make someone smile
	Talk to God
	Kiss my soulmate

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T H E P R O L O G U E
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One very late summer's day, when the sun was about to hide in the horizon and twilight was about to start, I was playing along the coastline of some beach that I have never been before. It was already the end of August and the sun had already begun to set, much earlier than the usual summer sunset hour. Across the horizon, every bright blazing shade and hues had colored and painted the entire skyline.

I was making the best of my last days of this summer, so I had decided to spend the whole afternoon building some sort of castle. Only my castle looked like one colossal, heaping and fantastic mound of ordinary auburn sand to the mind of any poor, unimaginative, uninspired and barren soul. Yet, my imagination persist to perceive it or, rather, deceive me as nothing less than a monstrously dark castle with intimidatingly high spires and ominously gray towers holding and guarding some great but terrible secret.

"A child's imagination!!!" I heard a couple of old folks musing, saying with mirth as they walked passed by me. "Nothing but a child's imagination."

Like anybody, their reactions were predictable. These rather common-minded people could only exclaim nothing but amusement upon seeing my work. But for me, it was going to be my magnum opus, my masterpiece. I was constructing my fortress, building my entire domain.

As I continued expanding my vast empire in the rusty-red stretch of sand, a dark shadow blocked my view of the setting sun. I glanced up to look at the shadow's owner. There, in front of me, was the silhouette of a young boy, no taller than I am. From the size of his body frame, he looked no older than I am too, about twelve years old.

"Hey there!" I greeted him light-heartedly.

"Hey to you back!" He had a cheerful voice. "What's your name?"

"I'm Jerald Mitchell." I told him. "But my friends call me Jerry

"Tevyn Winters." He said as he stooped down. I still couldn't get a clear picture of his face but I can see a rather nasty scar on his forehead, gashing across his eyebrow.

He moved forward and, finally, I could see his face. His eyes are of the greenest emerald, tantalizingly cat-like yet absolutely pure and sinless. Though his hair was a straight dirty blond, his features were very unique, quite a different contrast from the usual blonde-blue eyed tandem. I know that his skin would have shone in a quite pale complexion though right now the sun has baked him into a delicate tan. His lips were innocently small yet it has a teasing and coquettish pout. He has the sweetest smile, sweeter than any concoction of rock sugar and molasses but still I can not seem to get my eyes away from the deep scar dashing across his eyebrows and into his forehead.

"Are you from around here?" He asked me again

"No, I am from Florida, I just came here for the summer. We'll be leaving tomorrow. That's why I am making the best of my last day of summer here on this beach front." I glanced at him, then continuing building my castle. I thought to myself. "Wherever here is."

The strange thing was I never recognize this place before. The sand, the shore, the lighthouse at the edge of the cape, nothing, none of the things here could spark a memory. But the stranger thing is that none of these seemed to disturb me, making me sense a certain cloaked familiarity of this place.

"That's a shame, it would have been better if we known each other earlier." He came closer to me. "It's been quite a lonely summer here this year. There's no other kids around this place."

"And where are you from, Tevyn." I asked him. "Do you live anywhere near here?"

Well, my family isn't from here either. I'm actually from Toronto, Ontario. We also spend the whole summer here in the north shores of Prince Edward Island. My dad had constructed that beige beach cottage over there." He told me, pointing to the direction of a beige-colored, modern-looking bungalow. "Dad said he just wants to get away from it all."

"So this is Prince Edward Island." I thought to myself. Why is this place so familiar to me? I mean I haven't been to this place in my whole life.

"Hey, race you to the lighthouse over there." He grabbed my arm.

"No, I can't..." I looked at him glumly and replied. "I have this heart problem and I am supposed to run too much or become too tired."

"That's okay." He shrugged. "I have leukemia and I am not allowed to get too tired either."

"What's leukemia?" I asked, quite dumbly I might add. The word seemed to be very familiar but my memory was not as sharp today as any other day.

"Well..." He paused with an uncomfortable silence. "It's some sort of problem with my blood. Not really sure what that is. Well, doctor said I'm going to be find but..." He paused quietly with uneasiness and started to change the subject, quite brightly I might add. "Let's just walk there."

We started walking towards the lighthouse, pushing each other at the dunes, and then laughing as we splashed each other with the seawater. We were horsing around, putting sand inside each other's shorts and chasing the waves. Basically we were two boys with so much time in our hands and just wanted to have fun for the remains of this summer's day

This felt really bizarre to me, I mean I only knew this boy for no more than a day, but it seemed and appears like I knew him all of my life. But the even stranger thing is that I have this gut feeling I have passed through this before, I felt like this had happened to me sometime in the past, something like Déjà vu. Only, something was blocking my memory and I can't quite get my finger around it.

When we finally reached the lighthouse, we climbed down the rocks on the side of the structure to the clear waters below. I took off my shoes and dipped my hot, tired, aching foot in the water. "You know there is a local legend here." He said as he carefully stepped on the smooth rocks, slowly descending to where I was standing.

"I've heard that once there were two lovers who drowned themselves on this spot to escape the plans of their parents." He started to narrate the tale. "But before they submerged under the water, they prayed to God that they shall be together in the next life, that they will live happily without any fear and hate or disease and sadness."

"Did they get their wish?"

"I don't know,..."

He, then, walked passed me and crouched down, as gazed on our reflection in the deep waters. Continuing to stare into the sea, Tevyn, then, asked me in a very serious tone. "Do you believe in destiny? That everything is bound to happen because it was willed that way?"

"I don't really think." I looked at him, then asked. "Why? Do you?"

"Yes, I do." He replied without ungluing his sight off the waves. His green eyes seemed to give a mysterious and mystical glow, a certain passionate radiance. "I believe that everything has its place and time because the fates wish to keep everything in order. I believe that there are people and things in this world which are meant to cross paths because if they don't, their existence would prove to be meaningless and futile."

Then there was silence, an unsettled silence,.. silence so thick that you can easily dissect it a very sharp scalpel. Tevyn finally stopped his focused gazing at the sea and smiled at me with a very enigmatic smile, staring, not only to my eyes but, to the very depth of my very soul. "And I believe that our paths were meant to cross."

Getting, uneasy with his reply, I decided it was best to change the subject of our conversation. I looked down on the water and asked him. "Tevyn, do you know how deep the water is around this part of the shore."

He looked at me and said. "Not as deep as my love for you, Brian"

I was taken aback with his suddenly bizarre reply. I looked at him but the setting sun at his back blinded my eyes. I could only see his silhouette, and nothing more. I wanted to clarify what he had said to me. "Tevyn, what did you say? And did you just call me Brian?"

"Do you know you have really beautiful hands?..." His voice remained steady but grew louder. The crashing sound of the water on the rocks began to sound deafening.

"Tevyn, what did you say about the water." I shouted, as the crashing sound grew louder. I have trouble looking at him, the sun grew brighter yet it didn't sting my eyes.

"Give me your hands, Brian."

"I'm not Brian." I told him. "My name is Jerry, remember?"

"Give me your hands, Bryan!" He ordered me in a firm, strict yet gentle voice.

Afraid, yet curious, I reached out to him, my arms outstretched and my fingertips pointing towards the direction of his voice. I could no longer see him, even his silhouette, because of the brightness of the sun's rays.

"Reach out to me, Bryan!" He called out.

"I said that my name is not Bryan!"

"Just reach out to me!"

I waved my hands out, in hopes that I may reach him. Suddenly, I felt someone grabbing my hands, someone's fingertips touching mine and someone's palms fitting to mine. In that one moment of bonding, a great and unexpected surge of energy jolted my body, as if a bolt of powerful and intense lightning had passed through me in a celestial attack. Filled with so many contrasting emotions, I felt ecstatic and frightened at the same time. I couldn't understand why, but I felt something divine and mystical happening at that lighthouse, like a shower of stars had just rained over us.

"Tevyn?.." I shouted to him. I couldn't see anything in front of me, even just a shadow of Tevyn. "Tevyn??!!! Tevyn, is that you?"

"Brian, do you believe in soul mates?"

"Tevyn, you called me Brian?"

"Yes, Brian, do you believe in soul mates?"

"My name isn't Brian, it's Jerry"

"Brian, do you believe in soul mates?"

"Tevyn, I... I..."

"Brian, are you my soul mate?"

"Tevyn, I told you my name is Jerry, not Brian?"

"Brian, are you my soul mate?"

"Tevyn, I... I... I don't know"

"TEVYN!!! TEVYN!!! WHERE ARE YOU?" a strange female voice shouted out of the blue. It broke the spell between us. But still I couldn't see anything, the sun was still blinding my eyes."

"Jerry, I have to go now. My mother is calling me now." He said as our bond broke. But before he let go of my hand, he slipped something through my fingers.

I took a good and careful look at the object. I realized that it was a ring made of silver and engraved with an eagle spreading its wings. Tightly, I clutched the ring in my hand and shouted. "Tevyn, why did you call me Brian?"

"TEVYN, WHERE ARE YOU! COME BACK TO THE COTTAGE NOW!" His mother continued calling out for him. "YOU HAVE TO COME HOME NOW, WE ARE ABOUT TO LEAVE TONIGHT!"

"Tevyn, why did you call me Brian?"

"I have to go now, Jerry."

"TEVYN, WHY DID YOU CALL ME BRIAN?"

"See you again, Jerry. Summer, next year, okay? I'll be waiting for you..."

"TEVYN, WHO IS BRYAN?"

"Bye, Jerry." Tevyn's voice faded into the bright light. "Goodbye,.. for now... see you next year, okay?.."

"TEVYN!!!!" I screamed as I jumped off the bed with all my strength.

It was a late August midnight, where the air was still warm and humid though cool and dry wind do blow from time to time. Heavy with perspiration, I took off my rather damped T-shirt and wiped my face with it.

"That damned dream again!" I swore softly to myself as threw my soggy T-shirt on the floor. I stood up from my bed and walked towards my bedroom window. I slid open the glass frame and watched the view outside. I pulled a chair from my desk and sat on it, still peering outside my window.

I said to myself, as I shook my head, frustrated. "This dream is getting to be so weird. When will it end? I had this dream since I was twelve. Why does it haunt me over and over and over again?"

"I'm so tired now..."

"Who is Jerald Mitchell?"

"Who is Tevyn Winters?"

"Why won't this dream ever end!"

"So much questions, yet still no answers. And the moment I asked the kid all the questions, he disappears." I thought for a moment, then cursed bitterly. Bewildered, I punched the concrete wall next to the window.

"OOOUUUCCCCHHHH!!! Damned!!! Shit!!!" I cursed with great contempt and in severe pain. "Who is Tevyn Winters? And who is Jerald Mitchell? Is Jerald Mitchell... me? I need some answers or I am going to be demented!"

I sighed and thought, as bitter yet warm tears silently made way down to my cold cheeks. "I wonder when this will all end? I'm so tired already. When will the answers come?"

I stared at the full moon and the stars carpeting up in the cloudless night sky. A comet with a very long tail rode down the brightly-lit night sky. "I wonder what it all means? I wish I could have the answers..."

The dream exhausted my body. It drained my whole being: emotion, mind, body and soul. Without even knowing it, I fell asleep sitting on the chair.

- - -   t h i s   i s   j u s t   t h e   b e g i n n i n g   - - -

This is for Tonny and Yuli, no matter how busy I am, I am always here for you. Adam, if you are able to read this, I missed you, how are man. Ramuntxo, Anthony and Gary, thanks for showing me a sense of humor. And Marc (Morbid), sorry for not answering your emails, things aren't really working out for me these days, lol.

For those who wish to give any criticisms, constructive or otherwise, you can reach me at my email address, j_andrew_andy@yahoo.com. Love to hear from you soon.