Distorted (Short Story)

I woke up and found myself in the middle of a big old city, surrounded by these strange-like creatures. At first, they all seem to be as normal as me, until I noticed that two of their body parts are not in their respective places. Weird as it may seem but their eyes are placed in the middle of their chest right exactly where the heart is located. Their mouth, however, is carved right at the top of their protruded foreheads.

I have never seen something like this before. I was both scared and astounded. I don't know how I got here or what will I call these creatures. I thought, at first, I'm maybe in a different planet and these creatures surrounding me right now are what we used to believe in Earth as 'aliens'. They look very different from those images of a green slit-eyed creatures I used to believe as the real visage of an alien. Now, this discovery would sure make me rich and famous, I thought.

I took a deep breath, and when I finally gain enough courage, I started to walk towards them. They seemed to be puzzled at first. They kept on stepping backwards with each steps I take. How ironic, I thought. I should be the one who’s supposed to be scared of them, right? I held my hand up high and said, "H-hold on," in a small and croaky voice. "What do you guys call yourselves?" I asked in a doubtful manner. "I mean, is there any chance that I am talking to a real alien right now?"

The strange-like creatures look at each other as if I just said something stupid or funny. "Oh," I gabbled when I realized something. These creatures may not understand my language! How could I be so insensitive! I don't know how these creatures talk in their language, but out of desperation to set everything straight, I started to move my hands in different manners, hoping that they can understand non-verbal gestures. But the look in their faces --- oopps, my wrong! I forgot that they can't possibly have look on their faces because of the mishap in their facial features. However, this mouth at the top of their foreheads started to laugh, and so I was aware that what I am doing is funny to them.

"What are you doing, my dear?" asked one of them to my horror and surprise. "You think we don't understand what you just said, do you?"

"Er," I scratched my head. "Yeah?"

Right then, she walked across my direction. She smiled. Though, instead of feeling good about it I felt chills up and down my spines. I mean, hey, it's not every day you're going to see a creature smiling at you using its mouth located on its forehead. It's like I’m looking at its face upside down. She gently rub my head, which I don't know why I found so comforting. Probably, because its palm is so warm just like my favorite fur blanket on a rainy day.

"My dear," she said once again, in the same sweet gentle voice, just like my grandmother's. "We are not an alien. Hard as it may seem, we are humans too, just like you."

Now, it is me who stared back at her with a smug look on my face, as if she just said something stupid. They can't be humans! It's like watching Barney telling kids he's human when obviously he's a dinosaur. A purple dinosour to be exact which makes the thought even funnier that I started to laugh hard.

"Why?" she asked.

"No, no, it's just that..." I wiped away the little tears formed at the side of my eyes. I cleared my throat as soon as I finally convinced myself to stop laughing. "What you said... it's kind of funny. You can't possibly be humans. I mean, no offense but, you guys look a bit, er, how do I say it? Okay... um. Distorted, I think?"

There was a loud gasp in the crowd. They seem to be overpower by my words. Then suddenly, someone shouted, "So as you!" A few seconds later, the crowd was cut in half, and appeared a boy who is by his height, I presumed was just a kid in his early teens. "You look distorted just like how we appear in your eyes!"

I backed off, feeling a little tense by the appearance of this boy, who seemed to be mad of the word I used to describe them.

"Okay, I don't want any trouble. If you think the word I used is just too strong, I'm sorry, then." I told them. "I mean, I was asked with a question, I just answered it."

"It's okay," said the woman. She faces the boy and muttered indistinct words to him. Though, I could not hear what she was telling him, I could see that she's been trying to calm the boy. The next moment, I was surprised to see him walking back to where he was before. Then, she faces me, again. "Distorted, are we?"

"Er," I don't know what to say. She doesn't seem to be mad, though. In fact, her mouth is smiling again at me. In the end, I decided to just nod.

"Oh, dear, are we really the ones who are distorted?" she asked. "Or is it your thoughts that are distorted?"

Deep crests formed in my forehead. I do not understand. What's she talking about?

"I'm only saying that, you judges with your eyes, and this makes the words that come out of your mouth distorted." she told me sympathetically. "And do you know why it is distorted?"

I shook my head.

"Because you don't think before you speak," she said. "You just tell what you saw firsthand without even thinking if it's wrong or right or if it’s going to hurt the feelings of someone."

For the first time, I was speechless. The woman is telling the truth. I judged them with my eyes and did not even consider their feelings.

"Do you have an idea why are we looking like this?" she asked, again. "Why our eyes are located in the spot where you could find your heart and our mouth is placed at the top of our forehead?"

Again, I shook my head.

"No?" she smiled sheepishly. "Nothing?"

"No," I said.

"Okay, besides this little mishap in our facial features, you can't see anything wrong with us, do you?" I nodded. "Because, dear, the eyes and mouth are often the reasons of misunderstanding and troubles in this world. People base everything on what their eyes see which makes them vulnerable of judgment before they can even think of the words that will come out of their mouths. Our ears, unfortunately, often choose to listen." she held my shoulders gently, the eyes in front of her chest stared at me directly. "This is the reason why our eyes are placed right at the spot of the heart, so as to remind as to look beyond the surface, and judge with our hearts. Our mouth, however, is placed at the top of our forehead so as to remind us to think before we speak."

I was overwhelmed that I couldn't talk. Everything that she said does make sense. She smiled at me as if reading the thoughts inside my mind.

"Now, tell me who is the true distorted," she said. "Is it us or you, dear?"

Before I could open my mouth to answer, I have returned to this disheveled place, which happened to be my room. I found myself in bed, feeling sore probably because of sleeping all throughout the day, or maybe because of the usual noise from the living room. Though hesitant, I stood up and went there, hiding myself by the wall as I watch my parents argue.

"I saw it with my own two eyes!" yelled my mom.

"My goodness, Helen, shut up!" yelled back my dad.

I sighed, and walked back across to my room, closing the door behind them. I sat at the edge of my bouncy bed. And as I stared at the open window of my room, I imagined the eyes of my parents placed into their hearts, and their mouth placed on their foreheads.