Clouds of Oblivion

Summary

The narrative describes an eerie and inexplicable event where the protagonist witnesses a sudden rain of dead eagles on the terrace, followed by a personal encounter with a menacing dark cloud that seems to target them specifically, leading to a loss of memory and a quest for answers.

Abstract

The protagonist, engaged in their daily writing routine on the terrace, is caught off guard by a sudden rainstorm, not of water, but of dead eagles. This bizarre occurrence is accompanied by an ominous dark cloud that appears to pursue the protagonist, culminating in their engulfment by the cloud and subsequent amnesia. The only memory that remains is of this unsettling event, which now serves as a driving force for the protagonist to seek understanding and liberation from the ensuing darkness. The narrative concludes with the author, Aswathi Ashok, inviting readers to support their writing by becoming Medium members, ensuring direct support for the author and other writers on the platform.

Opinions

The author suggests that signs of impending danger are often present but may go unnoticed, as exemplified by the unusual behavior of the eagles before the storm.
There is an implication that the dark cloud's apparent focus on the protagonist is an abnormal and targeted phenomenon, deviating from typical meteorological events.
The protagonist's realization that they should have recognized the warning signs earlier reflects a sense of hindsight and a call to be more attentive to one's surroundings.
The author expresses gratitude to readers for their support and emphasizes the importance of this support in their journey as a writer.
The invitation to join Medium through the author's referral link suggests a desire for a more direct and sustained connection with the audience, as well as a communal approach to supporting writers within the Medium ecosystem.

Clouds of Oblivion

I went up to the terrace at 4 pm as usual. A time I cherish the most, as this is when I sit to write peacefully on the terrace. As I wrote, a drop of raindrop fell on my palm. I hadn’t noticed how quickly the bright blue sky around me had turned cloudy. The dark clouds moved quicker than usual. Danger always comes with a warning. Oftentimes, signs are right in front of us, yet we fail to recognize them. I should have noticed the eagles swirling unusually high above me, in circles flying in and out of the dark clouds. One minute they were visible and then they were not. What would I have done even if I had noticed, I’m not entirely sure.

Something felt off about the energy in the surrounding. Before I could respond, there was a sudden downpour of dead eagles all around me. They fell down screeching. I let out a scream in reflex and jumped from where I sat. The eagles lay dead on the floor, some were still alive when they hit the floor but died right in front of me. I looked up and there was no sign of birds or anymore of the eagles flying in the sky, all of them were dead. I couldn’t help but notice something strange even in that moment of nervousness.

The dark clouds only surrounded our block covering a few other buildings nearby. The sky seemed perfectly normal when I looked at the sky at a distance, it was the same in every direction I turned. The sky looked absolutely normal everywhere except near where I stood. The darkness kept growing like a living creature above me. The dark clouds seemed to be joining in from everywhere, focusing onto a point high above me. I nearly had to strain my neck perpendicular to look up to get a full view. I ran to the other end of the terrace and to my horror the huge swirling dark cloud moved just as fast as I ran, as if it was following me. This was strange, there was nothing normal about what was happening. As I said, I should have noticed the signs earlier. A chill ran down my spine when I saw the face hidden within the clouds coming straight at me. That’s the last thing I remember before I was sucked into the world of darkness, the oblivion.

I don’t remember who I am, nor do I remember anything else in my life except this particular memory, the only thing that feels absolutely alive in me. I have in me more questions than answers. And this memory is the only thing I hold on to. The one thing that instills in me an urge to find the answers, because in it, I know for sure, lies my freedom from this darkness.

Clouds of Oblivion

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