Thud... thud...
Within the steady cadence of electronic murmurs, the arrival of a new addition to the world is announced.
Thud...
The first heartbeat, the rhythmic promise of an eternal attachment to one-self, a continual of ones bloodline.
But what unfolds when two families, bound by a shared horizon, seem to fall upon such promise in the same week? Is it fate, or simply a coincidence?
The neighbouring families were given the news at once, both couples finding themselves bearing a child who will be born the same month as the other.
Finding it written in the stars, it soon became their goals to ignite a friendship between the souls once they grow older.
They were set on the belief that this was no mere coincidence. To them, it was a symphony orchestrated by unseen hands.
However, their trust in a cosmic alignment seemed to perish with the passage of time.
As the two kids began speaking and navigating the world on unsteady legs, a mutual fondness failed to emerge.
Despite residing as next-door neighbors, they appeared to favor the company of their imaginary friends over one another.
From the first steps into her social life, Thalia displayed unusual interactions with her peers.
On the first day of preschool, her nerves were tested when a girl took one of her dinosaur toys. Reacting strongly, Thalia pulled the girl's hair, resulting in screams and tears that reached the teacher's ears.
Thalia's behavior set her apart as an unusual child. Although not antisocial, she harboured a disdain for people, convinced of her superiority. She would assert authority over her peers, orchestrating their actions to suit her desires.
While some might label her as a mean and assertive child, she didn't express her anger through tears or shouting, but rather in an "I'm in charge" manner.
This demeanor extended even to her family, where she insisted on getting what she wanted.
Despite instilling fear in her preschool peers, her parents often gave in to her demands to avoid her threats of running away.
Some saw this as bad manners, while others held onto the hope that she would outgrow it - spoiler alert: she didn't.
Finn and Thalias connection started on an average morning in kindergarten.
Spotting the solitary brunette with pigtails in a corner of the playground, Finn chose to approach her, wearing a smile.
He always took notice of her playing by herself. He knew all the other kids feared her, and honestly, so did he at times.
She looked up at him, puzzled, as he reached out to her with a handful of pink-wrapped candies - Starbursts.
With a subtle smile of gratitude, she silently accepted the gift.
After a moment of eye contact, Finn hurriedly departed, either driven by fear or the urgent need to use the restroom.
The following morning, Thalia found the sandpit unoccupied, granting her the bliss of playing in seclusion.
Finn hesitated, standing there and lingering beside the seated girl in the sandpit.
"Can... Can I play?"
She appeared to pause, lifting her head upwards, her gaze sweeping over the dark-haired boy.
To his astonishment, she offered him a smile and replied with a simple "yes."
And so, they commenced constructing castles, dragons, and monsters, immersing themselves in a make-believe realm. Or in other words, their own little world.
Their bond gradually deepened, eventually evolving into a friendship that marked their first foray into companionship.
As they sprouted into the initial stages of their educational journey, their proximity endured. They strolled to school side by side, exchanged lunches, and assisted each other with homework.
Thalia remained as the girl who instilled fear in everyone.
While she didn't consider herself a bully, anyone would readily surrender their lunch money if she had asked.
She found amusement in the way children trembled when she entered a classroom or passed by them in the cafeteria. Her stern, critical glances had the power to reduce her peers to tears.
However, amid all her disdain, Finn stood as an exception.
Maybe it was their shared proximity, or maybe she just took a special liking to the boy.
From the first battle against dragons in the sandbox to the whispered secrets beneath a blanket fort, they carved a sanctuary in each others company.
The two formed a pact, a covenant written in the margins of the universe.
It was an unspoken promise of forever.
Yet, as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over familiar doorsteps, fate played its enigmatic hand.
A bittersweet murmur lingered in the air as Thalias family decided to embark on a journey across the seas, leaving behind Vancouver and all that came with it.
Thalias father had been born in France, and he decided it would be ethical to move back to his origins, taking his family along.
At the age of 10, this seemed extremely unjust to Thalia. She had no wish to part ways with the familiarity of her home.
Or Finn.
Tears were poured, farewells were bid. Like every other story, Thalia and Finns ended in a bittersweet murmur of goodbye.
The invisible tether that bound them stretched thin, reaching across continents, but the pulse of their connection remained, a heartbeat echoing through the corridors of time.
Thud... thud...
Both players succeeded in the game of life.
Thalia, now residing in Paris, pursued her dream of becoming a model right after school, thriving with numerous photoshoots and a constant stream of offers.
Her parents, influential and drowning in old money, provide her assistance with her career. Nepotism might've landed her a few modelling gigs from time to time.
She has improved at internalizing her disdain, reserving her negative thoughts for internal monologues and discussions with her sole confidant, Juniper.
Meanwhile, Finn revels in substantial success in his acting career.
Thalia frequently watches interviews of him, unable to suppress the smile that graces her lips to see how well he's doing.
They're now strolling new streets, with the company of others in their lives.
Yet, on some lonely and silent nights, when they're lost in the abyss of their own thoughts and there's nothing good on TV, they revisit their imaginary kingdom.
That's when the what-ifs cross their mind.
AUTHORS NOTE
I like this idea a lot 👍
