The Photograph

The Girl

She didn't know where she was headed, and frankly she didn't care. The soft humming of the car engine had lured her to sleep several times over their journey, only for her to be jolted awake by occasional pothole they'd encounter as they pulled off onto sketchy exits in search of a gas station to refill on gas and refreshments. Not that she would touch the food of course. Her skin and bone frame sunk further into the faux suede seats, still reeking of "that new car smell", a scent she despised for reasons unbeknownst to her. Although they had finally made it back onto the smooth asphalt of the highway and had remained there for at least several hours, she found herself unable to calm her continuously running mind enough to allow herself to fall back into her dreamless slumber. The man driving kept his eyes on the road in a semi comfortable silence, most likely trying to give her as much space as possible. Why wouldn't he? A 5'2 girl resembling a Halloween costume more than a human girl, hair dyed the color of Easter or perhaps a sunrise, dull skin stretched across a skeletal body frame unsuitable for anyone but a starving man, pale eyes surrounded by dark circles, seemingly haunted by memories locked inside the deepest darkest parts of her brain that could be easily freed by a simple slip of the tongue? Who would dare pester a girl like her? She was the bottom of the barrel, a dead dandelion in a sea of blossoming marigolds, the emptiness of an abandoned house, the hopelessness of a man who had lost everything and had no way of getting it back. She was alone in her old bedroom and at her old home and in her thoughts and in her mind and in her soul. She was nothing. Simply matter taking up space in an infinite wasteland of black. But this wasteland she was in was getting stuffy and she turned to the man at the wheel, raising her voice just loud enough to be heard over the engine's white noise.

"May I open a window please?"

The man seemed startled by the sound of her small voice, one he'd never heard before this moment. Turning to her, he nodded slightly, the starched collar of his crisp blue oxford collar shirt scratching against the stubble that speckled his face as if he were sprinkled with pepper.

"Go right ahead."

She nodded back at him, turning back to the clear glass and cranking down the window, a blast of cold air whirling into the car as she did so, causing her to shiver. The driver turned to her for a moment but decided against speaking, choosing to avoid her hollow voice. She folded her arms silently, resting them on the edge of the window as she allowed her head to escape her current speeding prison in order to get more air to breathe. She stared intently as the trees that were once miles away began to close in on her, the strong scent of pine and oak surrounding her, putting her soul at ease. The forest green trees whizzed past her as she allowed her mind to finally calm, though sleep still would not come. It was as if her thoughts were tugging at her burned out brain, begging her to concentrate on her slowing stream of consciousness for just a few moments longer.

Suddenly, a break in the trees gave way to a spectacle she had only once before seen, in a grainy photograph in an old science textbook.

Stars.

Stars that, though were faded by the bright LED glow of gas station signs and streetlights guiding their way, and were mixed among the shine of helicopters and airplanes darting across the night sky, absolutely fascinated the girl who had yet to experience a night where hiding or a curfew made it possible to catch even a glimpse of the muted yet glorious sight. She watched the sky with an open-mouthed stare, in awe of how the distant farmland continued to speed by at a pace she could hardly comprehend, though the sky seemed to move with her, as if it were following her every move. A friend, someone to accompany her through the confusion. It's consistency comforted her in a way no therapist had ever been able to, it's weak yet warm glow cradling her like a mother's embrace, a feeling uncommon yet delightful to her. She rested her head on her still folded arms, allowing the sweet white noise begin to lull her back to sleep, eyes still focused on the sky as trees began to sporadically block her view, the appearance of worn down houses along the edge of the exit they pulled onto serving to dim the soothing lights further. As her eyes began to gently flutter closed, a sudden burst of light suddenly startled her back in to full consciousness, a small yelp escaping her lips as her heart began to race, the calm that had once settled over her disappearing in an instant. The light was foreign, the light was wrong, the light terrified her and the light had gone away but that didn't mean the danger was gone, and now dim spots were floating across her vision and anxiety was beginning to set in, an ever present enemy that had hidden away for the majority of the ride finally returning to take her as prey once more. Over the roar of her mind and the harshness of her breathing, somewhere in reality the girl was beginning to hear the sound of gentle ambient music, something strangely familiar, gently attempting to drag her back to the soft faux suede and the humming of the car engine and the reality that she was alright, she was not in danger, she was in fact on her way to safety. Though minutes later she was able to get her body back down to earth, her mind had become a whirlwind of thoughts once again, and she couldn't help but wonder what the mystery light had been, what it would mean, what it could possibly do to her. At this time, however, not even her wildest dreams could comprehend what that light would eventually mean to her, what it would do for her and what she would, eventually, do for it.