A Smile

The fight against darkness

They awoke to a darkness that swirled in their mind, a heaviness pulling upon their limbs, and a voice telling them that today was not worth it, it would be much easier to return to sleep, where nothing could bother them.

They ignored it, pushing that darkness to the depths of their mind, and moving away from it.

As they began their journey to today's destination, they passed a woman at a table, scowling at a mountain of unpaid bills, and a man grumbling angrily at the coffee spilled on his new tie.

They offered the two all they had in the face of the darkness tearing at their mind, a smile.

"Have a lovely day," they said, the smile adorning their face so bright that the couple couldn't help but lose some of their darkness that morning and smile back.

They moved on in their day to see a wonderful girl, with makeup slightly smeared from tears, dragging her feet on the sidewalk.

They plucked a dandelion from the grass along the side of the road and offered it to the girl, the same smile shining, even as they fought the darkness in their own mind.

The girl gave a small smile of her own back, and her step lightened as some of her darkness dissipated.

Crying outside the building to which they were headed, they found a small, skinny boy, with bruises along his arms.

They had little to do to help, but reached into their bag for a drawing they had made to give the boy with a smile.

The child's tears dried and his darkness retreated as he grinned back at them.

Inside the building, their own darkness thickened, trying to drag them to the ground, but they were distracted as a kid slammed a fist into the wall when his locker wouldn't open for the fifth time.

With a smile as always, the only thing they could offer, they helped him to open it, earning a laugh and high-five in return, as that boy's darkness fell away for the time being.

As their day went on, they continued to give people all they could offer, their smile never dimming, though in their eyes it wasn't much.

Their own darkness was becoming all powerful.

They felt the sting of loneliness, and the drag of uselessness, and the fear of the future, and the hopelessness of life...

But then something happened.

On their way home, they saw a woman.

An old woman, in ragged clothes, with nothing more to offer than a smile and a wave.

The woman grinned at them, waving with a small, seemingly meaningless, "Beautiful hat you have on, child".

The darkness reared back, retreating to the furthest recess of their mind.

Their darkness left them for the day, with only one kind act to help shoo it away.

Little did they know that they had done the same for so many others.