Eva of New Haven

Eva stared into her father's eyes. She recalled them once being full of life, only to now find them tired and weary. Her father raised his hand and Eva took it, feeling his coarse skin from a lifetime of work, and held it to her cheek. A single tear escaped her eye and her father wiped it away with his thumb.

"Don't cry, my love. We'll meet again one day," he said in a croaky whisper.

"When Papa?" she asked.

"After you have lived a rich, full life. One full of adventure and curiosity."

Eva drew in a shaky breath, her sobs low and heavy. She had watched her father, bed-ridden and growing iller each day, for nearly three years. Her father had taught her many things, but household chores were not one of them. These were skills she had acquired after her father fell ill. She was responsible for taking care of him in his sickness. She knew not what ailed him, nor why he became sick, but she knew he was not long for this Earth.

Her father looked up at her and smiled, a tear rolling down his cheek.

"Always stay true to who you are, Eva. Even when others put you down," he advised, "Follow your heart, and it will take you further than you could ever imagine."

Eva nodded understandingly and began to cry harder. Her father took her hand and kissed her knuckles lightly. His grip grew weaker, and soon, his hold on his daughter's small hand wasn't strong enough. His hand fell, hanging off of the bed, and he whispered his final words:

"I love you, Eva. Never forget that" he whispered, his words trailing off as he exhaled deeply.

"I love you, Papa," Eva said through even heavier tears.

Her father eyes remained open, but Eva knew there was no more life in them. She buried her head in his chest, sobbing harder than she had ever done before. She slowly rose to her feet and walked to the kitchen table, where a bucket of water was resting, and she poured it over the fire, shrouding the entire cabin in darkness. She turned toward the door and ran out into the night. She ran quickly, not worried about where she was going, only that she didn't want to stay in her home anymore. It wasn't her home anymore. Eva was an orphan now, and she knew that no place would ever feel like home again. Eva ran deeper into the woods, her small woodland home growing even smaller with the further she fled.

After running for what seemed like hours, she came to a small stream. She collapsed in front of the stream and quickly drank from it, the water soothing her dry throat. She looked at her reflection in the water. Her eyes were almost as red as her hair, but her pupils were still the same emerald green as always. She sniffled and rubbed her small nose with the back of her hands. She scooped water up with her hands and washed her face, the cold water instantly cooling her hot face. When she stood up, she realized she had dirtied her cloak. It was a long cloak, the indigo fabric flowing past her knees. It was her late mother's cloak, which she had inherited after her mother passed away when she was younger. Her father would've been so angry. Eva began to cry again at this thought. She drank from the river some more before finally moving on.

She walked with a slow gait, careful not to trip over anything or step on anything sharp, as she was wearing no shoes. The moonlight just barely illuminated the path enough for her to see it. She squinted her eyes as she tried to keep her eyes on the dark path before her. Then, out of nowhere, there was a bright light before her. It was a violet colour and left a beautiful trail of purple light behind it. The light danced around her and Eva giggled as she spun with the light, trying not to lose sight of it. The light stopped suddenly and fled down the path.

"Hey! Come back!" Eva cried as she chased after the strange light.

The light was fast, too fast for Eva to keep up with. But she was persistent, and could just make out the luminescent purple of its light trail, and followed that as quickly as she could. Eva ran after the light until she found herself in a large clearing. She scanned the horizon, looking for any sign of the light, but it was nowhere to be found. She slumped down to the ground, sitting cross-legged and rested her chin in her hands. She looked for the light as she sat but still could not see it through the tall grass. Finally, she gave up and fell on her back with her eyes closed.

Later, Eva awoke. She was still in the field, and it was still night. The stars above her shone brightly, and she laid in the field admiring the beautiful night sky. Then, she noticed something strange. One small star seemed to be growing larger. No, not larger. Closer. She sat up, her hands behind her supporting her weight as she watched this strange little star descend from the heavens. The star began to change colour. It changed from the bright white of every other star, into the familiar violet light that led her to the clearing. Eva held out her hands, and the star gently landed in her cupped hands, turning her face a deep purple. She stared in awe at the star she now held in her hand.

"Wow!" she whispered, wondrously.

The star then floated up a few feet above Eva's head and stayed floating in place, only bobbing up and down ever so slightly. Eva stared at her star, and let out a small gasp as slightly larger yellow star took its place beside the violet one. Suddenly, more stars began to fall out of the sky and Eva watched in amazement as the cosmos came to her. Or was the ground pushing her into the cosmos?

Eva reached her short arms up in the air to touch her star. As her finger grazed the floating light, her hand began to turn the same luminescent violet as the star. She gasped and tried to rub the color off her skin, but it wouldn't come off. She looked at her now violet hand and her other pale one. She thought for a moment, then reached up to touch a yellow star, which immediately turned her hand the same hue. She looked at her hands and laughed. She began frolicking through the fields, jumping at each star and watched in amazement as her hands changed colour with each star she touched. Violet, yellow, blue, green, orange. Each colour change was beautiful.

Eva was soon in a full-on sprint, running through the field and jumping as high as she could. She ran even faster and jumped even higher than she ever knew she could. She looked ahead and noticed the end of the field, which ended at the top of a cliff overlooking a large body of water. She could see the stars bouncing off the waves; she had never seen such a gorgeous sight. She reached the end of the field, and stood silently, watching the ocean view, the moonlight mirrored on the black water.

She felt a strange sense of excitement standing atop the cliff. Something told her to cross the ocean in front of her. But she couldn't. She had no way across. She stared out at the scene before her, and heard her father's voice echo, "Follow your heart, and it will take you further than you could ever imagine".

Eva looked at the horizon, full of hope. She turned around and walked back into the field. She was getting a running start. Eva stared at the edge, took a few deep breaths, and began to run. She ran. Fast, faster, faster than her legs could carry her. She reached the end of the cliff and jumped, reaching for her star, and this time, she didn't let go. Her skin began to turn the same lovely violet hue as the star she was holding. First her hands, then her arms, her torso, her legs, and finally, her face. She was violet from head to toe. And she was flying. She flew over the water, the wind blowing through her short hair and she felt free.

She was Eva, of New Haven, and her heart was taking her home.