The Wish From Heaven | ✓

chapter 2 : the stranger

I nod, unsure of what to say as a reply to the stranger.

"Who was he to you?" he asks.

I hug my knees tighter, fixing my gaze on the green grass. "My best friend," I reply.

"I see." After a moment's silence, he says, "It sucks, doesn't it? You love someone so earnestly, and all you want is to spend more time with them, but time seems to be the only thing you haven't got. They make you so strong, so invulnerable, that it feels as if nothing else in life could stop you from anything. And then they leave you, and within the blink of an eye, they're gone forever. Maybe such lengths of strength when we are with them is what makes us so terribly weak after we've lost them. By losing the one we love, we lose the reason to be strong."

Confused, I turn and look at him closely. The skin of his face looks like a pattern of buttermilk and pale brown, owing to the shade of the branches and leaves of the tree overhead. His hair, not very neatly organized, is of dark reddish brown, though it might look a shade lighter under the open sky. Wearing black sweatpants and a gray full-sleeved t-shirt even in this hot summer day, he looks as if he came directly from his bed after waking up in the morning. His eyes, a brown so deep it looks black unless you observe properly, look tired and exhausted. His rose pink lips are rough and chapped, as if he hasn't drunk water in a while. Beauty spots of different sizes fill his entire neck, and his Adam's apple rises a little higher when he speaks.

He has an admirable beauty in him, but all of it seems to be pushed to the shadows behind the lament veiling his face.

"Why...are you telling me all this?" I ask.

"Why, I wonder?" He smiles. I would have never thought anyone could own the same beautiful and radiant smile as Dawn's. Holding the smile on his face, he looks upwards.

"Oh, looks like it's going to rain. We should head back," he says.

I follow his gaze to the graying sky, the white clouds which filled it a while ago now replaced by darker ones. Gentle thunder sounds reach my ears, as the trees slowly dance in the wind. Would explain why the birds quietened down - they must be looking for a place to take shelter in. I take a deep breath, inhaling the wet air.

I look back at the boy. "We should, yeah." After a moment's hesitation, I proceed to ask his name, when my phone buzzes. I mutter a small "Excuse me" to which he nods, and take out my phone. Not to my surprise, it was a text from mom.

[recieved today at 2:58 pm]

Mom:

Where are you?

come back home quickly. You
have tuition from 5 did you
forget?

It is 3 pm now. Even if the world turns upside down, I can't miss my tuition classes no matter what. I don't reply as usual and put the phone back. I turn back to the boy, only to find no one there.

I search around, finding nothing but the empty green field and the countless gravestones. I am the only person above the ground here, not belonging as usual. A strong wind blows, making the loosely hanging leaves of the branches elope their home and fly away to an undiscovered distance following the breeze. With a heavy heart, I look back at Dawn and try to smile, failing at it.

"Looks like I am finally losing my mind, Dawn," I tell him, my voice slightly shaking when I pronounce his name.

The wind carries away my sigh, and I head to the place I am forced to call home, wondering when my turn to fly away will come.