'I don't trust it, Luna. There's something going on that you're not telling me.'
'Maybe...'
'Don't 'maybe' me! What is it?'
'Oh well, there's school. Gotta go!'
Luna Oakley's whole life is quite abnormal. She's just a normal teenager with constant...
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I was out of school. Away from stuffy classrooms, away from countless worksheets, away from the smell of espresso. Instead, the scent of sausages on barbecues filled the fresh air. Thin clouds streaked the blue sky while seagulls flew across, probably on their way to the seaside nearby. The smaller birds were singing, and a small breeze blew my hair out of my face. It was midday, and the sun was shining brightly, illuminating a little girl running past me with a huge ice cream. For once, it wasn't weird that I was wearing sunglasses to protect my vision because everybody else was wearing them as well! I knew I had to speak to my parents soon, but for this small moment in time, I hadn't a care in the world.
The little girl stopped when she found her mother and hopped energetically. She looked really familiar, somehow.
'Mummy, can we go to the beach? Sophie is there!'
Her mother did not reply, but looked at her daughter with raised eyebrows instead.
'Please?'
'Lily, I told you already. We won't go to the beach until Milo comes home from school. It's not nice to do something fun without him.'
Of course! She's the girl I met at the nurse's office! I had no idea she was Milo's sister, though.
'But he's always at school! We could go twice!'
'No. You just have to wait, sweetie. Here, have the rest of my ice cream and you can eat it with your friend over there.'
Lily huffed but took the ice cream anyway. Running to meet her friend, they hugged each other and jumped around a bit. At the same time, a smile filled with love graced the mother's face as she watched her daughter play around happily.
For some reason, I couldn't take my eyes off of this scene. This scene could be called 'mundane' or 'ordinary'; but in that moment, I didn't feel like this was something 'ordinary' at all.
For starters, this was only possible because these children were born in a time and place of relative peace. Their happiness was protected.
Secondly, they were admirable. These children had no fear of being judged at all, no fear of being called 'weird'. They just did what they loved.
My heart clenched. I never got to experience that.
Walking past them, I felt sadness suddenly washing over me like a cold wave. A minute ago, the merry scenery filled me with joy. Now it filled me with despair.
'Let's make a sandcastle at the beach!'
'Look at this pretty stone I found!'
'I got rainbow sprinkles on my ice cream!'
It was a pity that this childish wonder would disappear once they learned about the darker side of the world.
My feet felt heavier and heavier with every step I took, and the air of cheerfulness was swallowed up by an air of melancholy in less than a second. The sound of carefree and delighted children rang in my ears, reminding me of the childhood I never had. Everything just felt so...
