Waving Through A Window

China Vase

"I'll get it!" Daichi yelled, waving his hand in the air. He sprinted after the rubber ball that had been kicked out of their makeshift field. It bounced quickly down the street, headed in the exact direction the brunet wanted it to.

Ever since that fine summer day, Daichi had made it his mission to find out who lived in that third floor window. Daichi would find out even if it took him the rest of the summer, or even the rest of the year.

The ball continued to roll down the street, and Daichi continued to chase it. They were nearing the pastel-blue house and Daichi felt his heart-rate increase. Even though a fairly strong breeze was blowing, hot sweat trickled down the back of his neck from both the heat and nerves.

The ball rolled to a stop a few houses down from Daichi's destination, but he was out of sight of the other boys so he could continue on without them knowing. He picked up the ball and tucked it under his arm, finishing the journey to the house.

This time, the curtain to the third floor window was open, but Daichi's position on the street made it impossible to see inside. Daichi stood up on his toes and squinted his eyes, trying to get even the smallest glimpse of the person inside.

Lost in his own head, Daichi didn't see the front door to the house open.

"Hey, young man! Are you looking for something?" A woman called from her place in the doorway. She wasn't fully outside, instead just peeking her head out.

"No, ma'am! I was just looking for my ball, but it turns out it's here," Daichi said, laughing nervously at the use of the lie.

"Well, be on your way then," The woman said. She turned and closed the door, shutting it with more force than was strictly nessessary.

Daichi let out a sigh. This job was going to be more difficult than he anticipated.

Before Daichi made his way back down the street, however, the downstairs curtain opened. Not fully, but just enough to see inside. From his place on the sidewalk, Daichi could see the pearl-white wallpaper that decorated the walls of the room. A China vase rested on a hardwood pedestal. It didn't shine in the afternoon light, but it brought your eye in a different way. It looked delicate but sturdy, breakable yet strong.

A head of hair passed by the opening in the curtain. It was so quick it almost escaped the brunet's eye. Strangely, it was silver, like the color of a polished ring. Unlike the vase, it caught the sliver of afternoon light that shined into the room, making each individual strand glow.

Now Daichi really had to know who lived there.

When Daichi returned to the other boys they were all sitting on the curb enjoying Popsicles. The treats were quickly melting, forcing the boys to eat as quickly as they could.

"Ah, Daichi! You missed the truck, man!" One boy called, taking one last bite of his treat and standing up. He discarded the wooden stick in a gutter.

"Really?" Daichi fake whined. "That sucks."

"Yeah, but he said he's coming 'round tomorrow, so you can get some then!"

After their short-lived conversation, the group went back to playing. After what seemed like minutes their parents were calling them in for dinner, beconing them with bells and shouts.

Daichi ran into his house and slipped of his shoes, putting then in the 'to be washed' pile. The brunet followed his mother to the dinner table where his father sat, waiting for the meal to start.

"Did you have fun today?" Kazue, Daichi's mother, asked, taking her seat at the head of the table. Daichi smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I did. And question, do you know who lives at the blue house down the street?" Daichi asked, thanking her for the food and taking a bite. A pensive look crossed Kazue's face.

"I'm not sure," She turned to her husband. "Dear, do you know who lives there?"

The man thought for a moment before saying a small 'no'.

"There's your answer, sorry, Daichi," Kazue cooed, taking a bite of her dinner.

The brunet smiled and nodded. Could he be new to the neighborhood? Daichi thought. Maybe he's just too nervous to come out and say hi!

With that thought, Daichi quickly shoved the rest of his dinner into his mouth. He asked to be excused and put his dishes away, running quickly up the stairs afterwards.

Once he had reached his room he shut the door. He crossed the room and pulled a bright orange piggy bank off the shelf, dumping its contents out onto his bed.

Daichi started to sort through the coins, counting how much the total would be. In the end, he had a total of twenty three dollars, which was more than enough to buy two ice-cream cones from the truck tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~

So, my x-ray went well! It turns out that all the stuff that's going on is just growing pains. I'm completely fine!

So I've written more chapters and this story going to be on the shorter side, more like the length of Spirits than Popular.

Have a nice day/night! [No takebacks]

~Daniel