The Cruel Side of Hearts [COMPLETED]

Chapter 18: Darkness in the Light

Being welcomed is not the same as being accepted. That is what I learnt today after my visit to the diamond beaches with Mira. She dragged me out of the apartment early in the morning, way before sunrise. One of my hands rested on a flask of hot coffee, the other was occupied holding onto her shoulder as we soared over the morning haze on top of her moth.

Everything was shrouded in fog, and the moisture of the air did nothing to ensure comfort and warmth. To put it simply for you people to understand, I was freezing. The excessive moisture in the air only made it worse, and the biting ocean breeze was less than unpleasant.

The muffled sound of the wingbeats made for a relaxing ambience, as dawn began creeping up from the sea.Listening closely I could  just barely make out the sound of waves as they beat up against the shore. 

Soon enough we began descending. The inky waters greeted us with a delicate shimmer as we silently landed onto the shimmering sands. This beach became even more beautiful under the full moon, with the beams of moonlight casting a soft glow onto its surroundings. It felt almost alive, a creature finally taking a deep breath after the humans have vacated the premises.

Mira hopped off and lent me a hand. I gladly accepted. She stood still for a moment, observing our surroundings carefully.

"We start there" She pointed to the right. "Take this"

She shoved a large  industrial garbage bag into my hands.

"Wait, what? You've brought me here to clean up some trash in the middle of the night?"

Her piercing glare shut me up quickly, as I wordlessly accepted her offer. We began working through the different patches of garbage, meticulously picking up every last bit of junk. I knew that the beaches were highly polluted, but I never really understood the full weight of it until now.

The first half an hour was of restless labour, packing up all of the possible trash and stowing it into the numerous bags that Mira had the forethought to bring. That was until I saw something moving under a torn bridal veil.

Carefully, I removed the fabric to reveal a small  blue sea turtle struggling to breathe within the densely packed folds of the garment.

The creature was about the size of a large kitten. Its beautiful shell had intricate swirls, and the silver grains of sand that were stuck within them added even more visual interest to it's appearance. 

I held it gently in my hands,lowering my head a bit to observe it closer. The little bastard looked up at me, and without missing a beat reached out its neck and pulled off a few pieces of my hair. I was surprised at the motion, and reflexively pulled my arms away. The tiny thing then has the audacity to stare into my eyes with the saddest puppy eyes ever seen to mankind. Still chewing on my hair it titled its head, as if wanting more. 

Rubbing my temple where my hair got pulled out, I call out to get Mira's attention. In a few moments she is by my side, laughing her head off.

"what?" I ask, "There is nothing funny in this situation"

"Dude, have you seen your face?" She giggled " You kinda look like this"

She grimaced, showing off a rather shocked and confused interpretation of what my face apparently looks like. I sigh, knowing very well that she is most likely right.

"let's get this poor guy back to the ocean" she says, carefully prying the turtle out of my grasp.

She walked up to the shoreline. I thought she would stop there, but no, she continued on, until she was waist deep in the inky waters. 

Gently she lowered the baby turtle into the water. After that, she watched him swim away for a few moments. Maybe I imagined it, but it looked like the little turtle waved a little at us. After that, Mira got out of the water and brushed herself off.

"Come on, I want to show you something."

She took me by the hand and led me to the far side of the cliff. I expected her to show me some more beautiful scenery...needless to say i was stupefied when she led me to an abandoned cemetery.

And my face immediately darkened.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked

with sadness She approached a small tombstone. Unlike the others which were overgrown and this one was rather well cared for.

"who is it?" I asked hesitantly.

"That's... That's my girlfriend... Was, I mean, was my girlfriend."

There was an uncomfortable pause as I waited for her to continue.

"she and I met about a year and a half ago. We were careful... We only met in the middle of the night when no one was around... We swore to each other that we wouldn't tell anyone. For our mutual safety... But one night my tongue slipped. I thought my mother would understand, I always told everything... I thought she was different. We had a grand brawl... And I was forbidden to see her for many weeks.

About two weeks after it happened, I found her body, cold and dead, lying in the middle of the boulevard. It happened on my one of my nightly walks. I finally decided to disobey my mother and meet her. It seemed like she was waiting for me every night. I'm truly disappointed that I never even got a chance to say goodbye to her properly..."

She trailed off, then regained her composure and started anew.

"I am rather fortunate to be alive right now. The mayor of our city has a very strict view of what is allowed and what is not. All people who don't fit into the box are destroyed. Of course when asked, he always denies the claims, but then later on the news we see a report of mass genocide.

If you don't live in a traditional family, if you don't have a spouse of the opposite gender, if you don't do what you "should" people will consider you a threat. Our city is perceived as a place of happiness, but I haven't seen a more disgruntled group of people in my life. Sure, some people don't find it that hard, but before you after my girlfriend died, I haven't seen a real smile in a long time...remember, when I first met you? I told you that you were one of the infected. Slowly deteriorating from the plague that is imperfect love. A plague that has already brought end to my happiness..."

"Thank you for sharing this with me," I said. I offered her a hug, as she melted into my arms, as snow began falling from the sky.