Short Story Collection

An Unrequited Love

This is it. This is the moment that changes everything. This very letter sitting in the palms of the brunette's hands can decide the rest of her life. The girl just can't seem to wait anymore and rips the wax seal right off of the paper envelope.

After skimming the letter for a few seconds, she finally comprehends what she read. "I'm going to be a pirate." The brunette places the letter gently on her bed in disbelief. She stands up slowly and shouts, "Bloody hell! I'm going to be a fucking pirate!"

The woman entering the brunette's bedroom interrupts her excitement. "Callypso! What have I told you about swearing?" The girl jumps slightly, not realizing her mother was nearby. "Sorry Ma."

The woman makes her way past her daughter while saying, "It's alright, sweetheart." Once Callypso's mother is standing in front of the window on the far side of the room, she leans against it, and asks, "So, your uncle got back to you?" Callypso answers, "Oh! Yeah! He said that I could go along with him and be a part of his crew."

Nova walks over to her daughter and pulls her into a hug. "When do you leave?" Both ladies let go from the hug. Callypso picks up the letter on her bed and says, " I leave on the fourteenth of July at two in the afternoon."

Nova's eyes widen almost double their size. "Today is July fourteenth! And it's twelve o'clock already! You're going to be late! You have to pack and be out the door," the green-eyed woman looks at her watch, "ten minutes ago!"

"Okay, Ma. Chill out." Callypso responds while walking over her closet to pull out a duffel bag. "I'll just pack a few things quick, and I'll head out. No biggie." The girl starts to walk around her room, finding things she'll need to bring with her, and throwing them in her bag. "Oh! And I need to tell Fleur I'm leaving." The brunette comes to a stop as she makes a realization. "I need to tell Fleur I'm leaving!"

Callypso runs past her mom and out the door in a hurry to get to Fleur's house across the street. She turns around halfway down the hallway and comes back to stand under the arch of the doorframe. "Can you finish packing for me? Just throw in anything you think a pirate would need." She starts back down the hallway, not letting her mother answer, and shouts, "Thanks! I love you, Ma!"

Nova sighs while shaking her head, and says, "So much like her father." She points up to the roof as if talking to the sky. "You better watch over her out there by the way." She stops nagging her late husband and begins to pack whatever Callypso may need while away.

Callypso makes it out the door, and as she's crossing the street, she spots Fleur in her front yard. Callypso feels as if time stops. Fleur has been her best friend since they were both in diapers, but lately, Callypso feels something more for her blond friend. The brunette has noticed how her blond hair always lays so nicely, how her blue eyes feel like a passageway to the ocean, how she looks stunning no matter what she wears. Callypso likes Fleur more than a friend should. She has thought of confessing countless times, but is so scared of rejection, or losing their friendship, that she just isn't able to do it.

"Fleur!" Callypso calls out upon seeing her best friend.

Fleur turns around to find the person that shouted her name. "Cally! How are you?" The blond walks up to her mid legth fence while asking, "Did your uncle get back to you yet?" Distraught, Callypso responds, "Yeah, about that," the brunette pauses a moment while rubbing the back of her neck, "I leave today. Like, right now."

"What?" Fleur asks, upset.

"Look, I know that it's super sudden." Callypso pauses. Should I tell her? "And I know that this is really out there but I'm in lo-"

Nova comes out of the house with Callypso's duffle and shouts across the street, "Callypso! You gotta go! The ship will leave without you!"

Callypso turns around to respond to her mother. "I know! Just give me a second."

The soon to be pirate huffs out a breath and turns back around to her best friend. "But I'm, uh," Callypso stalls. "I, uh, I can write to you! Yup! I can write to you!" She lets out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah! I can write to you! And I don't know how long I'll be, but I will come back." She takes both of Fleur's hands into her own and looks into her blue eyes. "I promise."

Fleur looks down a moment in contemplation. She then looks back up into Callypso's brown eyes after a few long seconds and squeezes her hands. "Okay. I'll be waiting for you." She pauses a second. "I promise." Both of the girls' hands fall.

"Well?" Fleur asks Callypso. "What are you still doing here? You have the whole world to see!" The blond begins to push her friend away. "Get going!"

The brunette pulls Fleur into a hug that ends almost as fast as it began. She backs away while saying, " I'm going, I'm going. I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Yeah." The blond nods while smiling. Callypso smiles back, turns around, hugs her mom goodbye, and makes her way to the train to start her pirate adventure.

Once the sun sets and the moon and stars appear in the night sky, Callypso heads to the bow of the ship to take in the fresh air. She contemplates a while on how the rest of her future will play out. There is one thing she's certain of though. She will return to Fleur someday, and she just hopes that Fleur will wait for her, like she's waiting for Fleur.