Skipping Stones ➼ pjm ✓

🕜01 00 Hour🕜

01 00 Hour

The moon shone like a silver sphere standing out in the dark sky, accompanied by the stars that twinkled, as if trying to comfort the moon. If you looked closely, you could see the grey specks of the moon.

It shared its rays with the lake in front of me. The water glimmered as the light wind rippled the surface.

I placed my elbows on my knees, my head resting on my knuckles. I let everything that occupied my head free. I let go of everything, only focusing on appreciating the sight in front of me.

I was unsure of the time. I had no phone and no watch. I was on my own, and I liked it. I liked the silence - aside the chirping crickets. But even that seemed to

"Hi."

I jumped, my head snapped towards the source of the human voice.

In front of my eyes stood a girl with long, wavy hair. I could only make out her shadow, but her piercing blue eyes stood out. They were like the ocean; different shades of blue all at the right places. Her pupils were like a never-ending black hole.

"Hi." I greeted back.

She made her way towards the bench I was on and the closer she came, the better I could see her. She was dressed in a pair of black leggings. It hugged her tiny legs. She wore a pink PINK sweatshirt that was oversized, and it reached mid-thigh. I couldn't tell how small her arms were since her jumper sweatshirt was huge. I bet I could wear it. She also wore a pair of Uggs.

I looked at her face and finally got a good glimpse of her facial features. She looked about my age. She had a sharp nose and defined cheekbones - almost like Angelina Jolie.

She was gorgeous.

She tooked a seat and stared ahead at the lake. "Rough night?" She asked, not looking at me.

"Hard to say," I replied, shrugging.

She let out a light chuckle. "Same."

After that, we both sat in silence. The silence was oddly comfortable though; not awkward, not suffocating. We were complete strangers. I mean, I didn't even know her name.

"So," She finally spoke. "What makes you happy?"

I shrugged.

"C'mon, there has to be one thing that makes you feel a certain way when you hear the word 'happy"." She urged.

I looked at her, taken aback by her sudden question. It made me wonder, what did make me happy? My life was full of lies and fake people. My family? No. They couldn't care less about me. My friends? Well, what friends? All those people cared about was my popularity and fame as one of the most popular person in school. My dog? Well, obviously. How can people not find happiness in puppies with their cute little noses?

"My dog, Woof, maybe." I shrugged nonchantly.

She looked at me, an eyebrow raised. "First of, you named your dog Woof?" She chuckled, her eyes twinkling under the moon's rays. "Secondly, that's it? That's all that makes you happy? I know they say dogs are men's best friend but that's pretty sad.

I mean, what about the little things?

"Y'know, like this lake. The beauty that reflects on this lake; it looks like it contains a million 24 carat diamonds. Its a rare sight. Or what about sunsets and sunrises?" Her eyes widened, as if suddenly excited. "Oh my God, sunsets. The way the sky changes it colours as fast as the clock ticks second by second. Isn't it fascinating? The way the sky's gradients are from an orange to a pink to a purple, with the clouds adding a touch of blue, as if the sky was some sort of coffee art. Its so beautiful.

If things were a little different, I would've said "like you" and it'd be so smooth. However, I was hypnotized by her words.

She must have noticed me staring or felt my gaze on her as she turned to face me, locking her eyes with mine.

"What?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Nothing." I smiled, shaking my head. "But I guess you're right. Its the little things so I guess if I were to choose something, I'd say skipping stones."

"Skipping stones?"

"Yeah, like y'know, its always a mystery. You never know how many skips there are going to be and you can't guess how many skips there are going to be. Its exciting. Plus, there's something calming about seeing the pebble merely touch the water surface before jumping up again, defying gravity. then finally plopping into the water, sinking all the way to the bottom." I smiled as I watched the mild waves shimmer.

"I'm never able to skip a stone. They always sink immediately. She said, glancing at me. Somehow, I feel like there was more meaning to what she said than intended.

"I can teach you."

"Yeah?" She smiled, looking at her hands and fiddling with the hem of her sleeves.

"Of course." Standing up, I grabbed a stone that sat

by my foot.

I stood sideways, my hip facing the waters. I pulled my hand back and took a swing, letting go of the rock as I flicked my wrist. I followed through my throw, ending as if I held a golf club.

"Its all in the flick of the wrist and follow through." I explained, picking up a stone and hanging it to her.

I hadn't noticed that she'd stood up, but I could tell she was watching me intensely.

"This is where you watch me fail," she joked.

I laughed. "We all fail at some point."

She nodded before taking a swing. I kept my eyes trailed on the stone and watched as it skidded once before sinking.

"Well that's a start!" I exclaimed, putting my knuckle up.

She pounded my fist and laughed.

I picked another stone up, as did she and we ended up skipping stones for a while.

It was strange. Both of us had no idea who the other was; we didn't know each other's name, age, or anything. Yet, it didn't feel uncomfortable or unnatural. Everything seemed to have fell into place.

Everything was finally normal for once in my life.

⋘ TO BE CONTINUED ⋙