Two Eyes Down

Soups and Squirrels

Demi's POV

Natalie went into surgery again today, Monica hasn't moved from my side this entire time. We're both worried about Natalie, I'm always worried, but Monica is dreading telling everyone. She's terrified of telling them actually. To be honest, I have my concerns, but Natalie and her new friend across the hall have it way worse.

The poor guy looked awful. He was probably in his mid fifties, what was left of his hair was mostly grey and the non disfigured parts of him showed age wrinkles. Every crease had ash embedded in them. The burns on his skin were a highlight to his otherwise pale tone. It was probably the most gruesome image I've ever seen of a person while I stand before them.

"Demi?" Monica asked concerned. I slowly looked up from the soup I've been constantly stirring for the last fifteen minutes. She showed nothing but sympathy, I wish I could say the same, I'm falling apart piece by piece. I'd be totally gone if I didn't constantly stay alert, all hours, night and day.
"Eat. I'm getting dizzy watching the whirlpool of veggies."

I look down at my soup, when I stop stirring, the variety of vegetables including tomatoes, carrots, green peppers, and green beans slowly comes to a halt as the momentum of the moving spoon wains away. I can't help but watch as they clump together like a car accident on a busy highway. One after the other, all bunched into one space. Except for this one carrot piece, which drifts away from the accident and just sluggishly spins in circles. I feel like this carrot. Lonely, unsure of my movements, confused, spinning in circles to distract myself from the mess that has started and will become huge in due time.

"I'm not hungry. This soup looks gross too." I lied. I don't want to eat, I've gotten so used to eating and texting or calling Natalie that I keep looking at my phone, hoping it will light up with her contact and 'hey babe' written under it. I'm disappointed constantly because with each passing moment, it stays the same, Black and vaguely reflecting the ceiling with the light above us.

The soup is minestrone, my favorite. If Natalie was sitting across from me, she'd laugh about me making stories about all the inequality that happens within the bowl I usually dip my spoon into rapidly. She knows how much I like minestrone. She also knows that if she interrupts my moments with the hot substance even once to say how similar soup is to life with its metaphorical relations that I'd slap her. Probably apologize for hours on end and kiss her like I only had half a breath left to do so, but I would.

I'm so deep in my thoughts it takes Monica's hand to grip my chin and lift so I am forced to look at her to snap me out of it. "Listen Demi" Monica starts." I miss her too, and I'm worried also, but she's supposed to wake up today. When we see her, she will ask if i took care of you. I can't lie to her in this situation. I can't tell her I did when here you sit, not eating a damn thing. You got away with it this morning, now eat before I tape you to the chair and feed it to you."

Then she lets me go, but doesn't look away from me. She just gestures to my side of the table, urging me to consume. She's already finished, but I don't know when or how she did it. Slowly, I lift the spoon full of food to my lips and slurp quietly, to lazy to open my mouth. I do this about three times before Monica stands and pushes her chair in.

"What?" I ask in exasperation. "I'm eating."

She lifts one perfectly plucked eyebrow at me. "No, you're slurping. Slurping does not require you to open your mouth and consume solid objects." Monica then leans down next to me and unlocks her phone. A minute later she grabs the salt and pepper shakers, pulling them a few inches from my bowl in one single motion. In one more she leans her phone on the shakers and an image is laid before me. It's me and Natalie, she nuzzles into my neck in a ball on my lap while I sit on a brick wall in front of a colorful flowerbed, looking somewhere out of the cameras view. I recognize from the tall green roller coaster in the background this was taken near Goliath. Probably after we went on because I can practically feel the shaking of her anxious body like I could in that moment. The picture was taken without us knowing, so there is a certain charm to it.

"Eat for her." Monica says, standing and hugging my side. "You need her just as much as she needs you. Do it for both of you. And me, might as well since I want to live past her waking."

I laugh, but the setting of Veggies is darkened by the events of the last couple days and the humour leaves as soon as the noise passes my lips. I stared at this photograph, I look at Natalie and instantly feel tears welling up in my throat, pressing my windpipe back so I was having trouble breathing steadily. I'll eat, I'll eat for her.

Natalie's POV

"Are you ok?" The little creature in front of me asks. "You look quite ill." His accent is English and his head cocks to the side every time he asks a question that I do not answer immediately. His beady eyes look into mine and his short brown mixed with grey hair blows in the slight breeze around us. I don't know how, but somehow we got to a lovely spot on a hill. It's about dawn, the city backlit by the sun as it rises. I takes a moment to realise the similarities, this has been described to me, this place is somewhere I have been before. Demi took me here not too long ago. I look back at the little guy, who has scurried up the tree since I last payed attention. His train of thought is all on the acorn in his grip, I can see it as his face twitches in frustration that it will not open.

"I'm just fine, and how are you?" I answer, approaching the tree.

"Dandy. I am just dandy." He say, is features implying a smile that it unable to present itself.

"How can you talk? You're a squirrel." Although this is a peculiar question to ask an English squirrel, or any squirrel, it seems to pass my lips without trouble.

"Don't ask me, I have no clue. How can you talk?"he challenges.

"Well," I start. "I do not know. Vocal chords?"

"Very well. There are girls waiting for you yonder. Be careful though, the path is a treacherous one."

"Who are they?"

"I didn't care enough to ask. Now go on, the clouds are forming, you don't have long." I look up, sure enough, rainbow coloured clouds swirled above me.

So I did what I never did. I ran.
----------------------------------------------Natalie's PoV will be wacky for a while. I'm sorry if you find this stupid. But, vote, comment, share, and follow if you like.

Next update (usually every Friday) will me delayed/canceled to catch up. I'm behind on everything, sorry