We Shall Meet Again

Part 1

Once, there were two children, one named Xavier and the other Sabrina. They met when they were five years old. How did they meet? Well, the story goes like this...

It was a warm summer night, and 5-year-old Sabrina lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. The soft rustling of the leaves outside her window called to her, and a cool breeze whispered through the small gap in the glass. She could see a slice of the moonlit sky from her bed, but it wasn't enough. Something inside her stirred, a restless yearning to see the night more clearly, to be under the open sky, where the stars seemed to dance freely.

In a burst of childlike determination, Sabrina climbed out of bed, tiptoeing across the wooden floor so as not to wake her parents. She tugged at her blanket, tying one end around her bedpost and tossing the other out the window. It dangled toward the ground, just far enough for her to climb down. For a child, it was a daunting drop, but Sabrina's heart thumped with excitement more than fear. She grabbed the blanket and, with her small hands gripping tightly, began her descent.

The night air greeted her with a refreshing coolness as her feet touched the ground. Her bare toes sank into the dewy grass, and the quiet world around her felt alive. She looked up at the vast sky, its inky blackness sprinkled with stars that shimmered like distant diamonds. But that wasn't enough for Sabrina. She felt something pull at her heart, guiding her small feet toward somewhere she didn't quite know but somehow felt familiar.

She walked along the quiet streets, her soft footsteps the only sound in the stillness. The town around her was asleep, windows dark, and not a soul stirred. Yet she felt strangely unafraid. The moonlight illuminated her path, guiding her like a secret friend. Sabrina didn't know where she was going, but she trusted the invisible force pulling her forward.

As she rounded a corner, Sabrina stopped in her tracks. There, ahead of her, was an old, rundown bus, its once-bright paint now faded and chipped. It sat at the edge of a forgotten lot, abandoned yet somehow inviting under the glow of the moon. And then she saw him—perched atop the bus, sitting quietly against the backdrop of the starry sky, was a boy. Even from a distance, she recognized him instantly: Xavier, her classmate.

Her heart skipped a beat as she walked closer, the grass soft beneath her feet. She approached the bus slowly, craning her neck to get a better look at him. His legs were dangling over the edge, and his eyes were fixed on the sky, lost in thought. She hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Hey! You know that's dangerous, right?" Sabrina's voice cut through the stillness.

Xavier flinched, startled by the sudden sound. He turned around, his eyes widening in surprise when he saw her. The moonlight cast a soft glow on her face, highlighting her curious expression.

"Yeah, I know it's dangerous," he replied after a pause, his voice quiet but steady.

"Then why are you up there?" she asked, furrowing her brows as she stared up at him.

Xavier looked back at the sky, as if the answer lay among the stars. "Because the view up here is beautiful," he said simply.

Sabrina tilted her head, intrigued. She had never thought of climbing a bus for the view, but something about the way he said it made her want to see what he saw. "Really? Help me up! I want to see the view too!" she said, her voice bubbling with excitement.

Xavier hesitated for a moment, but then he saw the eager sparkle in her eyes. There was something innocent and bold about her request. He reached down and offered his hand. As her small hand grasped his, he pulled her up with surprising ease, and soon she was sitting beside him, her legs swinging over the edge.

Together, they sat in silence, gazing up at the endless sky. The stars seemed closer up here, as if they were within reach. The night stretched out before them, vast and mysterious, and for a moment, neither of them spoke, caught up in the magic of it.