Once Upon a Story [ INCONSISTENT UPDATES ]

The Poet

❝ 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵? ❞

Word count: 1382

— 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫-𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 📜 ❞

Another crumpled ball launched into a corner; another unworthy verse thrown away to the forgotten. There must've been hundreds of sheets of paper strewn into that quadrant of the room, piled in small mounds that sometimes toppled over, carrying a few dozen balls in the avalanche. The mountain stretched far, invading the little space there was left. But the mess continued to grow as she flicked in another raunchy stanza.

Her brows furrowed as she raked her finger through her hair, annoyed and frustrated with her lack of progress. She had spent the past few hours sitting at her work desk, trying to start her poem, but it was more challenging to write than initially anticipated.

She wished to write about happiness and all its beautiful troubles; the good, the bad and the evil that followed this sun-themed emotion. But her unable mind turned her usual smile upside down, failing to compose anything satisfactory.

I need some air, she thought as she stood from her chair, groaning at the soreness in her knees. She stretched her back, arms above her head, feeling the soothing crack of her spine ease her posture. With a quick shuffle of her feet, she was out on her balcony, leaning against the metal fence.

"How lonesome and boring it is in my office," she sighed, running her fingers against the thickening rust. An interesting risk she took each time she did so. But the monotonous solitude did little to tell her to do otherwise.

She thought to return to work a few minutes later, but the dull atmosphere seeping from the room was unappealing. As she leaned her chin against her palm, feeling her head tip from side to side, she remembered a story, a play, and a dear friend.

"Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?"

As if her words were a spell, a boy with curly hair and hazel eyes appeared in her vision. Average in height, wearing pastels in a casual fit, he stood under her balcony. She thought it was a dream; he couldn't be there. She even dared reach her arm past the safety of her fence to see if he would disappear, but his trace remained.

His soft eyes and gentle smile reached her perception and she was sure it was him. She mouthed his name without a sound and watched his face fill with glowing delight.

"You called, Juliette?"

She fought between joy and anger, trying to make sense of her emotions. She couldn't look away, no matter how hard she tried. It felt like something was pulling her over the edge. And eventually, she sat on top of her little gate, letting herself fall towards him. He caught her, like a prince in a dream and twirled her around before setting her afoot.