Shattered Happiness

Autumn Leaves

"Ah! That really hit the spot!" Ash yawned as he patted his full stomach. "The food there never fails to meet my expectations. Don't you think-" 

He stopped to look over his shoulder to see the girl standing behind him, only to see no one there. 

"Uh, where did you go now?" He looked around him in the light of the setting sun. 

"Poliwag!" Ash turned to the chirping noise, seeing Serena caressing a polywag by the tree as it purred softly against her palm under the warm glow of the sunset. 

"Awesome, a poliwag!" The two flinched by his loud outburst, and the small tadpole-like creature hopped away in fear. 

Serena groaned as she watched it disappear in the bushes. "So much for petting it." 

He sheeplishly scratched his head in embarassment. "Uh, sorry about that."

She shook her head to not mind it anymore. "And about your idea...I don't think it worked. So if anything, I should be apologizing for disappointing you."

"..."

"..."

"Um..." Serena felt a little uncomfortable with his stare and nervously looked down at her shoes instead. She wasn't sure why, but she was worried that the boy might get a whole different idea of her. The silence went longer and Serena was about to break it until he opened his mouth once more. 

"So you really don't play anymore?"

"What?"

The wind gently blew as some of the autumn leaves swayed in one, gentle motion. For a brief moment, none of them moved, but rather just stared at each other. Serena was tense and knew he wanted an exact answer from her. She tried building up her demeanor once more, but the moment she glanced at the other's expression, she saw that there was genuine emotion shown on his face. Perhaps one that one would have toward a dear friend when they get worried over their well-being. 

"That's right," she gave out a deep sigh and looked away, not wanting to see his reaction, "I don't play anymore. That was a long time ago." 

She didn't hear him say anything right away, but she heard his footsteps getting louder. Wondering what he's doing, she looked back at him and found him right in front of her with the setting sun behind him. 

His eyes were so bright, filled with determination and also gentleness, as he gave his response. "But that was a long time ago...How about now? What does your heart say? Is it something you want to do again?" 

"Uh..?" She looked at the side, not sure where to look as those questions filled her mind. She felt stiff and couldn't exactly answer any of his questions. A feeling of dread overcame her, as she slowly  realized how stuck in life she's in.

However, that feeling immediately vanished as she felt a hand clasped onto her left shoulder, seeing Ash giving her a bright grin right in front of her. Seeing that he caught her attention, he continued. "If it were me, I would definitely think about it thoroughly first, of course. But if it's really something that you want to do, even if there are challenges, I wouldn't give up right away. No matter what, you have to keep pushing. Just keep going til the very end!" 

Those words left her speechless for a moment, like a brick had been suddenly thrown at her. "Just...keep going?"

"Yeah!" The way he said it was like it was the most obvious answer in the whole world. "And when you do, nothing will ever be pointless anyway." 

Such words left the girl speechless, not knowing what to say exactly. Exactly what is her heart trying to say? Especially when it comes to something she was once passionate about. Serena has always thought that everything she did back then must be perfect. In every musical performance and contest she took part in, mistakes were things she could not afford to make. It was something she must follow. Yet, there was something that was not right when it comes to her heart. Who is she exactly playing for and why? If not for herself, but for...