Ass(ets)

let there be light

Ella is woken by a sunrise that filters through her open window. It is far too early for consciousness. She is in that blissful state. Halfway between dream and reality.

She shakes James awake. He looks a little disgruntled but upon seeing the rising sun he knows why she has woken him up.

Without saying a single word they dress hurriedly. Leaping out of her room they make their way through the disheveled house.

(Ella had long known that a tidy house the morning after was an indication of a shit party, so by that standard her party had been pretty damn great)

Finding a path among the discarded bottles, clothes and her friends crashed out on furniture was a task in itself. It reminded Ella inexplicably of a game she had played as a child. She had loved the shrieks and laughter as her and her friends walked only on the cracks of the pavements on the way home from school. They may have all grown up now but she remains in the cracks. The in-between. She smiles at this thought and hurries her way through.

Ella and James make their way quickly to the door of her house. Just as she lifts the latch Ella feels the presence of someone else. Spinning around she locks eyes with Noah emerging from the kitchen with a glass of water.

Noah looks a little confused. He is more than a little intrigued at just what Ella and James are doing at 4:38 in the morning. He is more than a little sleepy. He is more than a little hungover. Perhaps all of these factors mean that when they beckon him to the door, and shove a pair of shoes in his hands, he asks no questions.

Once out of the house the three teenagers link hands and run laughing through the street. They enter the park at the end of the road. Still running and still bonded together they make their way up the grassy hill. Once they reach the top they sit against the oak tree.

Still none of them have uttered a single word. The sound of laughter they had made was replaced by a slight pant as they ran and now as they sit the sounds they make fade to a barely there whisper of a breath.

They watch the rising sun glowing upon the city below them. From their height they see the world light up. They watch as the gentle warm hues of the sun's rays begin to stretch out. They submerge the city. They submerge everything.

This beautiful force of nature continues and the three of them become bathed in its golden light. Never had the three of them felt so full of reverence.

A single tear rolls down Ella's cheek. The boys watch the falling drop. As it falls delicately down Ella begins to speak.

"I don't think I believe in a God, but I think that this is the closest image to heaven I could ever hope to see. Out there, in a world beyond us, is a star lit on fire and it's so fucking beautiful. This moment is so beautiful and it's ours."