Poetry in Motion

Annabel

BASED ON EDGAR ALLAN POE'S "ANNABEL LEE."

      When I was 10 years old I found a girl named Annabel. She was beautiful, unlike many other girls our age. Her hair was a vibrant red and her eyes were so light that you could nearly see into her thoughtful mind. Yet, she ate alone at lunch and spoke to no one. Her life was a mystery to all. Her thoughts locked away so she showed no emotion, because if she did, they would be wrongly interpreted. I thought through the reasons she might remain quiet. Was she mute? Did she have so many secrets that if she opened her mouth would they all tumble out? 

        With my brain furious with possibilities, I had sat at my desk one night, disregarding my incomplete schoolwork, and wrote a letter. 

       My name is Edmund. You don't know me, but I'm very curious as to why you never speak. Most girls talk all the time and laugh and smile. Why not you? Could be be friends?

        The next day I waited impatiently for lunch. When we went outside, I saw she was already sitting at a bench. Alone. Sitting in front of her, I placed the folded letter by her sandwich with no crust. She never looked up to meet my eyes but I knew I was doing the right thing. She opened it reluctantly and read it. When she finished, she looked up at me. I felt a feeling I had never felt. But, it only lasted a second because she looked back down, dug in her bag and wrote on my letter. 

I'm Annabel

I took the pencil from the table and wrote back.  

Why don't you talk?

She reads it and and eyes the pencil on my side of the table. I shove it back over to her and she catches it before it falls.    

No one talks to me.

I remember feeling a pang of sadness and guilt when I read the note. Why would no one talk to this girl?  She's beautiful and kind from what I could tell. 

"I'll talk to you," I told her. But, it was at that moment that the sky clouded and it rained. It was instant and unnatural. Her eyes welled with tears as girls ran inside screaming and boys made a mess in the mud. She held up a finger to her lips and said, "Shh." Then she ran inside, leaving her bag and me behind. 

That night I decided that the rain was coincidence. No one could make it rain. Especially not Annabel. So I went back to school the next day and sat across from her again at lunch time. She didn't look up when I sat down, so pulled out a notebook and a pencil and wrote,

Why can't I talk to you?  

She looked at the note and then up to me. Once again I felt the feeling I had felt the day before. But it was ruined when she shoved the notebook back at me without a response. So I tried again.

Please talk to me or at least write. I want to be your friend. I shoved the notebook back to her and she read it with a sigh. 

I want you to be my friend too. But you can't talk to me. Ever, Or we will both be in danger. 

I read the note and felt confused. Why couldn't I talk to her? Is she really mute?

Okay. The we will write each other and never have to speak. We can be friends through paper:) 

I put a smile at the end to attempt to be friendly. But What came after was better than what I expected. She read the note, looked up at me, and smiled. I smiled back at her and remember thinking that she was going to be my best friend forever.