DEAD STARS

IX. UNDER THE SAME SKY

There are times when I would look up the sky and contemplate the concept of life. Those times when I silently watch the bluish sky like a million dollar abstract painting waiting to be sold in an auction. And then I would see the white fluff of clouds drifting away from on another or sometimes moving towards each other. At some point they would shape as animals and sometimes just a complicated form. And then I would start to tell myself, such a mysterious thing a cloud is. I've read somewhere that a single cloud weighed heavier than it looks, way heavier like a thousand pound or something. And yet, looking from here, it looks as if I could walk past through it. Maybe it's just the difference in perspectives. There was an artist, I forgot the name of, said; someone's trash can be other person's gold. And perhaps, that's the answer in all the misunderstood concept of things, that someone's right can be someone else's wrong.

I didn't know if it's an utter amount of foolishness, or perhaps the drifting madness of clouds are to blame. But neither could explain the reason why I tripped on the sidewalk and landed face first on the pavement. I accidentally scraped my palms and it started to bleed.

"Onee-san, are you okay?" I've heard a small voice of a girl and felt hands on my shoulder.

I looked beside me to see a little girl in twin pigtails, about to help me up. I was in my surprise stricken state that my mind did not easily processed the fact that this girl was helping me up, a total stranger.