Unlikely Friends

Bella wrapped a snowy white sweater around her silky purple dress and quietly slipped out the door. She tucked a stray piece of her blonde hair behind her ear and, without looking back, began swiftly walking down the sidewalk toward Sky High.

Her parents had been long gone, flown towards Florida and left her behind, no contacts or words exchanged between them. Bella, who had no friends at school and none outside of it, had only ever wanted someone to turn to. But now that opportunity looked so far off.

Yes, it was true: she had no one. Her last hoorah before she fled this place was going to Sky High, sneaking in late at night to go on a few rides. Maybe it'd even give her enough joy to keep her content.

She soon approached the tall steel fence that lined the amusement park, and she reached out a finger to touch it. The metal was as cold as ice, sending a shiver down Bella's spine, but she had little time. She gained a foothold on the fence, grabbed the top, and swung herself over.

She dropped onto the concrete and, with a little smile, started to walk through the park looking for a ride.

She found a towering blue roller coaster, and rather than doubting her choices, jumped in line behind a group of boys.

When the ride began, all feelings of guilt left Bella. She felt free, finally for once in her life. Well, she was once free when she danced, but her family was never able to afford dance lessons. The dream had stopped there.

The chilly wind whooshed through the stray pieces of hair, and yes, Bella was cold, but when she got off the ride she did not even think of going home.

She rode another ride, and another, and then decided to walk around, for her sweater was not keeping her warm anymore and she was very cold.

As she walked under some scaffolding holding up a ride, she heard a small whimpering. Immediately she ducked behind a restroom building, thinking maybe finally someone had caught her, but she peeked out from around the corner and saw that there was nobody there. It must've been a mere sound in her mind.

She looked at the ground as she continued under the scaffolding, but then she saw a small brown blob on the ground.

It practically scared her out of her skin, but she stopped and knelt down.

The creature happened to be a small duckling who had lost its parents and was starving and cold. Its glossy eyes looked back at Bella hopefully.

She picked it up and removed her sweater, wrapping it around the small duck.

The duck was not only a cold baby animal in the park, but also a symbol of surviving no matter how stacked the odds are against you.

She named the duck Coco, and they remained together, lights in the world of darkness.

~~The End~~