The grey sky was overcast. White, fluffy clouds covered the gloomy expanse, hiding the bright sun behind their dreary curtain.
A lone boy, somewhat in his late teens, stood under his unfurled umbrella, immersed deep in certain thought.
Suddenly, a bright streak of lightning showed up in the sky. The noise of thundering, and it started raining.
The boy watched with distant eyes at the happy little children, who ran around and started splashing onto the puddles.
How happy they looked, he thought as he adjusted his black coat and brushed off an imaginary fleck of dust off his pants.
He scrutinized them under his silent gaze, happy memories flooding his mind like an enormous wave in the ocean.
Euphoria washed over him as he recalled each and every moment of those days.
The pitter-patter of raindrops. The sploshing of puddles. The pleasant smell of aftershower earth. The sight of dewdrops on the fragile petals of flowers. The paper boats.
The tinkle of his laugh.
He sighed, as he watched two boys, probably brothers, jumping around and dancing with glee under the natural showers.
Both of them were clad in paper hats and raincoats, the older one in black and the younger in yellow. The older one was laughing with an amused expression while watching the younger one, who was trying to scare a frog off when he slipped and fell on his butt on a deep puddle. He stood up, still giggling over the incident as the elder slapped his back and motioned him to wait for a second. The younger's expectant eyes crinkled up and he squealed with joy when his brother produced two paper boats, that he had hidden in his pocket.
The younger grabbed his boat and was apparently delighted when he found out that the boats were waterproofed with candle wax. They both ran over to the nearest stream and delicately placed their boats, not before placing a handwritten note on each of the boats that set sail.
The boats flowed along the current of the stream, followed by cheerful claps of the boys as they enjoyed their boats float away.
The boy's solemn face hinted a small smile under the shadow of the umbrella.
They reminded him of his own little brother. His little bundle of joy.
________
"Adrian! ADRIAN! Look, it's raining outside! Let's go out!" He pointed his chubby finger outside the window as Ryder snapped his head up from his book.
"Tonton, I'm busy right now as y-"
"NOOOO!! I wanna goooo! Pleaseee~" He whined, making a puppy face.
Adrian sighed and gave in. Ashton's cute face was what he needed for his day to brighten up.
"Let's go- Oh, and yeah, don't forget to bring your boat. The red one I made for you when you were sick", Adrian said, wiggling a finger at him and grabbing his raincoat.
" Okie!!! THANK YOU ADRIANNN~" He hugged Adrian's knees as he laughed in glee. The laugh that made Adrian's worries go away.
________
The boy named Adrian walked with heavy steps towards the far end of the bank of the stream.
As the two boats came into sight, he picked them up and unfolded the first note.
"Hello Mister/Miss! You Are Byutiful! Be Happy! ❤"
The little heart in the end of the sentence, splotched by water made him smile again.
Picking up the second note, he read it.
"Hello To The Wonderful Person Reading This. Have A Good Day Ahead. Take Care!"
Chuckling, he stuffed the boats and notes in his shirt pocket and went back to the stone grave, where he was observing the two boys.
Reaching there, he saw that they were gone.
"Well then Tonton, guess they're gone... You saw them, right? Oh, how they reminded me of you~" He sat down on the stone beside the grave.
He traced upon the engraved characters on the hard stone.
'R.I.P.
Ashton Williams (Aged 10)
1993-2003
He Holds A Special Place In
Our Hearts. May The
Almighty Lord
Bless Him.'
He smiled again and placed the boats at the foot of the gravestone.
"Well then, Tonton. See you next year."
He sighed, getting up and turned around to walk away, carrying a smile on his lips and a heavy heart.
The notes became one of his prized posessions later on.
And for some reason, he somehow couldn't forget the younger boy he saw that day.
He always asked himself the same question-
"Why?"
And the answer was clear. Always the same.
"Because... He reminds you of Tonton. He's familiar. Your little Tonton."
YOU ARE READING
DEEP INSIDE~
القصة القصيرة"Suppressed Emotions. Teary Eyes. A Lot To Say. No One To Listen." Just a collection of short stories, interwoven into feelings, in a narrative description.
