Sweetness of The Stars

Recollection

PREVIOUSLY ON SWEETNESS OF THE STARS:

Suddenly, the hill began to shake and the large chunk of it below my feet chipped off. I went into a free fall as I fell a good distance down. “Star!” I reached my hand out towards him, and he did the same. 

     “Goldy!” He pressed against the barrier, trying to break it open to rescue me. But it was too late.

     I feel too fast and hit the ground hard inside the camp as huge chunks of rocks fell upon my body.

CHAPTER 19

“Eat, you stupid twig!” an old man called me from the other side of the dark polished table. He had a clean face, grey hair, and wore a mean face. He was quite muscular and fit for his age too. He was my grandfather.

     “Dad!” My mother yelled to him. “Stop saying that kind of stuff to him!” Her voice was soft, even when she was angry, and silky like warm, fluffy cloth.

     I looked up to face everyone in my family at the dinner table. Am I dead? Last thing I remembered was falling down the cliff onto the solid dirt pavement. My cousin’s, Luna, and Holly, both stuffed their faces with turkey and mashed potatoes. This was the thanksgiving gathering we had last year. Though I vaguely remember, all the memories of this day started flooding in. I remembered my grandpa telling me all kinds of rude stuff, and I also remember Holly stuffing her face with food all dinner long, only to regret it and workout all night.Weirdo. She’s usually the type to say she’d go to the gym but never show up. 

     I honestly don’t think she needs it. She’s exceptionally beautiful the way she is. Her long gold hair shone in the moonlight rays and her stomach was as flat as a board. She was a medium build I would say. Not a twig, but not a beefy muscle head. 

     While Holly would run outside, Luna would sit criss crossed on the pavement, watching the stars and the moon.

     My grandpa dropped his fork, and stared me down. I dropped my own fork as well and both laid adrift into the oceans imbedded into our eyes. His eyebrows creased slow as he raised his hand outwards. “Pass the salt,” he said looking away hastily.

     I picked up the container of sparkly white grains and led it to his side of the table, but the container slipped from my hand and it smashed into my Grandpa’s plate. Salt poured out from the container, as the lid had fallen off, and drowned his meal in a salty white plain. 

     “Nazuni!” My grandpa raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face, ever so furious that he had to hold back from cursing. The pain of that slap coursed all around my cheek, and it left a red mark that lingered after the initial strike. “You can’t do anything right! You can’t even hand me the damn salt!

     He reached for my plate, and began eating that instead. “You’re not getting any dinner tonight. It’s not like you’ll put any of the calories to use anyways.” He pointed to Holly who sat on the chair on the other side of Luna. “Be more like her, at least she tries hard at something. This girl is fourteen years old, yet every day she’s alive, she’s working for something, she’s achieving something.”

     Holly looked to me, smiling, but it had grown to a nervous smile. It was hard to tell if it was a boastful smile or not. She turned away from me, and bolted out the door, running around as I predicted, but not to run out the calories it seemed. 

     My grandpa continued to chow on my dinner. My stomach rumbled and screamed as it yearned for the food in front of it. My eyes squinted at it, gazing upon it as it dove into his old, wrinkled mouth. He looked up to me, and stretched out his hand once more, but to point down the hall to my room. “You have no business here. Leave.”