'You're the broken glass in the morning light, be a burning star if it takes all night.'
he was hunched over his notebook, trying to make sense of his own handwriting when she made her way to him. the rustling grass drew his attention and as his eyes fell on her, he froze.
he did not utter a word as his eyes roamed her face, carefully examining her expression. she pulled her chapped lips into a timid smile, came closer and took a seat next to a tree root that had sprung upwards from the ground.
"what happened?" he asked, knowing that she would not have shown up if she wasn't ready to talk to him.
"my father had a heart attack,"
"is he alright?" he asked, fearing the worst.
"yes," she replied, her voice breaking over the word like waves on a shore.
"why do you still sound upset?"
"because i met him for the first time in three years. i was a selfish daughter who didn't even call once after moving out. he could've died thinking i didn't love him!"
"but he knows now, doesn't he?" the boy grinned, his teeth glinting in the moonlight.
"yes, but you can't hide the fact that i hurt my family for three years. how can i just forget about that, with the overwhelming guilt there to remind me? how can i be a good daughter when all i know is how to leave?"
"do you believe in magic?"
"are you going to propose using
spells to fix the situation? or just trying to be funny? because both of those tactics aren't going to work," she snapped.
"what's one of the most basic tricks of magic?" he continued, deciding to ignore her. "hiding what's in plain sight. that trick comes quite handy in life."
"in what ways?"
"well, take this as an example," he said, covering his face with his hands.
after some time, he uncovered his face. the change was not obvious, but when she finally realized, she gasped. his eyes looked like they belonged to someone who had suffered too much, someone who had more cruelty than beauty in the world, someone who carried so much sadness in his bones that it was a wonder he managed to smile.
"abracadabra," he whispered, then pulled his hands over his face once again.
the same trusting smile was back on his face and his eyes were shining with the hope she was so used to seeing. it was like a wall had been dropped into place, one that was so realistic that she would never have guessed something lay behind it.
"isn't that just running away reality?"
"it's like faking it till you make it. that popular phrase is actually good advice, by the way. you pretend until what you project to everyone else becomes real, until you become what you want to be. besides, reality isn't all that great. if we have the oppurtunity to make our own reality, why don't we take it?"
she remained silent, contemplating his words. he always managed to say things that left her dumbstruck.
"does this mean i should just try to be there for my parents until it becomes automatic?" she finally spoke.
"it's worth a shot."
"is this magical technique working for you?"
"i hope it will," he chuckled.
"i do too," she muttered, wishing that one day he wouldn't have to pretend to be happy anymore.
-
I'm actually proud of this one. Is it too pretentious though? Leave your thoughts.
Also, no, he isn't struggling with depression. His sadness arises from other circumstances, that could try guessing.
