Drabble (819 Words)

I’m sitting here alone, staring out the at the night sky. The tiny stars had yet to emerge and I was waiting, waiting for something to happen, for something to change. A small glitter caught my eye and I stared at the star, gently whispering to my ears alone:

Star light, star bright, first star of the Heavens I see tonight

I wish I may, I wish I might, see her again tonight…just tonight

I laugh at myself, and shake my head. Some wishes just aren’t meant to come true, no matter how much a person wished for it. The silent laughter turned into teary hiccups as I tried to control my breathing and my emotions.

Looking at the small toy in front of me I wondered if she even remembered giving it to me. I turned the bottom, winding up the spring inside and let go. A small sweet melody permeated the empty room and wafted to my ears. I closed my eyes and imagined. Just because she wouldn’t really be here, it didn’t mean I couldn’t imagine it, even if it would just be for a little while.

I didn’t realise I was crying until a hand gently brushed my tears away. I kept my eyes closed, worried that this was just an illusion and that the moment I opened my eyes, it would be gone.

The hand went from gently brushing to lightly stroking and I leaned into the touch, all the while thanking insanity for making such things seem so real.

“Why are you crying?” the illusion asked. With my eyes still closed I began to answer, telling her my tale of woe, of dreams that were hopeless and wishes that would never come true.

“Dreams are only hopeless if you lose faith, and wishes only fail when you stop believing,” she said softly.

I shook my head out of her grasp and curled into myself. I brought my legs up to my chest and put my head on my knees, effectively blocking her touch.

The sweet melody from the wind up toy continued to play and filled the silence with its haunting tune. I felt tears soak into my pants and I briefly wondered if I had obvious wet patches there now.

“Why are you hiding?” she asked, “Are you hiding from me?”

Her voice broke a little and I wondered when illusions had ever seemed so real, even to me. I lived in a world so far detached from reality that I was surprised that I even knew who I was anymore.

I pondered the question before shaking my head slightly.

“Then what are you hiding from?” She sounded confused.

“Me,” I whispered.

At first I didn’t know if she had heard me, but then a hand rested on my back and gently ran down my arm until I was forced to relinquish my hand to her; though it wasn’t as though I was actually fighting her.

She lifted my hand until it rested on her chest and I had to resist the urge to gasp. I knew I was insane but my illusions had definitely never felt this real before.

“You feel that?” she asked. I nodded as I felt her heart thump steadily beneath my palm.

“It beats for you. You and only you,” she said. I could practically hear the tears in her voice.

“I could never leave the love we have for someone else when I depend on you to let me breathe and live. Without you, I’m nothing,” she continued. There was a ring of certainty and strength in her words that made me believe. It was almost as though I couldn’t think that her words were anything but true.

“Will you look at me? I miss your eyes,” she whispered. Her voice was vulnerable and her hand was trembling slightly. I reached out my other hand and held her hands in my own.

Keeping my head down, I put my feet back on the ground and breathed deep, trying to savour this, just in case it was just a dream.

Finally lifting my head to look into her eyes, I noticed the tears that were sliding down and I instinctively wiped them away. She gave a small smile and I suppose that I was giving her the ‘confused look’ that I sometimes made when I was at a loss as to what I should do.

I didn’t know what to do, what to say, and all I could do was keep holding her cheek. Realising that I was probably being stupid, I began to withdraw but she instantly put her hand on mine to keep it there.

“I like it where it is,” she said simply at my questioning look.

“I like where I am,” I replied.

And outside, a star glowed just a little brighter before disappearing, its life gone with the wish it had given.