Ok, ooooolllldddd story that I wrote a while back for a 31 themes challenge on DA. Felt like posting it on here. XD Anyone wanna illustrate a pic of this for me? <3 (Aha, I don't think that many people read posts in my world, and even less would draw an artwork of this. Though I am curious to see someone's interpretation of this)
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She stared through the window at an abandoned lake, tapping her long skinny fingers on the wooden table impatiently, waiting for something intangible. The girl, wearing a faded black beret and a some-what amateurishly knit mahogany sweater did not have a trace of sweat on her face despite the harsh rays of the June sunlight. Save for the inconsistent tapping, her body was unnaturally still. Almost as if she was a porcelain doll placed on top of a shelf, and then forgotten.
He wandered aimlessly, not thinking about a destination, never having a particular path. Twirling a piece of charcoal, he whistled a somber melody, unaware of any aura of happiness around him. The boy had a sense of false gracefulness about him as he half-heartedly sorted through his worn out brushes. The portfolio he carried under his arms contained neatly placed papers, some of the pieces were more empty than the blank canvases he had left to work with.
A bell rang, and his feet subconsciously took him to the mundane repeat of everyday life. She, unphased by any soundwave remained, with glossed over eyes, completely fixated on the miserable body of water as a crowd passed by. He flowed along with the others who moved as though conditioned, each step matched the other. There was a passing glance at the sight of her and he tried to push the thought of her aside into the back of his head.
She had been there, unnoticed except for him, for almost a month now. He did not want to ask his friends about it, they would tell him to not worry, it wasn't his problem. However, he wasn't sure about how tight of a grip he had over his own sanity. There was one incident where a classmate walking backwards tripped over her-they got up and kept going, not apologizing or asking if she was okay; it was as if the chair was empty. Not a single teacher had ever asked her to leave when it was past the alloted time to arrive in class. He wondered whether she was real or not.
One day he sat next to her. For whatever overwhelming reason, he sat down. She did not budge, still seeming like a lifeless doll. He did not know how long he stayed there. Through the deafening silence, he took out one of his mediums and started on a sketch. The boy worked on the lake her eyes always seemed to covet. After an intense effort, he released the prismacolor. His eyes focused on her expressionless face. The words escaped his lips.
“May I add you in this?”
The girl remained in her permanent position for a minute. Then, she ever-so-slightly tilted her head. Her eyebrow twitched and there was a subtle change in her distant eyes. There was a hint of surprise in her sapphire orbs, as if she had not realized that he had been sitting next to her all this time. Still waiting for an answer, he politely smiled. Though there was an unfeeling air about it, no trace of genuine warmth put into his face, as if he was emulating her. She barely gave a nod and broke off their exchanged glances, back to being mesmerized by a simple place.
Somehow the composition seemed different as he blended her into the canvas. He put more than his effort into this piece. It was like the essence of her soul was being stroked into the details. As he looked up to examine her face again, his eyes widened for a second and he blinked. Was there just a flicker in her eyes? She had never shown any signs of emotion since he started.
“...I'm finished. You can keep this if you like.”
His words reached to her more quickly than it had before. Her lips twitched into an awkward half smile. She looked up at him with her deep, tranquil eyes.
“...Thank. You.” Her voice was wavering; she spoke as if she had not uttered a word in a very long time.
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The boy stirred, unaware of his surroundings. He shifted a little and unexpectedly rolled off of his bed. Rubbing his eyes, he prepared for the day in a semi-conscious daze. His arm felt unusually heavy. He squeezed his sore arm automatically., wondering what had happened to it. The alarm clock sounded off and he hurriedly grabbed his supplies.
The hallway was filled with students droning pointless noise. Despite the area being usually packed, today seemed different. Empty. Something was missing. He stood still for a minute trying to remember, until he was bumped by a few people and promptly went to another unnecessary lecture.
He spent his time staring at the ceiling while everyone else was blabbering on about one thing or another. His mind was tired, curiously drained from an event yesterday. Yesterday. He shut his eyes and rubbed his temples. What happened yesterday? Everything was blank. His memory seemed to have escaped him. But there was something important he had to remember.
As he flipped through his sketchbook, his body took him to the lone table with the tall window. There was something different about this place. The boy placed down his items and noticed that a drawing was missing, torn out from the book. He traced his fingers over the edges of the spiral. Had he drawn something new lately? It might've been just a reject, though. His legs felt unsteady and he sat down. There was a weird chill running down his spine. He glanced through the glass at the stagnant lake.
The boy jumped up. Impulsively, he ran outside heading towards the lake. Ignoring the other people he passed, he found himself at the other end beyond the sight of the window. There were small ripples from the wildlife swimming around. Then he noticed something peculiar floating around. He extended his arm and fished out a beret. He recognized this. He recreated this. Suddenly the memory flowed back into his brain.
The drawing. The girl...But what was her beret doing here? He felt a slight breeze of wind touch him. Then he turned. She appeared, standing with her half-smile. He blinked. He handed her beret back to her, with a confused look on his face. She pointed. He looked down into the lake and suddenly noticed a corpse in the water, and jumped back slightly.
“I have been waiting for someone to find me. Thank you.”
Her voice sounded bittersweetly happy. The boy smiled back in amazement. She waved and then started to fade away. He took a step forward and noticed a piece of paper on the ground. The masterpiece he had created. Yet it was different-her smile had transferred to the drawing. The boy gently placed it in his portfolio and walked off.
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So...yeah. That's it. XD~Raine-chan/VI
