The day we saw forever

Starry starry night

Somewhere after 22.00
The streets are emptying out. There is only a sliver of sunlight left. I feel a lot of unsaid words in the air. It's very obvious that we are both thinking about the seemingly inevitable. Both prolonging the heartfelt goodbye that's coming. Both unwilling to be the first to say it.

I look at her from the corners of my eyes. Her dress is swaying with her steps. She has her head tilted toward the sky, a gaze searching for something. She took her hair down. Slightly flat curls but still so very vibrant. Her skin glows even in the decreasing light. I want to freeze frame this moment. She is a picture I would buy a wallet for just so I could put it in there but then again, I would want to wear her picture closer to my heart.

'Where have you gone off to?' She shifts her attention toward me.

'You.' I respond with a voice drenched in some sadness.

'That bad?' she smiles. 'I don't suppose we have time for one more activity?'

'We do!' I blurt out a little too excited. 'I mean, sure.' I clear my throat.

'Let's go.' She grabs my hand and starts to sprint.

We run through the now almost deserted streets and I have no idea where she is taking me. The pavement is switched out for a sandy path that leads up a small hill. When we get up there we have a mediocre view of the city. There is a broken bench and picnic table. It smells funny.
A blend of old cigarettes, fresh rain and mowed grass. A smell I can only put together with a feeling; broken hearts.

'You look disappointed.' She laughs and with that laugh she turns this eerie place into something entirely different. There is magic in this woman, I am sure of it.

'What is this place?' I sit down on top of the picnic table and lean back. Letting my eyes wander the sky above. A quickly darkening sky with a bright moon beaming down on us.

'I come here every now and then. It's...' she trails off. I can see the feeling that belongs to this funny smell reflected in her eyes as she sits herself down beside me.

'You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.' I truly hope she will though.

She fiddles with the pearl around her neck and visibly swallows before she looks back to me. A smile is just beyond my reach. She lets herself fall all the way back. Her hair splayed out over the edges of the table. I lie in the little space beside her and we both stare at the sky.

The longer I look the more stars I discover. Twinkling friendly little lights that remind me off how small I really am and then she continues.

'It's really dumb,' she sighs. 'I came here by accident about seven years ago and it was mom's birthday. I saw a shooting star and I don't know. It just makes me feel connected to her.' I can hear her suppress something. A sigh, a scoff, something.

'That's not dumb. If anything, it's sweet.'

'Yeah, well... you're sweet.' She laughs.

'I'm serious. Though you are right. I am sweet but that's beside the point. I like those coincidental moments that make you believe in something greater.'

'Do you think there is something after this life?'

'I don't know but I certainly hope so.'

'Would you live this life differently if it was a certainty?'

'It would eliminate some sort of fear perhaps but would the next life be a do over or something new? Would I remember my previous life and the people in it? Because if not then it would be all the same right? For all I know this is my fifthy-something try at life.'

'I think it depends more on how much you let fear control your life right now.' I don't have to look at her face to know there is a devious grin plastered on it.

'Very clever, Calliope.' I laugh.

'You should just go. Travel. Start tomorrow...'

'And take you with me?'

'Most definitely not. I am perfectly happy where I am. Well... location wise.'

If I'm completely honest this feels like a rejection and it stings. I have to swallow and press back this sour taste in my mouth. I wanted to travel for as long as I can remember. I wanted to explore the world and all its secrets but suddenly the thought of leaving my hometown without her seems the biggest of my fears. I am losing my mind and my heart all at once.

And here she is, lying beside me on a picnic table in the middle of a city I visit too frequently but never really looked at until now. She carries magic in her bones and makes me believe in afterlives in which I hope to meet her again and again. She looks fearless in her kindness. Soft and tender with a fire crackling in her soul that betrays the heartache she's felt.

'You've disappeared again.' She whispers, softly nudging my arm.

'I don't want to say goodbye.' I confess.

'I'm sure your parents will understand. It's kind of how things work right? At some point you're bound to leave the nest and we have all these incredible gadgets nowadays that let you stay in touch. They can literally look at your handsome face every single day if they wanted too. That could be more than what they'd normally see of you while you're in town and...'

'To you. I don't want to say goodbye to you,' I pause. 'Tonight.' I quickly add.

'Oh...' it's just a sound and then nothing.

'I'm just... I'm having... I'm having a nice time with you and I don't really want to go home yet. That's what I meant. That's what I wanted to say.'

'We could stay.' Her voice in thinner than usual. Not even a whisper at this point.

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Almost people. Almost done with this story. Just a couple more 'hours' in until Calli and Max have gone through their twenty-four hours. Stay tuned. Xx