chapter iii: the price I looked over to the left and saw that a new portion of the room appeared. There stood a wide wooden table dimly lit by an army green banker’s lamp. Sprawled across it were parchment papers, a little bit of spilled ink, and a fountain pen. The calendar was opened to the page: March 14. Attached at the bottom of wide casement windows at the opposite wall was the windowsill. On it sat a teenage girl in a long nightgown adorned with puffy sleeves. Her chin was resting on her arms nestled above the windowsill, with her short, dark brown hair framing her face perfectly. The moon’s pale glow enhanced her jawline and reflected her ebony irises.
“Hello?” I said, stuttering. No response.
“Hello?” A louder voice escaped from my mouth. Still no response. It was right then and there that it dawned upon me that I can’t be seen nor heard in this world—or time, that is. I inched myself closer to the window, when all of a sudden, a streak of light flashed across the night sky. She jolted up from her position, quickly slipped into her slippers, and dashed outside. My consciousness beckoned me to follow her, so I did. Through the fairly lit cobblestone streets, across a dozen houses with steep, gabled roofs, I ran as quickly as I could to catch up to her, who was surprisingly pretty fast for a person with small legs. After a few minutes, we passed the tall city gates and crossed the wooden bridge. We arrived in a sublime woodland that opened to gentle-sloping hills. Lilacs swayed to the rhythm of the night breeze as she inched closer and closer to a wide crater, occupied by the smoking asteroid. Her footsteps became heavier as she moved slowly towards the crash site. A figure emerged from the gap. As he walked through the smoke, his body muddled in thick dust and eyes blazing red became clear. Surprise was plastered all over the girl’s face as she took a couple of steps backward. Snap! The sky’s midnight tint washed off into a baby blue color. I looked over my shoulder and saw the same couple. Except, the girl’s hair grew significantly longer than it was when I last saw her. Their fingers were intertwined as they walked across the field. By the way they held each other’s hand and looked into each other’s eyes, you could tell that neither of them wanted to let go. After a while, they settled into a shady spot under the tree and just talked. Laughter echoed all over the plain as they teased each other. Her gleeful smile tugging at her eyes did not match his; for he bore a faint curve that stretched on his face, and a pair of somber-filled eyes. “You’re not from this world, are you?” She asked, breaking the joyful mood. He averted his gaze towards the branches that teased slivers of the blue sky.
Sitting up from his lap, she spoke, “When are you going to tell me the truth?”
His eyes met hers, and with a sigh, he finally answered, “Once a year, a god visits the mortals, lives amongst them, and grants wishes to the desperate but pure. If an innocent soul wishes upon the falling star, they get their innermost desires without knowing the deed was done by a god.” Her eyes widened. “So, where does that leave us? Does this mean we’re breaking the rules, or something?” He chuckled and gently brought her head back on his lap. Snap!
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