The Mind's Arabesque: Prologue
The first chords to a song began and the listener immediately became enraptured by the soft melancholic lilt of its notes. This song had always been a favorite of hers. The listener's pen paused and then continued on her train of thought. It struck her every time. Lately, she had remained in the same position every evening thinking and wishing for a suspenseful occurrence in her life. She twirled her braid between her fingertips and listened to the closing notes of her song. Nostalgia weighed her down and she remembered old times and broken promises. She shook her head. Living in the past is not going to help her in the present. She needed to concentrate on her writing. It had been far too long since she last attempted pen to paper.
She continued her last sentence and as she ended it with a period, a sharp thud against her window made her flinch. The girl questioned the reason behind it and not two seconds later, the same hard thud hit again. A cold chill ran up her spine and she couldn't decide whether to call her parents or ignore it. Her curiosity knew no bounds as she slowly slipped off of her bed and peeked behind her pale blue curtains.
Under a dim street light in the middle of the road was a figure, tall in stature. It shifted right to left, left to right looking anxious. Upon closer inspection she realized that it was the boy from across the street. The same boy with auburn locks of hair and alabaster skin. She had only seen his profile but from those brief glances, she concluded that he was beautiful. At the moment, the girl could only see his silhouette but even black against the night, he still gave her butterflies. With caution, the girl slowly slid her window open to peek her head out into the biting cold. The street was deserted, save for the boy standing below her window.
"Hey", the boy called out. His greeting echoed and she prayed that her family would not wake up. She tentatively returned a 'hello', her voice sounding small and delicate.
"Are you the one throwing rocks at my window?" the girl inquired and she immediately felt embarrassed. Of course he was, he was the only one standing outside.
"Yeah," he replied rubbing his hands together for warmth.
"Why?" The girl was confused. Before this, they had never met.
The boy shrugged his shoulders in nonchalance, "I didn't want to yell out and wake up the neighbors." She still didn't understand. How could she? This boy standing below her window seemed unreal. Days before, she had accepted the fact that any interaction with him would only occur in her dreams.
In that moment the girl felt shy. "Seems an unconventional way to start talking to someone don't you think?" she whispered.
Still, he had heard her and he grinned and laughed lightly. "You're right. If you knew me though, this wouldn't be so surprising. Unconventional is my middle name."
The boy walked closer directly beneath the dim orange light in front of her house and looked up. His eyes were twinkling with the chill from the cool night and the exhilaration from meeting someone new. The girl couldn't help but smile and she noticed that even beneath the muted lighting, his eyes were a deep shade of emerald. She cataloged it and saved that thought for later.
He continued, "I saw your light on and I figured that we were probably the only two people awake on this damned street."
"And you figured that now would be the time to make an introduction?" she speculated.
"As good as any" and he grinned again.
His smile was infectious and she smirked back. "You, sir, are nuts."
"I think nineteen is a little too young to be called sir," he pouted.
The girl forgot her feelings of trepidation and giggled, "What shall I call you then?"
His voice rang clear, "Edward."
"Well, Edward…It was nice meeting you, but I think I better head off to bed. I have to work in the morning."
"Wait!" There was a long pause and she could hear the crickets all chirping in succession. He bit his lip. "I didn't get your name."
"Bella," she replied softly.
Edward whispered her name, trying it out. "Well Bella, I have a proposition for you." She kept silent and he continued. "Would you like to accompany me to Fern Hill and watch the sunrise? I promise to behave," and he smirked a crooked grin. Her heart stopped and she held her breath. Bella stared at Edward and the longer she stared the more she realized how attracted she was to him.
And that scared her.
Exhaling, she replied, "I'm sorry but I don't go off to strange places with strange boys." She smirked delicately. "I'll take a rain check. Goodnight Edward."
He gave her a warm smile in return and nodded in understanding. As she closed her window she heard the faint sounds of his reply, "Sweet dreams stranger."
The song that gave me the inspiration for this story is Arabesque No.1 by Debussy. It truly is a beautiful song, listen to it if you get a chance :)
Review and you will get to watch the sunrise with Edward.