:Part Three- How:
I stand suspended in darkness. All around me there is nothing but a sense of emptiness. I don't know where I'm going. I don't know where it was I came from.
The dreamer, long wrapped in the hazy veil of sleep, awakens at last. She stretches, the last of strands of starlight and moondust falling away, and looks about at the world around her. How much it has changed, since when she last saw it!
I am lost, drifting. The world around me has shifted, and I cannot find my balance. Each step I had taken brought me closer to an unseen precipice. Now…Now I am falling. Falling, and do not know where I will end up. Will someone catch me? Or is it the end?
I am not a risk taker. I cannot tell you what force it was that caught me up and set me down before you. I myself do not know what hand it was that squeezed those words from my lips. Again and again, I wonder what I am doing. This is not the best course of action. Habit tells me I should watch and wait.
Something has pushed me forward, coaxing me to take this chance. But what seemed like such a little step has turned into quite a plunge.
Three years I've kept mute, and now I've spilled all my secrets.
Startled, awkward. Was that I who had spoken? No, it must have been someone else. Not I. This stammering young girl is not me. She can't be me. But no one else is here. Whatever happened to my grace, my poise? You see? Even now, you still affect me.
What will you say?
Not even in my wildest imaginings do I dare to envision your reply. I may dream that I have gathered the courage to confess my love for you, but I cannot put words in your mouth, not even in my dreams.
You. I can see past people into the depths of their hearts. I know their innermost secrets, their longings, their hopes. But I cannot see into you. You alone are a mystery.
You draw me close to you, a drab little moth fluttering too close to the fire. But the flames are seductive; even as it burns, I cannot escape.
I hate mysteries. Sticking around while Yugi dueled- I think all of us are tired of mysteries by now. A lot can be said about a simple life. I think I understand why you always refused to believe.
But you…you are a mystery. And yet, you are a puzzle I want to solve. That I would hazard to try…it surprises me. I have become a mystery, even to myself. I thought I said I hated the unknown…
You look at me, eyes so blue I lose myself in their depths. They are so cold, so icy…How can their owner possibly feel emotions? But as I watch, I can see another time, another place, when those same eyes brim with fire…boundless emotions, too strong to contain- passion, as strong as that which I feel. Like a dream, the moment passes- another frivolous bit of hope. All there is left is aqua stone and a heart of ice.
A single moment, encased in eternity.
You cannot fathom how the space between my confession and your reply has stretched. Seconds span into minutes, hours, to encompass all of space and time. Endless years flash by in the blink of an eye, the drawing of a breath…
I have lived through infinity and passed no time at all.
It is odd. My body feels incredibly light, weak with relief. The lifting of the burden I have carried for so long. And then…suddenly…It does not matter what your reply is. I have beaten the demons within my own heart, and that is enough.
You sense this. I know you do, for something in your eyes have shifted. Whatever war you have been waging within yourself has been resolved, cut short. I see resolution there, and an emotion that is gone almost as soon as it had appeared.
Your hand reaches out, so very, very gently, as if I will vanish. I dare not breathe…your fingers, scant inches from my face, seem an illusion. Any sound, and the spell will break. You will be gone, and I will find that this is but a dream. Another dream, with no conclusion, leaving me wondering…
Your palm brushes my cheek. Human touch is so unfamiliar to me…It takes everything I have to not run and flee. This is too much. The world hangs on its axis and threatens to explode around us. Fleetingly, I wonder whether it was not impossible to leave a dream a dream.
And then…
You relax. A smile. Suddenly, your face is more beautiful than anything I have ever seen. Strange, how much it transformed you. You are not flawless, but in this moment, you are perfect.
You realize that there are no need for words, no urgency to reply. I have spoken enough words for both of us, and this little gesture has filled in the rest.
A dream…but I am most surely awake. My heart still hurts, but I can feel that gap filling slowly. You are here. This is real. It is so hard to believe. Whatever happened in the past has been put behind us.
Vaguely, I note that Joey will have a fit. The thought makes me laugh, and I wonder at the sound. So light and carefree…I can't remember the last time I felt that way.
You look upon me with the same wonder and delight that I feel. It is as if our hearts and soul have merged and become one. If I had spoken earlier, would this happiness have come sooner?
No...that's not right. Everything has it's own time. Perhaps, earlier, your answer would have been different. Earlier, I was not the same person I am now.
What matters is now, my world feels…complete. I have friends, family, and…you. The thought strikes a sense of awe into my heart. You. You are here. You are real. You are…with me…
How is this possible?
:fin:
A completely different style of writing that is centered around poetry-like prose. I liked it…did you? Leave a review, even if it's only to tell me you hated this.