Stars
"Noo!" She screamed as she watched him fall, an anguished wail, an eerie sound echoing in the hills, reverberating in her ears.
---
She was 16, and that was her last year in secondary school. Carrying her bag, she walked alone along the path outside her school, her head bent down. The evening rays of the sun bounced off the ground and into her eyes, causing her to squint. She trudged on, her destination the bus stop outside the school.
Laying her bag down at the end of a long seat in the bus stop, she glanced over and noticed that a boy was sitting on the opposite end. And she had seen him before in the school, walking along the corridor, flashing a smile to everyone he knew. Same age as her, he was taller by a head. Nonchalently, she sat down, and took her book out to read.
When she saw the bus coming out of the corner of her eye, she frantically closed her book and rushed to stuff it in her bag, hurrying and running to flag the bus. As she got on she didn't notice that something of hers had fallen.
---
He picked the phone up, the phone that the girl had dropped. Thoughtfully he turned it around in his hand, and wondered how he was going to return it back to her.
---
She got off the bus and began the long way back home. Somehow she had this weird feeling about her, the feeling that told her that she had forgotten something. That was strange, for that feeling only came when she was going to school, and normally that was because she had forgotten to pack in her homework. Now though...
Her pocket felt lighter than usual. Her brows wrinkled, she reached in and felt around. Her wallet, tick. Her hankerchief, tick. Her handphone... shit. She knocked her head with her open palm. Shit, shit, shit. She must have dropped it while she was rushing to the bus. Served her right, really. Who asked her to go read her book when she knew that would only result in a major panic attack when the bus came? But she couldn't resist. She had read to the climax and was left hanging there when she had to stop because the teacher had walked in the class. Now her handphone, her
newly bought handphone was gone. Her father was going to kill her.
Damn, damn, damn! Why did today have to be so unlucky? Damn. She wondered what she was going to do. Opening the house door with her keys half-heartedly, she threw her bag down and rushed to her house phone, dialing her handphone number and praying fervently that someone nice had found it and was going to return it to her.
---
He was bent over his homework, trying to work out the complicated sums in his head when something broke his concentration. An alien ring tone that he didn't recognise. At first he thought it was his neighbour's, but when the ring tone refused to stop, he cursed and got up to find the source.
It came suspiciously from his bag. What could be it? He never put his handphone into his bag. Pulling his bag open, he saw a foreign handphone flashing away. It took a while before he remembered that that was the handphone of the girl who dropped it. He reached for it, then hesitated.
What if it was the girl's friend calling? Worse, her parents? That would put her in a very awkward spot. Deciding to take the risk nevertheless, he reached for it and pressed the "ok" button.
"Hello?" He said somewhat nervously.
---
"Hello?" The voice rang out at her.
Relief washed over her when she realised that someone had picked it up. After all, if the person didn't want to return it to her he wouldn't be so stupid to answer her call.
"Hello... This is Renielle. Um, I dropped my phone at the bus stop and I assume you are the one who picked it up... um, can I have it back tomorrow?
"Sure!" The stranger, no, it was a male, sounded relieved. "I was wondering whether that was you. I mean, if that was your friend or your parent I wouldn't know how to answer them and you wouldn't know how to explain to them why a guy picked up your phone. Anyway, how do I return it to you?"
"Err..." She hadn't thought of that. "Who are you first?"
"Me? I am Jonathan and I was sitting next to you on the seat in the bus stop when you dropped your phone."
Jonathan. Nice name. So he was the guy... well then, that wouldn't be too much of a problem.
"Ok. I know who you are. Um, can you meet me at 2 pm at the bus stop tomorrow? Same place. yeah. Thanks so much! I wouldn't know what to do if I really lost my phone..."
"No problem. So 2 pm tomorrow, same bus stop. Ok. Bye."
He hung up the phone, and she found herself staring at the receiver for a long time.
---
"Yeah, thanks so much for returning it to me. I don't know how to thank you enough... You are my saviour I tell you." She smiled as she held her handphone in her hand where it fit snugly there.
"Welcome. Of course I am your saviour... how many nice people are there left in the world like me?" he said jokingly.
"Hah. Fine. I have to give you credit for that. Anyway can you give me your number? What's your class by the way?"
"Sure. 93232323. I am in 4 J. You?"
"4 I. Ok, I see my bus coming. See you..." She went off, a protective hand over her pocket as she boarded the bus.
He found himself staring at the bus as it left.
---
Her hand in his, they sat down on the wet grass looking at the night sky. They were 19 that year. As the silence enveloped them and surrounded them with a special kind of magic, she smiled, looking at the stars as they twinkled, bright spots in the complete darkness, representing hope and happiness. She sighed dreamily as her heart tumbled, and finally fell into the abyss where it could never be saved.
---
Her hand in his, he fingered the box in his pocket with his other hand and turned it around as he did with her phone the fateful time they got to know each other. The stars twinkled, smiled at him, urging him, encouraging him.
He turned to her and smiled as he saw her on the grass, her eyes half open and a grin on her face. She had been the most beautiful girl he had ever met. Long ago when they had started talking he had gotten this...this feeling, a feeling unlike any other. He knew what was love, and he was pretty sure this was it. Finally making his decision, he leaned over to her ear.
"Renielle." She opened her eyes and looked at him questioningly. "Renielle." He repeated her name.
"Renielle, you are beautiful. You are the most beautiful girl I've ever met. The moment I saw you, the moment I talked to you, I knew you were special. You are beyond special, you are so unique I hardly know how to describe you. You... you, with that middle-length black hair and the twinkling small eyes, you make my heart tremble. There is this... this feeling that is different, different from what I've ever experienced. Renielle. I love you. Will you..."he swallowed, and held out the ring. "Will you marry me?"
---
She must have been in a dream, she thought. There was no way, no way at all she could have heard those words. Yet the earnest way Jon was looking at her made her think otherwise. She shook her head, trying to clear herself of the mist in her head.
Suddenly she was sure. She was sure that this was real, that this was happening to her. And she was sure what her answer was going to be. Her heart had told her long long ago, but she wasn't ready to believe it. Now she did.
"Yes. Yes, I will. I will, I will! I...I love you too. I wasn't ready to believe my heart, but I knew... I knew I was falling in love with you a long time ago. I knew. I love you, Jon, with all my heart, all my being, all my soul."
As he fitted the ring through her fourth finger, they smiled, and cuddled closer, taking in the other's warmth, total love and happiness filling their hearts. Their linked hearts.
---
When they came back from their honeymoon, they were shocked to realize that the always crowded streets were deserted, especially when it was now peak hour time. Puzzled, they went to ask the few people they could spot on what was going on.
"War, Sir and Madam. War. The terrorists started it first by planting a bomb in Wingchedem, killing hundreds. They started coming relentlessly. There are now bombings almost every day, and everyone's trying to keep out of the way of the bombs by staying at home as much as they can. Not that they have any other choice, what with the curfew the government is setting. Troops from Yechese came to attack us a week ago. Now, all everyone's concerned with is keeping alive. Our troops have been sent, but heard that they have a shortage. I wouldn't come out if I could avoid it, but I needed to buy supplies. Good day, sir and madam."
Renielle stared at Jon, horrified. She couldn't believe it. She felt as though the world she had always known, the safe world where nobody could attack, the world where everything was peaceful and nice with the occasional crime was shattering right in front of her eyes. Never, never ever in her life had she even considered the possibility of a war. Never. But now... what was happening?
Jon stared straight on, a determined look on his face. "It's not fair, Renielle. War is never fair. Yet it's not fair that our country is getting attacked, getting attacked just to make a statement to the other countries when we haven't offended them anyhow. It's not fair at all. I am going to help, Renielle. I don't care. When the country we know and we love is in sheards, there is no way I am going to sit back and do nothing all the while hoping that it would end as soon as possible. No way at all."
"But..." Renielle wanted to cry out loud. What was happening? Didn't he know that people could die in war? Didn't he know that? Didn't he consider her feelings? Didn't he? She felt as though her soul was breaking, breaking with the thought of him leaving. One look at him was all it took to see that any effort to stop him would be valiant. "Alright. But I am going with you. There is no way too that I am going to watch you go off while I stay at home, wondering whether you are ever going to come back. Since you have made the decision already, I shall respect your decision and hope you respect mine too."
Jon looked over at her. What was she doing? His life he didn't care, but hers... Hers couldn't be risked, for it was more vital to him than his own, than the air he breathed in, than the water he drank. If it was ever lost... He began to understand why she wanted to do this. If he were her he would have done exactly the same thing too. He glanced at her helplessly, then nodded his head. "Alright. We shall go together. Just remember, I'll love you forever no matter what happens. I don't know how I'll go on if you are gone." They gazed into each other's eyes understandingly and held onto each other, seeking comfort in what might be one of their last few moments together.
---
And so they went. In camouflage clothes, they crouched down in the grass everyday trying to spot the enemy. They had learnt the basic skills of shooting which was required of everybody helping in the war. Now they were putting the skills to use. At night, they were usually too exhausted to talk much, but slept close together on the hard mats, cherishing and treasuring every moment together, for everything could end in a split second.
---
"No! No, no, no!" Her world was breaking, her soul was being sucked out. "No..." She watched helplessly as he got shot, falling backwards and down the cliff. Everything seemed to slow down, as though this was a video clip someone was controlling. She saw him fall in slow motion, down, down, down. "No..."
She knew this could happen anytime, but she wasn't prepared for it to happen now. No matter how much she knew could happen, she couldn't be prepared for it. She felt as though her soul was being torn out, split apart, stamped on. No. No. NO! Why? Why was this happening? Where was God when they needed him the most? Why was He doing this? She sank to her knees. Why? A tear fell, mixing with the dry soil, soil that had become barren and deserted for miles.
A shot rang out, clear and sharp in the cool night air. She felt it tear through her, but everything seemed numb, as though she was detached from her body. As she fell back, she used her last remaining strength to crawl to the end of the cliff before finally throwing herself over.
As she fell, she saw the stars twinkle in the sky. She smiled, remembering, and closed her eyes. She wasn't going to be separated from him after all.
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far and wee
you and i together mysteriously and always floating
Friday, August 5
4:46 PM
