Nap Time Rocks!

lily found it quite comical to be sitting at a bus stop in a place she has yet to get acquainted with, adjusting the belt strap of her semi-heavy duffel bag. she didn’t mind being alone, waiting patiently for a bus (oh gosh please, let any bus arrive) to come pick her up so she can come home to a more familiar place. she’s been waiting for an hour, scanning the creeping gray clouds overhead.

an hour, for crying out loud. but lily knew she had to wait, patiently, or the bus won’t come. they’re like hounds that smell impatience in frazzled commuters, and the longer they will take to arrive.

while looking at her feet and in between glancing down the empty highway (save for a few cars with trailers behind them), she notices a cheery middle-aged woman pick her undone nails beside her. maybe she’s been waiting for the darn bus too. lily thought, half minding her. at least there’s someone for company.

“where are you headed, miss?” the woman had turned to look back at her, maybe noticing that she stared a little bit.

“uh, home i guess.” lily hesitated. a conversation with a complete stranger was not on her list of things to do right now. but what the heck, she has not had a single human interaction since having a big row with paul and a light talk would do a lot unwinding her nerves.

“not so sure where to go? i notice you’ve done some crying.” she does a circular motion around her right eye, taking note of evidence that she had, in fact, cried her eyes out.

lily was caught quite off-guard by this woman’s bluntness in refering to her love life — well, now non-existent love life. “oh. well.. i have, actually. sometimes the world just sucks, and it’s a shame to be in it.” lily was surprised at how easy it was to just let all the steam off.

the woman manages a toothy grin. “uh-huh, love can be such a nuisance, can’t it? better left alone, that’s what it needs. oh yes, just leave it as is. do you need a tissue dear?”

lily nods and sniffs; she noticed tears spewing forth before she could even pull out a hankie from her stuffed bag. she slowly took a tissue paper from the woman’s rather unkempt hands. she looks like she needs a bath, but she has tissue. oh gosh, just stop it lily.

“the thing is, ma’am, i’ve never done anything like this before. you know, did a lot of sacrifice and all. i even went and transfered jobs just to be nearer.” lily now could not find enough strength to even stand so she slumps down the stone bench. the woman also sits down beside her. “and i so hate this place! it’s got no malls, barely enough transportation to get you anywhere, and so quiet! i couldn’t live here by myself.

“but paul made me. i mean, he meant a lot to me and i wanted to be with him so i considered living here. but now… now, i just don’t know,” lily sobs anew. “i’ve given up parts of myself that i may never get back. now that i realize we’re not meant for each other, i retreated and saw this huge hole in myself. do you think it’s possible to give away too much?”

“quite possibly, yes, dear. we all make mistakes,” the woman said sympathetically. “ever seen a waterfall?”

“sorry? a waterfall? yes, once while i was on a hiking trip. what’s that got to do with me?”

“ever notice that the pool where all the water drops never turn up empty? well, all that water may eventually flow down another stream or river but there’s just enough to still fill it up.

“now i may never know where all that water may come from — maybe from the mountains or deep under the ground — but i sure know that it will never run out.”

“is this some kind of figurative speech or something, because i’m not following it.”

“well, my dear, if you believe that there’s someone up there in charge of all the waters in this world that He will never let the waterfall pools dry up, then you can understand how all that relates to you.”

lily sits quietly for a moment and thinks about what the woman said. suddenly the sky wasn’t so gloomy anymore. she had faith. she need only find it again and believe that the water will not run out. her pool is not empty after all.

“thank you –” lily turned to her side but the woman wasn’t there anymore. “– for that.” she just said to no one in particular. lily looked up to the sky and smiled. she picked up her duffel bag, dusted it off, and continued what she was doing more than an hour ago.

she waited for her bus.

continued from here…

—-

kingdom flush had grown to be a very busy land, its trade flourishing thanks to open barriers and tax-free policies on merchandise. and so the kingdom’s officials became very busy, more so the queen.

one very hectic afternoon when her advisers had retreated to the round table conference room to discuss the new taxation scheme for imported products, queen anne decided that she had had enough for the day. her servants prepared her chariot and horses for a ride in the countryside, but she refused and prefered to go on foot.

seemingly like an ancient dream coming back to her in rapid flashbacks, she remembered the day she had come to the brook and wodnered if it was still there, pristine and quiet, undisturbed by the people.

—-

in the woods, however, a commotion was going on. the prince of the woodland fairies had decided, after a long long time of seclusion, to set out to the nearby kingdom and have a look around. you see, he was never allowed to go anywhere outside the woodlands because of his appearance. he was so beautiful that anyone who will look at him will have a psychological breakdown. his beauty was so arresting that a woman (or possibly a man) may spend the rest of her life locked up in a ‘crazy’ place.

the prince was unfazed and the fairies worried but they could not stop him. as he walked, he breathed the air that smelled of greens, and marveled at the flowers along the path. now he could almost hear the brook.

—-

anne (let’s drop the title for now) smiled when she saw that the brook was as how she left it several years ago. she peered again at the water and saw the same face — albeit a little tired and older.

—-

the prince (who still lacks an intersting name until now) stood again behind a large trunk of tree — the same one he hid behind in several years ago — and peeked between the leaves and branches and saw the (first and) most beautiful woman in his entire life. his heart was now thumping madly in his chest and his feet wanted to take him beside that woman by the water.

‘ah, this curse! if only i can show myself to her without falling into its trap.’ the prince thought hopelessly. for the meantime, he contented himself behind the tree gazing at the woman.

—-

anne felt like something — or someone — was watching her. she glanced about and saw nothing amiss.

—-

our handsome prince cursed with a pretty face almost wept as he stood hopeless in the distance, but his heart won him over and decided to reveal himself.

—-

the queen stood as she felt goosebumps on her arm. something was aglow behind a tree some few meters away. without fear or hesitation, and knowing in her heart that nothing bad can happen to her here, she approached the tree.

—-

in a typical melodramatic slow motion move, the prince stepped out of his hiding place and looked up to see bewildered eyes gazing at him. to him the woman standing before him had become like that young girl whom he had seen years ago, curious at what treasure she had found. for a still second that seemed like eons, they both stared at each other. afraid that the curse might have already affected her, he turned around to run away.

but anne would have nothing of it (apparently she was still sane), and called to the one-that-almost-got-away. she was not about to lose another one again.

“wait, will you not even introduce yourself?” said she.

the prince was obviously surprised that the curse had not taken effect. “why… how… aren’t you…?” he stammered as he turned around again.

“what,” anne giggled. “lost all your common sense already? normally the men who would come to me will introduce himself first before fleeing at the sight of a toilet bowl.” she laughed at the thought. by now she had gotten used to it and it became an in-house joke.

“certainly not, my lady! forgive me if i was rude. i was only amazed that you did not flee after seeing me.”

“oh? why whould i want to be parted from such a wonderful woodland creature like you?”

“you know what i am?” he stood further amazed.

“well, judging by your clothes, you sure would be royalty. and you were aglow when i saw you… are you a giant fairy?”

“hahaha. oh no, not at all. i am the prince of the woodland elves, i am prince avery at your service.” he said with a smile. he bowed as he said this and took of his hat. the queen was amused at her discovery. woodland elves were real!

now if you were to end this story in a fairy tale-like ending, we will have to write ‘and they lived happily ever after.’ but this is no typical fairy tale; will queen anne be able to tell prince avery of her kingdom’s flushing habits?

“my prince, forgive me but at this point of our acquaintance, i would have to tell you my disclaimer. i may be a complete package to you — beauty, brains, and money — but not entirely.” she began.

what could this beautiful woman mean? there was nothing that he cannot accept about her, he thought.

“you’re probably thinking that what you’re seeing now is what you’re going to get. but be not deceived, because from where i was raised there are strange habits — one of my suitors has even called it absurd and revolting — that i must live with and that i cannot easily reject.

what i’m saying is, and this is not easy believe me, my kingdom is aptly named Flush because my people like flushing toilets, even for no apparent reason. we just do.” with that, the queen lowered her head and waited for the prince to react the way her suitors usually do.

“my dear sweet princess, you were right. i really thought i’d be getting the whole package. but now that you’ve told be the truth about yourself, and i will not pretend that i don’t find it slightly disgusting, i have no choice but to be honest to you in return.

no, don’t leave yet. what i mean to say is that i am also in a miserable plight; i am cursed with such a pretty face that no one can look at me for very long save for my constituent elves. i have not been able to find a queen for myself because the women that come to me are always blinded by my beauty. no one woman has come close to me except you.”

“then my situation must be a good thing because it enabled me to look beyond your pretty face and see nothing more but your plain self. after years of waiting for my prince, i have slowly come to realize that good looks had nothing to do with character, as evident from all the royalty that came to our kingdom. but you, prince avery, are one of a kind. are you not apalled by our habits?”

“we both must live with our own shortcomings. i have to live with yours, and you with mine. if i learn to accept this strange habit of yours, will you accept me and come live with me in the woods?”

“that is a great sacrifice for me to do, my prince. but give me time to think about it. i will give you my answer in three days’ time.”

with that the two, who have now become lovers, parted ways and went on with their daily rituals. come the third day, queen anne decided to give up her royal status to live with prince avery in the woods. the people of kingdom flush grieved for their ‘loss’ but in the name of love they let the her go.

at first the adjustment of married life (yes, they did get married in a quiet ‘garden’ wedding) proved to be quite a challenge, but there is nothing that love cannot work out. together they built a home in the woods and lived happily ever after.

THE END.

continued from here…
—-
princess anna stood up and bid farewell to the animals around her. she took one last look at the water and smiled. ‘one day, i will meet him, and he will like me for who i am.’ she thought.

—-
the prince can hear the bubbling brook amidst the forest noises and so he quickened his pace. now 6 feet away and behind a huge tree, he peered at the brook.

—-
princess anna turned around and started on her way back to the palace. with something tugging at her heart, she looked back and saw only leaves, flowers, butterflies and the rays of sunlight peeking through the greens.

—-
the prince saw nothing, he was already too late. there was no trace of the princess at the brookside; there were only plants, insects and the sunlight. had he missed his chance? john mayer started singing in the background: “i’m tired of being alone, so hurry up and get here…”

haha. continued below…

many years passed and Kingdom Flush flourished; princess anna ascended to the throne but without an heir. she had never gone back to the woods since that fateful afternoon so she had never seen the prince of the woodland faries.

by now young princess anna was a grown woman, very mature and oozing with appeal. yet with all her beauty and stature no man had come to accept the land’s odd practice of flushing the toilet.

as for our young prince of the woodland fairies, he was also a grown man now, very mature and oozing with appeal. yet he did not have a queen; he chose to wait for the princess to come back to the brook. he does not venture out of the woods, for that was forbidden for folks like him.

will our short little story end like this? or will something interesting happen to our weird little characters?

abangan…

once upon a time, there was a kingdom called Flush. all its inhabitants like to flush the toilet that’s why there are monuments and public urinals found in every corner of the street.

then one day, a young knight came from a far away land to ask for the hand of Kingdom Flush’s princess. the princess was very beautiful and shared the same passion of flushing the toilet. when the knight found this out, he was so turned off that he planned to leave as soon as possible. back in those times, flushing the toilet with a passion such as the Kingdom’s was considered very eccentric and — disgusting. no wonder the knight wanted to leave.

the princess was sad. this wasn’t the first time that a suitor had been turned off because of her kingdom’s rather strange practices. will she ever find someone who will love her as who she is? beauty, kingdom, flushing the toilets and all? there seemed no hope for the beautiful princess. she left and went to the woods to reflect on things.

while walking in the woods and smelling the flowers, she came upon a small quiet brook. she saw her reflection in the water and saw that she was one of the most beautiful creations made by God. in the woods where there were different wild flowers and many species of animals, she felt like she belonged and that she was loved.

while thinking about these things, the princess suddenly heard rustling in the nearby bushes.

when the princess turned to look at the bushes, the rustling stopped. with time at a standstill, a little white light appeared from behind the bush and rose 4 feet to the air. the princess was startled. but curiousity got the best of her and she began to step towards the light that was now just hovering above the bush.

when the princess got nearer the light, she discovered that it wasn’t just a glowing speck at all; it was a little fairy!

“hello little fairy! what a pretty creature you are!” said the princess.

“hmph!” said the fairy. “why do you think that i am a girl? is it because i’m a fairy and most people believe that only girls can be fairies!?” he wailed.

“oh no little fairy! i am so sorry! but you are beautiful nonetheless.” the princess said to soothe the fairy that was now glowing a pale red orange.

the fairy-man (for lack of a better politically-correct term) seemed to accept the apology. “who are you and why have you come here?”

“i am princess anna, of Kingdom Flush.” (’and i like flushing toilets!’ she wanted to add but decided not to) “and who are you?” she inquired.

“i am a woodland fairy. my name is frankie.”

“oh, frankie. what a peculiar name for a fairy!” she said, amused.

“i like my name, thank you very much. now if i may be excused, i have got many things to do!” the fairy said in a huff. and off he flew away.

the princess was alone again in the woods, so she returned to the brook and sat there for a while. meanwhile, at 45 degrees to the north and 65 degrees to the east the fairy-man settled atop a hand.

“what goes yonder little fairy-man?” the voice of a young man said.

“your highness, all is the same save for a young woman that tried to insult me!” the fairy-man said.

“oh? and what did she do to insult you?” the young man was amused as the fairy-man described how the meeting with the princess occured, and little by little he grew more interested to find out who this princess was. so he, (and he turns out to be a prince like princess anna, only of the woodland fairies), decided to trace the little fairy-man’s path to the brook.

“but my prince! it will be dangerous for you to come see her!” protested frankie, the fairy-man.

“i do not care. why, are you afraid that she may find out about me? my heart is telling me that i must go and see her. stay put, frankie, and guard my throne.” with that the prince draped his royal cloak around his shoulders and set off — without knowing who princess anna was or about her kingdom’s strange practice.

will he see princess anna?

to be continued…

“swish, swish” said the tree branches.
“dub-dub” said the little heart.
“good bye” said I.
“tomorrow i will see you again.”

2 deaths in one week.

“kinda makes me think, you know,” she said to no one in particular. the night was young and the breeze was cold. nobody was waiting for her at home, so she continued to tread the grassy ground.

“i wonder if death will ever stop bugging people. it’s not a funny business, you know. taking people to the light at the end of the tunnel, just like that. hmmm,” the grassy ended at her feet. she had crossed a field and come to the pavement of a deserted street. she pondered some more if she should take another step.

“i guess i better be going.” she looked at the third house down on her left. the lights were still on. “somebody’s waiting for me now.”

she floated down the street in a kind of ecstatic feeling. it always brought her a sense of fulfillment when she knew somebody was waiting for her. (more…)

“o ma’am, baka naman gusto nyong kumita buwan-buwan ng malaking halaga?”

“uh, sige, salamat ha. wala kasi akong panahon diyan eh.” sabay ngiti na nahihiya.

“naku ma’am, akala niyo lang yon, 2 oras lang sa isang araw ang kailangan niyo dito. sige na, i have a business proposition for you.”

palibhasa nahiya sa kakilalang nag-refer sa kanya don, sumama na siya sa loob ng mataong opisina at naupo sa isang coffee table.

“o, ano ba kasi yang business proposition mo?”

“lahat ng tao may mga dreams yan. mga goals sa buhay. isipin natin yung goals na yan nagkakahalagang lahat ng 10 million. bahay, kotse, travel abroad. kayo ma’am, ano ba ang mga dreams at goals niyo?”

“uh… wala eh.” sabay ngiti ulit na parang nahihiya.

“ha? wala kang goals?”

“eh wala pa eh. di ko pa masiyadong iniisip yun.”

tiningnan siya ng lalaki, waring nagtatanong kung ano kaya ang mali sa babae. o kaya sa sinabi niya.

pag-uwi ng babae, bihis career woman, posturang yuppie, may bagabag sa kaniyang loob na bakas sa kaniyang mukha. akalain mo iyong isang networking business lang pala ang makakapag-paisip sa kaniya ng ganon. na wala siyang goals. may dreams, pero hanggang doon lang.

“miss saan ka pupunta?”

pag-uwi niya naupo siya sa kaniyang desk at nagsulat ng kaniyang 100 goals sa buhay.

“tagu-taguan, maliwanag ang buwan…”

there’s something profound about waiting and hiding, did you know? a simple children’s game, and what you got is a funny look at yourself and God. kids are not so impatient when they go into hiding, giggling, proud of the accomplishment of ducking and staying hidden. but adults? oh no. they never appreciate the silver moon in a dark night. they always want an answer. now.

“…’wag maglaro, sa dilim-diliman.”

and no matter how often you tell them, they play hide-and-seek — with God. and just as how elusive we are to Him, so are the things that we seek. because they also hide. tsk, tsk.

“isa … “

no matter how persistent the pursuit, grown-ups do not as easily crumble as kids would. even with so much as a muted giggle, a child will very much give away his hiding place and will find no difficulty touching base. and what of a mature man? he will never give up his throne. never.

“dalawa … “

and when it’s his turn to search and conquer, it will be with so much reluctance. and sometimes we feel like God is hiding. i think God would, like a child, let out an occasional laugh that if we just earnestly follow, will lead to His hiding place. He’s not so hard to find after all.

“tatlo … “

so when do we throw up our hands in frustration of finding what needs to be found? when do you give up hiding behind the boulders of your shortcomings? don’t stifle that breath. you will need that to find yourself.

buses swept by in front of her, blurring the vision of the other side of the street in repeated episodes. she must cross the street; never mind that death dangled even in the cardboard signages on the vehicles.

standing on the curb of a busy street, the girl with a mission started getting rather annoyed stares from civilians who would rather have the sidewalk wider without her on it. she was taking up space.

‘are you gonna cross the street or what, lady!?’, said one look.

she had not always been a risk-taker. she was completely content with her own, quiet, albeit a little boring life. that much she willingly admitted. until, of course, the complications of love had made a ‘mess’ out of it. nevertheless, the lessons she learned in the process of realigning her life with this new-found love had been all worth it.

the girl with a mission to cross the street returned to the sight before her. it was suicide. it was hell. but stepping back onto the middle of the rushing highway of foot traffic was equally perilous. she had no choice.

she had also not realized that time had been consumed. the traffic flanking her two sides seemed to ignore her growing fright and panic. boldly, she took the first step.

then the second, then the third. vehicles let out an outbreak of honks and screeches while the girl criss-crossed her way across the street. a bumper near-misses her. she let out a gasp, but, thank God, she was still intact. just a few more feet…

like breaking away from a horrid nightmare (a redundancy, i know), the girl is extremely relieved to be finally standing on the other side of the street. how she had passed through unscathed — with just some emotional bruises — was mystifying to her. she simply looked up and murmured a heartfelt ‘thank you’.

“well, what took you so long?” someone came up to her. it was not so much as a scolding, but a teasing comment made in such a sweet manner.

“i was caught up… in the traffic. i’m sorry.” the girl smiled with love in her eyes.

“it doesn’t really matter,” he said taking her hand in his, “you’re here now, aren’t you?” suddenly, the girl realized, it wasn’t a very scary world anymore.

——
I lack the mental capacity to avoid being mushy. so there, i hope you like it.

Through The Looking Glass

“You stare back at me with beautiful eyes
Inside me I form a quiet smile
As I hold my breath, you smile back,
I feel content even through the looking glass.”

I found a few lines that she wrote a couple of weeks back. I was a little surprised, a slight trace of a grin finding its way on my face. Loneliness had been her companion back then, sitting beside a boy she barely knew and desperately loved.

Toot-toot. Toot-toot.

Kris that was nothing, believe me

YEAH? FRNDS DON’T GO OUT ON D8S, ESP WEN 1 OF THEM IS ATTACHD

It was not a d8, rica just needed som1 2 talk 2. kris pls don’t just believe ur frnds, u knw they h8 me

Well sorry brent bec ryt now they weigh more than u do

Pls kris, I told u I was goin out w/ a frnd. Patty was wrong abt wat she saw!

Don’t tell me that my frnds r lying u jerk.

I’m not kris. It was really nothing!

She saw you kissing.

Ring. Rrriiing.

The wind blew from the north. And touched my tear-streaked face. Over. It was finally over.

—-
Aunque este sea el ultimo dolor que el me causa,
y estos sean los ultimos versos que yo le escribo.
-Neruda

Toot-toot. Toot-toot.< Hey, whatchadoin? üNothing. You?

Just walking around w/ my celfone.ü Texting everybody. ü

Oh. You sound happy. I imagine you’re standing with that cute, sheepish grin of yours.. ü

Haha, yup! I just can’t help it. Hey, mom just got a haircut. She looks a lot younger now. Have you seen that movie i told you 2 watch?

Nope, haven’t. Don’t have time yet… maybe u wanna go see it again w/ me?

Uhm.. let me see if i can squeeze u into my very busy sked.ü

Oh.. so now i have to make an appointment? ü C’mon let’s go out this weekend, i’ll pick you up

Thanks, but i’m going somewhere this weekend. Dear sister asked me to go shopping with her.ü

Oh, ok…… I really miss u

Tick, tock. tick, tock. Tick, tock.

Hey, ur still there right? I didn’t mean to… Don’t bail out on me again, Kris

Sorry, i had to answer the phone. I didn’t bail out on u. whenever did i do that to u?ü

When you left me

Come on brent I never left u.. u made me leave. let’s not get into that again, ok?

Sorry, i just miss u is all. i miss u so badly

TICK, TOCK.

Brent, i finally found him. So i guess that’s goodbye. Here’s my goodbye.

Kris….. it’s been great. i guess i’ll see you around. you take care, ok?

Ok. You too.ü

End.

—-

Ya no le quiero, es cierto, pero tal vez le quiero.
Es tan corto el amor, y es tan largo el olvido.
Aunque este sea el ultimo dolor que el me causa,
y estos sean los ultimos versos que yo le escribo.

Nancy Drew never grew up. She and Peter Pan must be in the same assemblage as the Neverland boys and girls. So neither will I age; to hell with the years that mock my imagination. Love, then, will continue to be as it is. It will be as mysterious as I had thought it to be.

There are things in this crazy world that we will never truly understand. We are walking contradictions. And we are human, with such forgetfulness that shame even Ten Second Tom. I turned to the Gift that turned up beside me. It contentedly rested by my feet, waiting for me to rouse an inch of attention to pick it up.

I took it with me and rested under a shade nearby. Moving numbly, I ran my fingers across my face and wiped away the rain from my eyes. My consciousness slipped into one of its reveries again.

“Come with me Desire, and I will show you,” he beckoned. I looked up into his brown eyes and felt so — drawn. I sighed deeply. “You know, we will never get anywhere if you don’t move,” he teased.

“Your slightest look easily will unclose me
Though I have closed myself as fingers,
You open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skillfully, mysteriously)her first rose.”

A song. It reminded me of a song. I couldn’t place it, it’s been so long since I listened. But I must focus at the task at hand. The gift was not demanding my attention. There was someone who needed me. He needed me.

Or so I unfortunately and desperately thought. I strained to see; I had the feeling that he really did not require my presence here. I can feel it, a sharp pang to my heart. The skies flashed a different hue for a split second. It turned a deep blue. But the people around me did not notice at all.

The ground seemed to shake, but I think that was just me. He didn’t need me now. Not yet. But he will. I thought it was just my imagination but it began to drizzle. As if on cue, tears welled up inside me. Dreams awaited me at home, but I chose to be here. I abandoned my desires and followed you willingly, here, of all places. Why must you trade me for things which cannot last even half a lifetime?

These arguments, unforgiving, must be nursed. I am running after something so elusive, and failure has greeted me at every corner so far. Surely, this is who Love is, and I am not about to give up. The rain soaked my bones with such unhappiness.

She breathed and lived and did things a normal girl would do. And she felt. It was her very nature, one that is governed by things immeasurable and incomprehensible. At times she scared even herself.

I remembered. I still sat where I remember sitting, I still heard the same sounds. But something was different. She’s here.

She was chasing me and I ran. I ran until I couldn’t, until she finally caught up and said, “You can’t run from me forever, miss. I have something for you.” She delivered a package. A package, for me? I didn’t think anyone even knows me. “Yes, it’s for you. Go ahead and open it.”

The wrapper was a bit worn out presumably because of all the chasing. I was battling between opening it and keeping it as it is until I was alone. But curiosity got the best of me and I tore open the wrapper (which was quite ordinary in nature) and stood awestruck at the thing before me. It was she who stopped me reverie.

“It’s for you miss. You wished for it.” And with those words, she left me in peace. It wouldn’t be the last time that I will see her.

I could not, for the life of me, recall when and where I wished for such a thing. Maybe somebody remembered my birthday and sent me a gift. But surely that someone is important. The gift could not have been bought at any price imaginable. A note accompanied the gift. It read:

“For you. Accept my gift as a sign of my steadfast love.”

It was signed with a name that was familiar but I could not recognize.

I’ve been running for quite some time now, sometimes stopping to catch my breath. It had been brighter outside when I stopped here. Now I could only see my shadow cast by the light outside.

He stopped to buy something from that man, some food I think. He’ll spend the night here.

The dancing lights came back, but this time there was loud music. It was joyous, festive, a certain sign of a celebration nearby. I had to go out and see. Surely, he’d be there too.

People were dancing. They were talking. Eating, singing, and telling jokes. I had no one to chat with, so I wandered about, hoping to catch a sight of him. Being here alone takes the pleasure away of mingling with these strange people. And I am quite preoccupied looking for him. I’m growing tired already, so I sit down in a corner and amused myself by watching the people around me and listening to their conversations. I tried remembering why I was there.

The princess’ name was Desire. She wanted to draw and so she did. She wanted to dream, and dream she did. She wanted to love, and so…