14 January, 2021
The Stranger with Blue Orbs
It felt as if the sky cheered for me as I ran away from them. From my very own friends, or maybe enemies now. One night and the tables turned, more like flipped. Tears blurred my vision but I didn’t stop. The heavens roared. Suddenly, I tripped and fell onto my knees. Treacherous sobs invaded my breath. I felt like a loner in the crowd. The only comfort I was getting was from the petrichor. Then suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder and with abrupt movements, I turned my head only to look at someone with electrifying blue eyes, looking right at me. It was bright enough to look at his face. I gulped.
“Hello,” he said.
With no signs of sympathy or pity in his orbs but fear and anticipation in mine, I wanted to reply but the words never came out. Before I could think of anything, he helped me get up and we sat on the already wet bench.
“Sometimes, we fall. And it hurts. I’m tired of how many times I’ll have to go through this but for some reason, I can’t stop. Hope is the only thing I’ve left with me. It felt like I was the undrunk water, enough to quench the thirst but left to be sunken into the ground. I felt like my existence was like twigs that had been snapped in two. But still, I knew things will get better and will make me a lot stronger. As for now, all I know is that I have to fight back. And I will.”
The way he talked made it seem like he had it worse than I did and that’s when I realized how little things can make a huge change. We don’t know what people go through yet and we can be mean to them unintentionally. A situation can be handled with much hate, but then again, maybe we are not in love with ourselves to get back up and face our fears. Right then, I felt like I grew wings of a butterfly, ready to fly high. Oh! How the waves try to reach the shore only to be pulled back one more time, but did they ever stop trying? No. People change us. Life changes us. And sometimes, we change ourselves. For better or maybe for the worse. The canvas of blue skies will collide with the peaks someday, everything will come crashing down but giving up is never an option. This five-minute meeting with a stranger lighted up so many things for a moth who could fly high but was afraid to die.
As soon as I looked up to see him again, he wasn’t there. He was gone. It was as if he just vanished! How is this possible? And why did it feel like I lost a part of me I never had? Startled, I got up and roamed around the emptiness to find something-more like someone. I wanted to share my thoughts. I wanted to hear him. We both are enigmas. Yearning for a home we can’t return to. So much was unsaid, so much was unheard. Concluding he was not there, i returned to my thoughts. I guess this is what destiny means then. We meet someone and then we lose them just in a matter of few seconds. The impact is huge nonetheless. We meet people who understand us and maybe they are the ones who’ll leave us heartbroken in the end. Beauty lies in this. Beauty lies in the thunder after every lightning. Beauty lies in us. This isn’t the end. This is just a new beginning. To rise like a Phoenix from its very own ashes. We all need someone to talk to and it’s okay even if it’s a stranger, maybe with blue orbs, maybe someone who had it worse.
After that night, the stars appeared to shine a bit brighter. The moon had scars but it held pride. The cool breeze made me shiver as I walked into the very same park that I met the stranger in. It was dark, but not the lonely dark. It felt peaceful. Like lullabies. As if I had the attention of all the angels today. I smiled as I felt the raindrops on my eyelids. Cold yet warm. In these few months, I realized that I may not have anyone to hug me when I need it but at that very moment, I learn to embrace myself. I can learn to fall in love with myself. Because I am the only constant I have for now and maybe forever too. But god works in mysterious ways. Life almost felt magical. Enchanting. Beautiful.
“Hello” he said.
I turned around with a shocked smile lacing my face. To put a full stop after that, I want to tell you what happened today, I met the stranger with blue orbs, again.
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Author- Anandi Sharma
Author Introduction
I am Anandi Sharma. I am 16 years old and am currently studying in grade 11. I absolutely adore writing and my love for the same has led me to complete courses in content writing.
Here is a short story I wrote a few months back. I am fortunate to receive a platform like Teen Tidings to share it with the world.
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