Mirrors of the Sun
Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 5:23 am
A little writing sketch, trying to change trains of thought.
It is one of those perfect autumn days, the very picture of what you think when you imagine how an autumn day should be. The colour of the sky has already started turning pale in anticipation of winter, but the sun is still shining brightly from that cloudless, silvery-blue sky. The sound of a cool breeze rustling the fallen maple leaves is your background music. The feel of the thick coat and scarf against the chilly air, and the slow moments of fabric on your skin are like a warm blanket all around you. That's how this day feels like.
The tiny park is void of people except them, which fits her just fine. The little girl runs ahead and jumps straight into a huge pile of dry leaves, squealing with delight. Hands deep in the pocket of her long overcoat, the young woman idly follows with her gaze. She smiles privately at the energy and innocence of the child. Babysitting is not too bad, even though this one is not a baby anymore.
As if sensing she's being watched, the little girl looks back at her keeper. Small mouth turns into a wide, innocent smile, and she waves happily in a wide arc. The woman waves back, of course, thinking how the girl seems to always be moving at full ahead, no energy conserved anywhere. Must be nice to be a child.
She sits on a bench and leans back, letting the wind caress her face and hair. There's nobody around here to watch anyway, so she can afford being a little careless today. The can of hot coffee is slowly cooling, but it still gives off some warmth, nested between her fingers. A whole afternoon with nothing to do must be the most relaxing thing in the world.
The little girl skips to the bench as well, with a healthy rose colour on her cheeks and pale blue eyes gleaming with enthusiasm. She looks so much like her mother. Same blue eye colour, same blonde colour of hair. And like her mother, she's sure to capture quite a few hearts when she grows up.
A tiny sigh escapes her lips. The emotions around that sigh twirl around the back of her head for a moment, until she pushes them away. The girl, maybe sensing her uneasiness, reaches her hand up to touch the silky strands of raven black hair that covers one side of her face.
"Auntie Hanako… you have a really pretty hair."
"Thank you, sweetie."
The hand disappears under her bangs, touching the skin of her cheek. The girl's small fingers trace through the crevices and ridges of the scar tissue, just like her fingers... in another time, another place.
"Auntie Hanako, why is it like this?"
"Hmm... When I was little girl like you... well, maybe a bit older, I got into an accident"
"Did it hurt?"
"Yes, it did. It hurt very badly."
The little girl scrunches her face, making a difficult expression. She can feel the disjunction between what Hanako says and the calm, simple way she explains. She can tell there is something wrong. Coming to a conclusion, she frowns.
"Were you sad?"
A sigh escapes her lips, again. She would rather not return to these memories in her mind to answer the child, but denying her the answer would not do.
"Yes…. I was sad for the longest time. You wouldn't believe it if I told you just how sad I was and for how long it was."
"Are you still sad?"
The girl looks upwards, staring hard at her with those pale blue eyes. Like mirrors of the sun they reflect the daylight, almost shining in the exact colour of the perfect autumn sky.
"No..."
"No, I don't think I am sad any more."
It is one of those perfect autumn days, the very picture of what you think when you imagine how an autumn day should be. The colour of the sky has already started turning pale in anticipation of winter, but the sun is still shining brightly from that cloudless, silvery-blue sky. The sound of a cool breeze rustling the fallen maple leaves is your background music. The feel of the thick coat and scarf against the chilly air, and the slow moments of fabric on your skin are like a warm blanket all around you. That's how this day feels like.
The tiny park is void of people except them, which fits her just fine. The little girl runs ahead and jumps straight into a huge pile of dry leaves, squealing with delight. Hands deep in the pocket of her long overcoat, the young woman idly follows with her gaze. She smiles privately at the energy and innocence of the child. Babysitting is not too bad, even though this one is not a baby anymore.
As if sensing she's being watched, the little girl looks back at her keeper. Small mouth turns into a wide, innocent smile, and she waves happily in a wide arc. The woman waves back, of course, thinking how the girl seems to always be moving at full ahead, no energy conserved anywhere. Must be nice to be a child.
She sits on a bench and leans back, letting the wind caress her face and hair. There's nobody around here to watch anyway, so she can afford being a little careless today. The can of hot coffee is slowly cooling, but it still gives off some warmth, nested between her fingers. A whole afternoon with nothing to do must be the most relaxing thing in the world.
The little girl skips to the bench as well, with a healthy rose colour on her cheeks and pale blue eyes gleaming with enthusiasm. She looks so much like her mother. Same blue eye colour, same blonde colour of hair. And like her mother, she's sure to capture quite a few hearts when she grows up.
A tiny sigh escapes her lips. The emotions around that sigh twirl around the back of her head for a moment, until she pushes them away. The girl, maybe sensing her uneasiness, reaches her hand up to touch the silky strands of raven black hair that covers one side of her face.
"Auntie Hanako… you have a really pretty hair."
"Thank you, sweetie."
The hand disappears under her bangs, touching the skin of her cheek. The girl's small fingers trace through the crevices and ridges of the scar tissue, just like her fingers... in another time, another place.
"Auntie Hanako, why is it like this?"
"Hmm... When I was little girl like you... well, maybe a bit older, I got into an accident"
"Did it hurt?"
"Yes, it did. It hurt very badly."
The little girl scrunches her face, making a difficult expression. She can feel the disjunction between what Hanako says and the calm, simple way she explains. She can tell there is something wrong. Coming to a conclusion, she frowns.
"Were you sad?"
A sigh escapes her lips, again. She would rather not return to these memories in her mind to answer the child, but denying her the answer would not do.
"Yes…. I was sad for the longest time. You wouldn't believe it if I told you just how sad I was and for how long it was."
"Are you still sad?"
The girl looks upwards, staring hard at her with those pale blue eyes. Like mirrors of the sun they reflect the daylight, almost shining in the exact colour of the perfect autumn sky.
"No..."
"No, I don't think I am sad any more."
So what I thought I'd do was make a.......erm a plagiarised parody? Basically Aura's story is the same(almost word for word) except instead of Hanako its Kenji.