A Collection of Poems and Short Stories
Her beautiful eyes were never enough.
He needed to feel her lips, to touch it with his own, to capture her very being. Even then, I doubt it would be sufficient. This guy doesn’t seem like the type to be satisfied very easily when it comes to the person he’s holding. In any case, I could only sit here, remain silent, and roll my eyes occasionally.
The guy in question is Luna’s, my sister’s, friend who had just recently confessed, a confession she eagerly accepted. I suppose this would make him her boyfriend, but it was too loud for me to hear.
The night stars shone brightly above us, the trees covering any further view of the area. Aside from the blasting music coming from that little speaker, no other noise can be heard in this isolated place. The dim lights from the few lamps scattered around the area were nonetheless enough for me to see everyone dancing around.
My silence was out of place as everyone else was partying their hearts out to this cheerful celebration. A celebration that toasts the successful confession between my sister and her suitor. An event in which I was forced to attend by my parents.
It was a bit weird for my parents to ask their younger child to take care of their eldest instead of the other way around for once, but I wasn’t about to complain and not let her go altogether. After all, I knew it would be an important occasion for my initially oblivious sister.
It was said to be a summer gathering with all of Luna’s friends present, camping in the distant woods with activities meant for the great outdoors. It didn’t take long for me to figure out, however, the true intent of the gathering. As her younger sister, it was only my job to make sure everything went well.
Now I have to face the consequences of my actions and deal with a party I didn’t really want to attend. I thought of escaping to the woods and be one with nature, but I was afraid my parents would be greeted with a missing child poster the very next day, so I decided against it. Currently, the only thing I could do is observe the chaotic surroundings with teenagers drinking booze and dancing to the music.
It was going to be a long, long night.
Half an hour passed with my eyes doing nothing but wandering around aimlessly. It almost gave up and closed for good when it suddenly landed on someone just as out of place as I was.
An oddly quiet guy, staring at the new couple, leaning on a tree barely grazing his head.
I tried to see if he had anyone with him, however, he was all alone in that corner of the area. His black hair almost blending in with the night sky, and his stance as solid as the tree he is leaning against. I scanned his face for any signs of emotion that might suggest he is enjoying the celebration. The lamps were far from that corner so I could barely see, but it was enough for me to notice his blank expression.
Before I could try discerning this man any further, he suddenly, but very silently, slipped away from my sights and into the dark forest.
No one noticed the sudden lack of his presence.
I contemplated what to do. Then realized there was nothing much to contemplate.
I followed this man into the forest, fearing not for the stranger danger policy. In truth, I know this guy quite well.
It didn’t take long for him to return to my sight, he may blend in with the night but his height was well noticeable. The party has now been reduced into nothing but whispers which gives me a tiny bit of joy. The noise was getting too loud for even me to bear. Besides, I wouldn’t be able to talk to this guy if the music kept on blasting in the background.
He was once again leaning on his back against a slightly larger tree than before. I crept slowly towards him, not wishing to surprise the young man. Unfortunately, a small twig breaking seemed to have been enough to alert him.
“What are you doing here?” He said, his voice was firm.
For a guy with glasses I should say he sees quite well in the night, having immediately recognized who I was. Nonetheless, I remained silent, looking down at the leaves and twigs as I leaned my back on a tree mirroring him.
He, too, said nothing and the silence consumed us whole.
His name is Paulo, another friend of my sister’s, another admirer of hers.
He was rather different though, I would say as he was one of the few she would consider her close friend. That being said, everyone knew Paulo had something going on for my sister, and ironically enough, everyone but her.
However, despite his rather obvious feelings and closeness with my sister, they never took their relationship to the next level. Even until now, I could only imagine why this stone cold, persuasive man never tried pursuing her.
I have been acquainted with him plenty of times, however, we only had an actual conversation once. It was when Luna suggested for him to be a tutor for a subject I was having trouble with.
Frankly, I didn’t want to bother him. I told my sister that my classmates could just help me instead. Nonetheless, she was pretty insistent on it. It ended up liking it though as Paulo was really good at teaching, albeit he was pretty nonchalant the whole time.
I thought of him when I started assisting with the secret confession.. After all, I knew he would inevitably have to attend the celebration. Truthfully, some part of me regrets helping with the ploy in the first place.
Despite never truly knowing the guy, he treated me well the few times we interacted. I chased after him in hopes of comforting what I would assume is a heartbroken man, and of course, not just to escape the party.
Unfortunately, now that we are alone and far from the celebration, I’m afraid the right words keep slipping past my tongue.
“You don’t have to comfort me Tala.” He suddenly uttered, breaking my train of thoughts. “I’m doing fine on my own.”
As my eyes left the ground to gaze upon his face, I only further doubted his words.
His face was serious all throughout, but his eyes showed a tinge of sadness and frustration.
He must’ve felt I was pitying him. He pinched the bridge of his nose, raising his glasses, as he closed his eyes, sighing out of frustration before opening his mouth once more
“If something terrible were to happen in the middle of the forest, your safety is my responsibility.” He stated as if it wasn’t an obvious fact.
“Nothing bad would happen.” I replied.
I’m not certain of that, of course, but it was better than saying nothing at all.
He rolled his eyes.
“Of course not.” He said, sarcastically. His voice was gruff as I was clearly testing his patience.
“Are you alright?”
I was never good at changing the topic but I would say it was a decent attempt.
Unsurprisingly, I was once again met with silence, his eyes glaring at me for a second before wandering away to avoid contact. It was then that I realized going slow would reach us nowhere.
“I know you’re mad- and jealous. That’s alright, it’s fine to feel-”
“I’m not mad” He raised his voice.
Oh, he was. He very much was.
At this point, it was pointless to push the conversation any further. Awkwardly, I lowered my head and started playing with the twigs.
He likely felt guilty as it wasn't long until I heard another sigh and the slight movement of some leaves.
“I’m sorry.” It was a sound barely enough for me to hear.
As I looked up to see his face in order to reassure him, I quickly stopped myself from replying. He was looking up at the moon in such a peaceful gaze compared to a second ago that disturbing him would feel like a crime. In return, I gazed up alongside him.
It was truly a sight to behold. The moon was bright and full making it as if a spotlight was shining in the middle of the forest. We were far away from the city's light, and while I admit I did nothing but complain about being within the great outdoors, I can’t deny that this was a more dazzling sight than what I could ever see in the city.
“The moon really is pretty tonight.” I said, wishing to comfort him just a little with a simple conversation.
“It has always been beautiful.”
That’s right.
Even in a bright place like the city, Paulo had always found the moon beautiful. Every time their group of friends would hang out with my sister during the night, he would never fail to pause for a second to admire the moon.
The way he looked at the moon was the same way he grew to look at Luna, and I can’t help but laugh at that thought.
I quite literally did actually, and he took notice of it quite fast.
That little laugh triggered him to stand upright, likely realizing we’ve been gone long enough. He cleared his throat for a bit before telling me that we should head back.
I quickly obliged and waited for him to be right next to me before we headed back using the path we came from. Truthfully, as impulsive as I was when I rushed to chase after him, I knew there was a high chance I could get lost. After all, it was well known that I had never been so good with directions. If I were to lose sight of him again then there was a high likelihood I’d disappear from the face of the universe.
It wasn’t the most eventful walk. I tried striking up a conversation but the only response I’d receive is a series of “ Mm ” and “ No ”.
I ended up entertaining myself the whole time by counting the birds that flew by. It was night time so I would say it was a bit inaccurate.
1 bird, 2 birds, 3– no, 5 birds, 10 birds
It wasn’t until 20 birds flew by that I snapped out of it and realized something was amiss.
How long have we been walking?
It wasn’t supposed to be that long of a distance, it only took me a few seconds to chase Paulo down to where he was located. I only ran for a bit, and I could’ve sworn this was the same path I took, and yet somehow– something wasn’t right.
There were no signs of the party’s chaos, a messy place with drunk teenagers no person could possibly miss. Only a faint sound of the music, almost at the same distance as it was before we started walking.
Before I could open my mouth to inform Paulo, he hushed me as I turned to face him.
He was examining our surroundings with intense focus as we continued walking, his eyebrows furrowed to show his likewise confusion to our current situation. Without a doubt, he seemed to have also realized the strange predicament we found ourselves in.
In all honesty, I was terrified and in a panic. Wishing to calm down my nerves, I tried uttering something but he placed his finger on his lips signaling me to stay quiet.
Frustration built inside me, annoyed at him constantly shutting me down. I was about to speak up when he abruptly stopped in his tracks to look at me.
“The music, Tala” He whispered “It’s gone.”
Oh.
He was right. The music being faint a while ago wasn’t because of our distance – it was fading to absolute silence. It just now realized what had happened. Meanwhile, Paulo had noticed it from the start.
This new discovery, however, did not help us at all. Rather, it only solidified the fact we are in a dangerous situation. Not only are we seemingly lost in the woods, the one thing we relied on to pinpoint our location was gone. We’re doomed.
“It’s too early. The party can’t be done.” I anxiously said. “Surely they just turned down the music?”
Paulo shook his head.
“At the distance we walked, we should’ve heard a person's voice before the music faded.” He explained. “However, that’s not the case.“
“Then we’re lost?!” I exclaimed. It was the one thing I expected the most from myself, yet I can’t help but feel shocked.
“You getting lost is unheard of-”
I wanted to punch him.
“However,” He continued, ignoring my annoyed expression. “This is the path we took. No doubt about it.”
Annoyed as I was, I trusted his words wholeheartedly. After all, his memory was an otherworldly thing, he could remember everything in a matter of seconds. Impressive? Yes. Terrifying? Also yes.
“Then what happened?” I asked. Surely, he would have a more logical answer than what I could possibly conclude.
“I don’t know.”
We’re doomed.
I smiled at him, trying my best not to pierce daggers into his very being using my gaze.
Paulo continued looking around as I calmed myself down. When I finished pulling myself together, my previously panicked mind was able to focus once more and think rationally. Although, that being said, there wasn’t anything rational about our situation. Instead, I focused on Paulo, who I initially thought wasn’t too worried, but instead was getting more anxious each second.
I grabbed his sleeve as he started tapping his foot, signaling him to relax. He seemed to have taken notice of his own growing emotions as he shook his head and sighed.
Of course, deep inside, I was still frustrated, terrified, and in a panic. However, in order for us to be able to get out of this predicament, both of us needs to think rationally.
After all, I can’t survive out in the woods alone.
“Let’s keep walking.” Paulo suggested after thinking deeply for a minute.
We started continuing down the path as I held on tightly to his sleeve. As we walked, my thoughts jumbled into one big mess inside my mind. I asked myself how exactly we got lost with Paulo’s almost perfect memory. Surely he would’ve realized something different in our surroundings, he should’ve noticed if we weren’t going the right way.
“Paulo- Are you 100% sure we’re not lost?” I asked, hoping to ease my thoughts. “If we haven’t reached the party yet then this can’t be the same pathway as before”
He stood still, his face indiscernible.
“Paulo?”
“Tala.” He replied. “Are you superstitious?”
I was not. I get scared here and there when it comes to ghosts, but ultimately, I was taught not to believe in them.
“No.” I responded curious to his question.
“I’m not either.” He stated , tapping his glasses to fix its position.
He continued walking as I was left there confused.
I rushed after him, grabbing his sleeve once more.
“I don’t understand. What do you mean?” My brows furrowed, the feeling of curiosity digging deep.
His eyes stared into mine before wandering to something behind me.
I abruptly turned around, expecting something to jump out. Instead, I was greeted with a tree no different from the rest in this forest, aside from the fact it was slightly taller than the ones surrounding it. I sighed with relief.
“Don’t scare me like that.” I complained before Paulo cut me off.
“That tree-” He uttered as he continued to gaze upon it. “I saw it 5 times already.”
“That can’t be.” I chuckled as I went to examine it “You must’ve mistaken it for some other tree. I mean, we’re in a forest after all-”
He grabbed my arm. Turning me around to face him.
“Paulo?”
“Tala-” He looked at me, his expression as cold as stone, his voice void of any emotion.
“We’re walking in a loop.”