Our Beautiful

At the top the giant hill that’s been left by a hauntly past; I stood there feeling the cold air engulf my body till I collapsed on my back with my eyes meeting the moody sky.

That’s when my vision started to blur from the tears that form while my mouth started whispering, "Happy Birthday..." to her. I close my eyes trying to seek the last bit of warm memory I can collect—only for that to go away by the thought of the possible future we could’ve had but can’t because of the present I’m with now that she’s gone.

Reaching into my pockets I bring out a crumpled letter and a lighter. As I get on on one knee and started digging into the ground with my fingers so I don't burn the whole field. But as I'm about to dig, I feel a presence looking right at me.

I slightly start to glance up but kept my head down so I don't look like I've taken notice to what's been looking at me. As my eyes meet the observer, my heart began to race quickly, "Holy shit...That's one big bird," I thought, as I see what looks to be a 5'10" barn owl staring right at me. My heart began to race as my arms started to grow weak.

"Run!" I thought, "Run! Run now! Why? Why can't I move?!" My legs grow numb as I realized I wasn't looking at the barn owl anymore and my mind has wandered too far from the situation that I didn't take in any notice of the shadow looming over my body; giving it this cold uneasy feeling.

I fell back immediately blurting, "Stop!" backing away, I get into a position on the ground like I'm about to throw a fist. The giant owl only glanced at me with its emotionless eyes and leaned over and asked, "Are you okay?"

Relief filled my mind but confusion overwhelmed it more. I don't know whether to stay guarded or whether to answer the question. The owl leaned closer as it continued, "If you aren't going to answer my question, I guess I'll get to the point,"

He turned around and expanded his wings stooping low to the ground as if he were waiting for something. I stared.

"Well? Aren't you going to get on?" He exclaimed

"Not on a creature I've just met. How do I even know you're not going to eat me or something?" The owl did nothing but stared at me in complete silence for a minute till a snicker came out of its beak.

"I guess it's what I get for looking so intimidating," he sassed as he stands still till a giant gleam of light surround him. I looked away only for a second till I felt a small tap on my shoulders. I looked to see the owl turn into a white haired, green eyed, freckled boy. The only thing that stood out to me were the freckles that still glowed gold like the stars that surrounded us. As if he were a part of the constellations in the sky.

"I promise, I won't eat you," The fear in my body slowly started to fade as my eyes were still lost at this new humanoid form the owl's taken, "Humans tend to fear less with what they've recognize, they fear more with what they don't am I right?" I slightly nodded. He stuck out his hand as if offering it to me, "Do you trust me now?"

I nodded taking his hand—where he yanks it while taking me in by the waist, “Stay still, don’t move,” he whispered as he engulfs us with his wings. It felt like we were moving somewhere but as I looked at the ground I see nothing but grass and our feets.

Suddenly, I feel a small warm light kissing my face as I looked up to see that we were at a park now. A park that isn’t too far from my house. “Why’d you take me here?”

He said nothing but sat on a park bench staring at the people that would walk past us from time to time, “You humans are so emotional but so interesting; tell me, are you really okay?”

I felt a little annoyance building up inside of me. Out of all the questions anybody could ask, those last words are never the questions I want to answer. But I sat next to him anyways and replied, “I don’t know, I haven’t been feeling the best as of late because I feel like without her, I’m nothing,”

“Who is she?”

I stared at the ground trying to subdue the emotions ready to burst out of my tongue, “My sister,” I tried to take a deep breath but instead a big tear fell down my cheeks as I looked up at him, “It’s been only a week and I can’t look at her room the same because everytime I want to bug someone I expected her to be there, I expected her to be the one to tell me to go away or that I’m ugly. All those memories we’ve made together, isn’t suppose to go away in an instant, it’s suppose to stay, I don’t know if I can be here if she’s not here,”

“Are you sure?” Owl responded with his head tilted out of curiosity while I fiddle with the sleeves of my hoodie without responding

“Are you sure?” He repeated

“Yes! Yes! I’m sure! There is literally nothing else I can think or would want to do! There is nothing out there for me, I’m a failure! The best prodigy my parents ever cultivated is my sister, I was only a failed project they didn’t mean to make. My school saw that and gave up on me. My friends were tired cause I offered them nothing. The one person who ever believed in me is gone just like that! When I should've seen it coming, I should’ve seen it—”

Owl threw his arms around me as my body became a little numb. I looked at my hands only to find it shaking more tears started to flow as I looked up at him murmuring, “I feel like I’m about to explode,”

He embraced me tighter and kissed my forehead, “There’s nothing anybody can do—no doctor, no therapist, not even me. But the only person who can help you is yourself,”

“Then what do I do? What do I do with this emotion I’ve been building up with I don’t know where to put it. I can’t stop it. I want it to stop. But I can’t,”

For the first time, Owl had tears forming embracing me tighter, “We cry, we let it all out. Because it will eventually go away. You are the future. Live the life she couldn’t live. Be the person you want to be for her if she was your motivation,”

I feel an overwhelming emotion take over as I bursted into a scream like cry. Not being able to respond as my head falls into his chest.

He added, “You know, if you disappeared, imagine what the world would do if you weren’t there. Certain events never lived, weddings never happened, children never born. You have a reason believe me, everything will be okay once you figure it out; and I know you will.”

Maybe this is what I needed all along is to let it all out, “Th..thank you, I needed this,”

He rested his chin on my head and just started petting it, “No need, I understand,”

I feel a little light headed not realzing that I started to doze off.

Because that morning of, I woke up in my room thinking everything’s a dream. I scramble out of my bed trying to find the hoodie I had on that one time. In hopes to find the last thing I have of her. Only to not just find the letter but a feather.

I stared at both the letter and the feather for a moment.

For the first time, I feel like everything’s going to be okay. Because it will be.

Fin.