This is piece 1 out of 2 from M Wright! We loved reading this one, and can't wait for the next!
"Both of these pieces are reflections of myself at different times in the past few years."
The rain is a light patter on my crown, the wind whipping through my buzzed hair. I find my balance on the slanted roof among the rubble. Feet shifting on the flakey shingles. My cape tugs on my shoulders and it almost makes me fall. I regain my balance, placing my left foot higher on the roof. I exhale and close my eyes. I tilt my head up slightly, no longer weighted down by stress.
My ears ring in a high-pitched ever-present tone like the squeaking of train wheels or the screech of the brakes on an old bike. My eyes open to the night sky, clouded and vast. I look over my left shoulder and there she is floating ever so slightly off the ground. She flickers like the flame of burning paper made of a smoke-colored mist.
“Hello M” rings through my mind in a familiar tone. Like the taste of my own teeth or the feel of my skin, her voice is instinctual and neutral.
She moves closer gliding across the pitched roof, her image glinting in and out of visibility. As she moves closer, I am greeted by the scent of the hemp and plum candle from when I first saw her, the scent fills my mind reminding me of a sense of wholeness, like I’m finally fully there. I’m never truly alone or scared when I have Nox.
“Hi Nox,” I reply aloud.
“Why are we up here again?” she asks in an exasperated tone. I know she doesn’t like the rain much.
“Here is my favorite place to be,” I respond, “I love the wind and rain and the stars that peek
through the clouds,”.
“It’s one of the only places you can actually see Orion isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” I respond, “I can always talk to him but It’s kinda like your candle y’know like I like
seeing you guys where I first saw you.” I look up to the sky, the cold rain falling on my face. I feel like I’m lifting off the ground raising above my problems.
I’m here among clouds not down on the surface with my stresses. The roof has always made me feel calm and in control. The first time I knew this was on the 4th of July two years ago.
. . . .
I crawl up the slant of the roof on my hands and knees careful to not slip, the sound of a distant boom from the fireworks several miles away catches me off guard and I almost slip and fall, my heart rate spiking. I sit down on the roof top and look up. The fireworks people set off downtown light up the sky. I place my hand behind me, the other one a tight fist in my lap. I feel the loose rubble on the roof coats my hand digging its way into my palm.
My hand behind me slowly relaxes. My shoulders drop, my head rolling to one side. Why am I so calm? My fist in my lap unclenches joints aching from being clamped so tight together. Even though there are fireworks going off in every direction causing my ears to ring because of the sound I am relaxed. My muscles loosen, my mind clears and I am finally at peace.
I am finally in control. I am untethered. I am somewhere where I can simply be. I should spend more time up here. Free to just exist. I lay back on the roof's slanted surface, eyes drift close. I see the fireworks as spots that light up the inside of my eyelids. No longer some big scary thing now, just another part of my beloved night sky. My limbs feel heavy like they’re floating suspended in the air frozen among the clouds. This is the best I’ve felt in a long time.
. . . .
I open my eyes, rain piercing my cheeks with its cold blades. Finally, here above my problems I’m free. I put on my headphones Burning Pile by Mother Mother blasts through my one working headphone.
Me and Nox hang there seemingly stopped in time suspended in a cold dark night. Orion looking down upon us from his constellation above the clouds. I feel my shoulders start to move and I sway to the music. My mind wrapped in the comforting tone of the lyrics.
I start to sing aloud, “all my troubles on a burning pile, all lit up and I start to smile. If I catch fire I change my aim, throw my troubles at the pearly gates.” The lyrics lift me farther higher in the air. I see myself in the clouds above everything disconnected, just me, Nox and Orion. Just like it’s been ever since they first appeared. I stay there listening to the music breathing the air. Among the clouds I hang my feet light, my arms heavy. I wish I could stay here forever.
Hi, I’m M, I've been writing since i was very young (mostly world building stuff). My dad is also a big writer. The stories he wrote for me as a kid inform much of how i write now.