Juxtapose

Rainbows of light dance across the sky, tickling my face lighter than a dream. A slow, uneven smile crosses my lips, despite my efforts to maintain an unhappy demure. I let go of my apprehension and allow the grin to regain control over my visage. It feels good, to be smiling again. I take in my surroundings as if I had never seen green grass, and spin in a slow circle, attempting to take it all in. It’s beautiful; I had never noticed before. My obliviousness makes me giggle, and before long, I am collapsed on the ground in a fit of laughter. Laughter… I mused. It’s strange, I hadn’t remembered what it was like. It felt rather pleasant, this strange mirth the outdoors had brought upon my frozen heart. I tried to remember what had brought about my catatonic state, but to no avail, until my brain finally hesitated before stating his name. His name brought on a sudden surge of icy coldness which felt as painful as a burning flame. I gasped, collapsing to the ground. Ironic how moments before, I had been mirroring the same motions, but in a fit of happiness rather than insufferable pain. It felt like every possible excruciating feeling all bundled into one: burning, freezing, throbbing, stinging, pulsating, pounding. “Ouch.” I muttered, curling into a ball.

I heard heavy footsteps moving in my direction. It’s him. My irrational mind screamed at me. I attempted to scramble to my feet, but instead felt petrified, unable to so much as stretch my legs, let alone run into the surrounding forest. Mercifully, I was able to tilt my head into the direction of the approaching footsteps. Expecting to see a face vivid with rage, I instead saw an unfamiliar form. My eyes and brain would not properly comprehend what I was seeing, and I remained curled up on the grass, completely dumbfounded. Where was Abaddon? I wondered, my fear only slightly subsiding. Perhaps this was a ruse?  Perhaps this stranger’s features suddenly meld into a face so frighteningly beautiful; so frighteningly familiar. A face sharper than knifes, with eyes as black as death itself, and deceitful lips which do nothing but urge me to come ever closer. Strangely enough, this face does not appear. Instead, the stranger finally reaches me, and stares down at me from where he stands. It is almost uncomfortable, but the stranger has clear, kind eyes. I stare into these eyes, and can’t help but feel safe, even if my brain is telling me it’s a stupid assumption to make. Never forget the last pair of eyes you fell for. It reminded me, almost smugly.

“You look like you need a friend.” he said in a low voice. In an instant, I realized that is exactly what I had needed, exactly what I had been looking for all along. “Yes,” I mumbled, reaching for his outstretched hand. “Zeph.” he said cordially, finally giving a name to the face. A face, I might add, so different from what I was used to. There were no signs of mockery, no signs of anger. Simply a face of pure kindness which was quite difficult for me to comprehend. “Delilah.” I all but whispered, not wanting to loose this image of kindness. It was more brilliant than the sun; I could not look away. “Delilah,” he said, thoughtful. He paused, and stared at me for so long that I began to feel self-conscious. “Yes, you look like a Delilah.” He grinned at me, and there was so much in that smile: humanity, charity, happiness, sincerity, openness. Once again, I was completely shocked at the amount of emotions- good, pure emotions- that I could see on his face. For the first time, I felt hope.