On An Abandoned Side Road at 2:17 am

There is a bike rolling down the street without a rider, and a streetlight that flickers without warning. The night sky is tinted purple, while the moon swims in a sea of troubles. How many belong to you? Only you know that, and on a day you don’t remember, you swore not to tell.

Underneath the flickering streetlight, a pebble bounces across the road, kicked by a teenage boy in dark blue converse. He hasn’t any idea where he’s going, nor where he came from. Someday, he vows, he’ll find out, but for now, all he knows is that he must travel the darkness and take solace in the spots of light inside it.

There is a girl who has traveled the same path, a girl made of rose petals and timeless melodies. She has learned to keep the light with her. She takes the boy’s face in her hands and looks him in the eye. Don’t forget your name, she tells him, and he knows he never will.

At the end of the road, fire truck sirens blare, fighting for a house they cannot save. The family within is gone quickly, suddenly, together. You’ll look beautiful in heaven, the youngest hears her sister say, and she knows it will be true.