Wish

Sam held the book in her hand, and was lying on the sandy ground with lifeless grass. She leaned against the thin tree trunk no higher than a person and had the support of her body relied on it. Her ears were filled with music, for she had the earpiece attached to her phone, hidden in her furry pink hoodie. She stretched her legs and rested them with one crossed over another. For a long time, she stayed in that same posture, unmoving, reading her book.

The clear sky and the winter mid-afternoon sun caressed her hands, which was touching the book. It was light, a paperback around 300 pages, that gave her a feast on such a leisure day.

As she sat there, the world didn’t stop for her, but continue to spin with life and noise and dogs and kites and people and children and bikes and skateboards and the sea. It didn’t matter though since the book was all she read. No matter how many joy and fun the crowd were having at the park, she never raised her head once, not to stole a glimpse at the barking dogs, flying kites, or the crying kids.

Sam slowly crunched through the book, from the warm, bright afternoon light to the cool, dim dusk ray. Finally she closed the book, her fingers stayed on the book and her eyes looked out to the sea, where ships set sail. She closed her eyes for a moment, and saw the purple radiance of the glamorous, setting sun through her eyelids.

The book, she put down on the ground. And with effort, she stood up and made a few kicks on the ground, so as to wake up her legs from the break and return them to duty. Sam had her clothes smoothen first, and then bent low to get her book. Her shoulder length hair streamed down her neck and flowed down as she reached the book. With a little twist of head from low to high, right to left, she recalled her hair to her back and they stayed there without disobeying their master.

With that, Sam squinted at the fading ray, and set out with the book in her hand.