What do the stars feel when they look at Us?

Chapter 30: Medusa

Somewhere at the end of the horizon, there were gods fighting out trembling wars. It felt like we were driving towards damnation. A place of no return. I wasn't scared at all.

There was nothing left to lose.

I looked at my phone screen. And unlocked it. Seemingly dozens of calls from Linda. One from Pedro. I already told my mom I was going away yesterday night. It was morning now.

There was an article popping up about a car crash at some faraway place in the country. Someone my age dying. I hated the news. Maybe I hated people dying. Anyway, I felt a lot of hate.

Why don't the news talk about how a family has reached their destination safely?

Matilda's car was small and black. Just like her lips. Matilda had lips like a goddess. Also, it was a Fiat Panda.

The destination we were driving towards might not have been the Olymp, even though that's what it looked like the stormclouds were trying to cover.

It was a harbour city. And as we left the highway, tons of white birds were fluttering above our heads.

They didn't get a reaction out of Matilda. She had been dead silent for hours. Just like me. It felt like it wasn't her first time here. Like..., the first time.

I noticed that things stopped turning into stone. Instead, my neck started sweating under the pressure of the breaths of air that were being hollered over it.

The longer we drove, the louder the hissing got.

I wanted to get out of this car.

On our right-hand side, the first buildings started to show up. We were in the outer parts of the city. A slight smell of ocean. Dirt all around. People looking distinguishable. Tiny worlds apart.

There was a book store. I was craving comfort. To my surprise, still.

For the first time since the encounter on the meadow, I spoke.

"I need to go."

She nodded slightly. Put her hair behind her ear. Curly and messy.

She turned over and found a space to park in.

Within the second of the engine being turned off, I got outside and walked towards the shop. Warm breeze filling up my nose and ears.

Not knowing if Matilda would wait for me.

-

Inside, an elderly man greeted me. I wondered if he was a customer. Even though he and I were the only ones in the room.

A square-ish room. Neatly sorted books on old oak wood shelves. Old light bulbs. Mechanical sounds.

I pretended to look through books. My fingers were excited to feel them.

"You looking for something specific?", the old man asked.

"Just something to take my mind off everything", I said quietly. I felt like a mouse, hiding from someone who offered them cheese just to kill them like the eighteen-year-old that found an unfortunate death in a car crash this morning and I felt bad for him and this was a really bad comparison but I really just pitied myself while still being relieved I survived the drive with Matilda and oh god, was Matilda even still there?

"I have a little trick for when I don't know what to read."

He didn't expect me to answer.

"The world is telling us what to read. Really! Trust me on that one. I've worked in this business for my entire life and reading is just..., the most organic thing in the world. A gift from God!"