A Willow's Awakening To Reality

Under The Happiness They Hide

Willow observed as they had fun and stood up to walk closer to them. He paused for a moment at the door, feeling as if he were about to leave behind his world. Stephanie noticed Willow and gave him a warm smile as she was resting her arms on the piano, and Marcus looked at Willow for a moment, with a serious expression, then he pushed up his glasses and went back to his reading. He had been trying to focus on a book Miles had gifted him, yet the others would not allow him to focus with all the noise. "Rise and shine Willow! You fell asleep while we were walking to Miles' house, so we had to put you on his couch. You must have been tired, were you..." Stephanie shook her head in disappointment and Mitchell turned her back as Stephanie mentioned his name and smiled brightly at Willow. "Hey sleepy head, thank me right now. I had to drag you to the couch remember?" she said in a slightly angry tone of voice, yet she is proud of it and unbothered. Willow smiled slightly at Mitchell and then turned to Miles as he was hypnotized by the piano's sound and controlled by it. Willow saw as the piano's relaxing sound took over Miles whole and walked to him, asking, "Are you okay?"

Miles flinched and looked at Willow apologizing for his own behavior of not noticing Willow earlier, as for his hands, they paused quicker than ever as if something startled him, they completely froze in time for several seconds and waved at Willow.

Willow stared into his eyes that showed a sad blue again, and placed his hand on Miles' back, rubbing it as if he were trying to tell him, "Everything will be okay" and Miles stared at him back, blankly, until they were interrupted by the sound of a book closing, startling Willow, and tricking him into believing it were the sound of a glass breaking. Willow froze for a second and his shoulders shrugged several times.

Marcus stood up and looked at Willow saying, "So, you are awake! You must have had a good dream, you slept for like an hour" he giggled slightly while Stephanie looked at him, tilting her head within a face of confusion and replied, "Did he not sleep for two hours?" she then removed her arms from the piano. Miles looked at Stephanie in shock, "Two hours?!" Stephanie faced Miles, meeting with his eyes in pure confusion. "Yes, two hours. Why? Did it feel like three minutes to you again?" Stephanie chuckled and smiled at Miles. Miles then looked at the ceiling, then at the window saying, "Well, yes."

Willow saw as they all laughed with each other as he slowly let go of the reality above the town and enjoyed the momentum with them. Mitchell turned to Stephanie and picked her up playfully off her feet, to encourage her beliefs in life while Willow sat by Miles and practiced the piano together until Marcus joined them all as well. The moment was unforgettable between the five of them and they spent their afternoon with each other under the realities that lie above.

"Wait a minute, Stephanie, did you not say you had to grade your students' tests?" Marcus asked, turning to Stephanie with an angry expression that Stephanie feared for a second until she looked around and looked back at Marcus with optimism and confidence in her appearance, to approach Marcus with an arm wrapped around him saying, "Wow Marcus, thank you for reminding me! From now on, I will promise you, I will keep forgetting to do my work. Now, let us go home, you have things to do as well, don't you?" she said, ruffling Marcus' head gently and causing his glasses to dislocate out of his nose. "You guys are going now?" Miles said, turning his head to Marcus and Stephanie while she was embracing him tightly. "Yes, because turns out that I have not graded my students' test scores. And I love my students! As for Marcus, he has physics studies to do, you know...doctor things." She said while Marcus desperately trying to escape her arms, with his face covered with a hot red, embarrassed expression. Miles stared at Marcus for several seconds and then giggled slightly saying, "Sure, have a good one but...I think you should let go of him before he yells at you or something...Mitchell fell asleep" he said, turning to Mitchell who was leaning onto the piano, in deep, peaceful slumbering to Willow's melody on the piano while they both lost themselves in it. "As for Willow, I believe he will be asleep as well, very soon." Miles said observing Mitchell and Willow as they lost themselves in the rhythm of the piano. Marcus looked at Mitchell and then at Willow and sighed to calm himself down saying, "I admit it, I do have things to do. Let us go back home Stephanie" He looked at Stephanie and dragged her out of the house. Miles looked at them and giggled then looked at Willow and Mitchell with a sigh and pressed a key to snap Willow out of his zone. Willow flinched and quickly faced Miles asking if anything happened several times, as if he completely lost consciousness with the music. Miles giggled a little and patted Willow's back saying, "Oh, nothing happened do not worry. But Marcus and Stephanie left. And Mitchell fell asleep with the music you were playing, so I decided to get you out of your zone for a little bit just in case you want to sleep anywhere since I am putting Mitchell in the guest room to sleep." Willow listened to Miles as close as possible, yet barely understood a word. Yet, he nodded softly. "So, where are you going to sleep?" Miles tilted his head and Willow snapped back, listening to him turning to the piano saying, "Oh, I might go. You do not have to let me stay here." he said quietly, noticing Mitchell in her deep slumber. "I can carry Mitchell to the guest room if you do not mind" Willow offered so quietly and softly that it was difficult to understand him. Yet Miles looked at him and nodded then stood up saying, "Sweet from you Willow! I will go organize some things. My wife might be here in a few minutes" he said opening the door, revealing a bright light causing Willow to look away. Miles then faded away into the light of the living room. Willow looked at Miles consumed by the beam of light, and stood up with a sigh, picking up Mitchell slowly and looking at her for several seconds that felt like minutes, into hours, into days, and going on and on until the sudden breaking of a glass startled him to quickly start walking out of the room to be slapped across the face with the beam of light that had come from the tall ceiling.

Willow, with an eye open looked at Miles who had been bearable to the light. Miles looked at Willow with a welcoming smile to say, "Oh hey Willow! Took you long enough, the guest room is upstairs on the right" he said, walking towards the kitchen while Willow walked up the stairs and then looked at the right hallway where there was a door on the right and a big open curtain facing it. Willow walked inside the room and placed Mitchell on the bed. He looked at her in the dim light that came from the window's starry night light. He then examines the room that's walls were filled with multiple objects such as pictures around the empty, white walls. Clocks all around, and instruments within. A room full of melody in the silence.

Willow looked at Mitchell cuddling with the pillow that she easily squished with her small hands and her hair reflecting with the blue. He turned to the door and walked past it, closing the door behind him, and looking out to the space in front that the window was revealing just like a portal to another world. Willow reached his hand to the glass and placed it on the cold glass that shadowed his back over the moonlight. His pupils grew as the moon's reflection was kept in his sky eyes and he took a step closer to the world that was within that starry night light.

He snapped away from the window as he heard a glass shattering and a woman's yelling. His hands started to tremble and so did his legs. He looked towards the hallway where the stairs were and walked to them with more fear in each step. He looked down to see the beam of light on the living room and the shadow of a woman in a dress that then disappeared as it approached away from Willow's view. The quiet voice of another person crossed Willow's ears, and then to his heart when it started to whimper. The whimpering voice apologized in an unfathomable way, mumbling in such a silent manner. Willow stepped back as the whimper suddenly paused and footsteps were heard to be quieter and quieter. Willow's body froze as he heard a woman's voice saying, "I wish I had not married you" in a similar silent manner, yet his body heard the message within him. His body snapped as he heard the slam of a door, and the light of the living room was then dark, only the light of the night was seen through it. A shadow was seen through Willow's view, with its head down walking up the stairs, so silently.

Willow stepped back as the shadow got closer and the moonlight revealed Miles walking up the stairs with his head lowered down. Miles raised his head to look at Willow and his lips curved to his cheeks again, smiling at Willow saying, "Willow! I had believed you fell asleep in the guest room. What are you doing so late?" Willow looked at Miles in horror, yet without a word. Miles tilted his head in worry saying, "Are you okay?" He said quietly, placing his hand on top of Willow's shoulder that was uncontrollably shaking. Willow looked at Miles in his eyes, in confusion and fear, his eyes quit blinking as he felt Miles' soft, warm hand on his shoulder. Miles then stared at his eyes, meeting with them for several seconds until they were broken by their bodies meeting. Miles embraced Willow so softly that Willow's body was warmed by his embrace. Willow looked at Miles and wrapped his arms around him as well, staring at his hair. "I am sorry if you had to hear everything from downstairs." Miles said in a soft voice that whispered his heart's whimpers. Willow then squeezed Miles in his arms as for Miles to grunt saying, "Okay, let go a little bit. You are hugging me a little bit too tightly" Willow then let go off Miles and looked at his bright smile. He slightly smiled back at him, and Miles giggled. "You should go to sleep somewhere don't you think?" Miles said. Willow nodded and walked past Miles to place his hand on the stairs' wooden handle saying, "I will go back home." Willow lastly gave Miles a warm smile, meeting with his eyes for a last moment, while Miles gave him a wave while walking to the right hallway. Willow soon looked down the stairs and walked down quietly, leaving the house to be surrounded by eternal silence of the world, for his mind too was as silent as in drowse, he walked past as a ghost.