[Ongoing]
"Why is being myself harder than anything?"
Qing Lin closed her eyes. A girl whose smile gave off the effulgence which seemed to light the diminished world around her. A girl who held such purity in a world surrounded by happiness. A girl...
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Qing Lin slowly opened her eyes, and she was facing a dark void. She had been walking haphazardly around in that void for a few minutes, or perhaps even hours. She didn't know where she was heading, because it was completely dark. All she could see was herself. All she knew, was that she had been walking in that void for a long time, and even though exhausted, something compelled her to keep moving forward.
Finally, at a far end, she could see a faint glimmer of light. Before realizing it, her legs took up at a faster pace. She could feel the light edging closer and closer to her, and when it was finally in her grasp, it burst. She closed her eyes, afraid to face the scalding and effulgent light. After a few seconds, she opened them, and to her surprise, she was in a thoroughly different landscape.
She was on a wooden swing that was decorated with aesthetic lavenders and beautiful white lilies, which reflected the beauty of purity. The swing was hanging on a large, old tree with abundant branches. The smell of the trees was somehow familiar. Qing Lin sniffed and recognized that it was a eucalyptus tree. The landscape was beautiful and invigorating.
"You like it, don't you?" A voice asked her. She turned around and faced a girl who was sitting right beside her on the swing. She had red hair with a striking resemblance to fresh blood, a few white streaks in her red hair, and her lavender eyes resembled the lavenders which were on the swing. Her smile was the most mellow and authentic smile she had ever seen.
"I...like it." Qing Lin muttered. "But does it matter? This is a mirage anyway. Once I wake up to reality, everything will be lost."
"Pfft." The girl laughed and promptly laid her head on her shoulder. Somehow, Esperanza didn't want to resist her soft gesture. "Really, How come you're this pessimistic? Tell me, what's made you like this?"
"Why should I?" Qing Lin asked.
"Because..." The girl smiled; it was the same mellow smile which stirred Qing Lin's heart. "If you don't confide in right now, it'll turn into something worse."
Ah...
Qing Lin somehow found herself telling her everything. Her story, right from the moment she could remember. The feelings she had buried within herself, all of it came pouring out like a turbulent river which was difficult to hold back. Somehow, this time, she didn't shed tears. The girl listened quietly, her head still lying on Qing Lin's shoulder. When she finished, her hand tightly clamped the strings of the swing.
She was anxious. She had dared to confined into someone.
"You know..." The girl said, "I was once told, that I shouldn't give up because of such people. Because life is more beautiful than you might've imagined."
"Beautiful?" Qing Lin laughed. "How come I didn't get to see that beauty of life?"
"You will." The girl cupped Qing Lin's face in her hand, and Qing Lin flinched. "You will. Try to. There are so many fun things to do, there are so many delicious foods to taste, there are so many places to explore, there are so many clothes to try in this world, there are... people you may not know, but they might've been with you from the start."
"How ridiculous. How am I supposed to try out those clothes and those foods when..." Her voice choked. "When I'm just a spirit. I cannot do anything. I cannot touch anything. Those people who might've been with me from the start... they can no longer see me."
"Close your eyes for a moment." The girl said.
"What? Why should I---?" Qing Lin was startled when the girl held her hand.
"Trust me." She said with an unwavering determination to back off. Qing Lin somehow couldn't find words to refute her and closed her eyes without further protest. She could then hear a soft sound, like a beautiful piece of music being played on a piano.
"Now you can open them." The girl said and Qing Lin abided. The girl moved forward and tied something around her neck. Then she backed off and smiled. Qing Lin looked at the necklace she had tied around her- a pendant with silver chains and a small amethyst embedded in it. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she recalled loving amethysts.
"This necklace can help you. There are different types of spirits: spirits who can touch and taste do exist as well, as if it depends on their power and resentment. It can turn you into that. However, it works only for two hours every day. And I've added a little enchantment which can make you visible. So, try to do those fun things I told you about for at least two hours a day. The person who saved you... Follow him." The girl said with a chuckle.
"Are you sure I'll find happiness if I do those happy things you told me?" Qing Lin asked, still stubbornly refuting her. The girl smiled again.
"You will. And if you don't, then curse me while you remember me." She said.
"Which weird person asks to be cursed?" Qing Lin muttered.
"Well, I certainly do!" She giggled. Qing Lin stared at her with an expression that read, 'Crazy weirdo' and the girl laughed. Sitting on the swing, she inched forward and hugged her. Qing Lin could feel her face heating up, because not for a single time in her life, as far as she could remember, had she been caressed, let alone hugged.
"Then, do mark my words, Qing Lin." She smiled. The landscape was diminishing and fading away into oblivion, along with the girl.
