4:02AM
“Define youth.”
“It's a many splendor thing.”
“Sure, go sound vague and use complicated words just to sound intelligent.”
“I think you just discovered my biggest secret, Gilbert. I may just have to kill you.”
“...”
“Sorry, that wasn't a good joke.”
“More like, those are things we shouldn't joke about, because I might actually take you up on that offer.”
“Sorry. I take the joke back and exile it to the deepest depths of the darkest pits of Tartarus.”
“Have you been watching movies again.”
“I did tell you about that greek god movie thing I was watching and how awesome it was, you just weren't listening.”
“Apparently I'm really bad at listening.”
“Nah, you're okay.”
“Nope, I suck.”
“Wanna listen to my extended definition of 'Youth'?”
“Sure, knock yourself out.”
“I think youth is a fire. It's this blazing ball of pure energy, and it just spreads like a wildfire to whatever nook and cranny it can reach. It doesn't manner how old you are, or how young you are, because as long as you've got that fiery spirit in you, then you've got Youth pretty much stamped to your forehead. It doesn't matter where you are, or what you do, as long as you've got the ability to keep that fire spreading then you're Youth. As long as you don't douse the flame, as long as you don't stomp it out, you're Youth. You play with fire, you get burned. And you burn. And burn. And keep burning. Because that's youth. That's energy. That's life. That's excitement. That's adrenaline. And you just keep burning, and burning, and spreading that energy to people and places.”
“So what happens if you stop burning?”
“...you die out. But the thing is, if you managed to spread the flame, then your energy's reaching other places. It may be dark where you are, but in other parts of the hypothetical world it's as bright as the sun, because you managed to pass on the flame, even if yours is gone.”
“...”
“...Gil?”
“Yeah?”
“Were you listening?”
“Yeah.”
“Comments?”
“...No.”
“Okay.”
“Wes?"
“Yeah?”
“Youth is scary.”
“Yeah. It all really depends on how you use it.”
“But the thing is not all burning things are beautiful, you know? People get hurt.”
“I guess they do.”
“What now then?”
“I don't know. I never really thought of that.”
“...”
“...”
“...well, Good morning, Wes.”
“Good morning, Gil.”
YOU ARE READING
Ante Meridiem
Teen FictionA dialogue short story about the things we wake up to that remind us there are still things in this life worth waking up for. ante meridiem - [adv. & adj.] "before noon;" Abbr: A.M. Or a.m. [credit to owner of image (not me)]
