Kaleidoscope
Prachi Uchil
The day dawned bright with the morning stars smiling down as she skips down the path near the cliff, heather blooming on one side and the deep blue sky gently kissing the raw boulders of the cliff on the other. Oblivious of what lies ahead as the gulls screech above, begging for food, she looks at her reflection in the small, clear pools of water that fill the crevices of the stones. Her delicate face framed by the azure of the sky, highlights her jet black hair. The scene surrounding her fills her with joy, and she bursts into a song filled with laughter and hope.
The lighthouse on the cliff stands solitary and tall against the stillness. She looks up towards it, wondering how long it would take her to reach the top. As she gets closer, she can see the beacon of light, guiding the ships to come ashore. She squints her almond eyes, looking to the top in case she can see him manning the light. She waves and calls out loudly. But her voice is lost to the sudden change around her.
Dark clouds rush in from the horizon, enveloping the blue sky. The morning star vanishes as a storm picks up rapidly. As she tries to clamber up the path, a fire burns bright. She is drawn into a whirl of emotions. Staring into the embers as they ebb into a deep red glow, slowly dying down forever. Is this feeling from within that resonates in her mind? Right before her, the roof catches fire as the rain lashes down, drowning her screams. She falls to her knees, and the lunchbox in her hand gets blown away over the cliff into the lashing sea.
The storm passes away as quickly as it has come. ‘Hey,’ he calls out as a ray of sunshine breaks through the clouds.
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