As the Clouds Roll By

The clouds were there earlier.

Now, it was nothing but a clear blue sky.

Heaving a melancholic sigh, the young adolescent shifted her weight against the soft green grass, and continued to watch the ever shifting sky.

It was another lonely hour passed.

It was quite often that she found herself on this hillside, simply watching the world alter the view.

Soft, padded footsteps.

To her right, she felt a slight thump against the ground she was lying on as her companion gently sat down cross-legged beside her.

Silence.

Then, the world changed again as the silence was broken.

"How long have you been here today?" he asked? Lazily sliding her eyes to gaze into his shimmering dark turquoise pair, she simply hummed in response.

"I have no idea. Since after lunch, I suppose," she breezily commented. Shifting again, she brought her arms up behind her head, and went back to staring at the sky.

There were a few new clouds now. Puffy white cotton balls rolling across the sky. Nothing like the feathery light streaks earlier.

"You know you have work to do," the boy said, sliding down to lie beside her.

"I know. I don't like it."

He scoffed.

"No one does. But work is work. You still need to complete it."

He turned his head to the side to see her roll her caramel eyes.

A gentle smile appeared on his face.

Silence showed up once more.

"Everything's always changing. Nothing ever stays," she murmured. Another heavy sigh.

The clouds were gone again.

He pondered her words a bit, before saying, "But it's the way of life. Just the way it is, I guess."

At this, she inched closer a bit. They could now both feel the warmth of the other's side pressing through their clothes.

"But it's so depressing to think of, no? We barely get any time here, in this place, and everything has to be rushed. We never truly get settled down. People change, and those who you hold dear leave nothing but empty shells of who they once were with you. You have to move around, forced to leave the comfort of your family for the sake of starting your own. Isn't it just sad?"

At this point, she had lifted her arms out from behind her head to wave them around, exaggerating her point.

Chuckling, the boy reached up to grasp her right hand, and drag it back down to their sides. Lacing their fingers together, he rolled his head over and smiled at her. Her eyes were sparked with a fire, lit by passion and hatred, and dimmed by fatigue, and tiresome fighting against the rules of the world.

She was an iconoclast for sure.

They gazed at each other, breathing in sync, world muted around them.

He reached out to brush a few strands of hair out of her face, and whispered, "True. But there's a beauty to it as well. The time limit is what makes everything much more precious."

She pursed her lips and frowned a bit.

"Still makes me feel upset to think about it though."

Chuckling again, he pulled her onto his chest, and and hugged her from behind.

"But you know one thing that hasn't changed?"

"What?"

"You."

She relaxed into his arms, and the two wordlessly watched the world around them change as it pleased.

Because the world could alter reality all it wants, but your own time here, and how you spend it is all that matters.