The small ripples from the river were soothingly crashing on the shore and the stars and moon were shining brightly while a boy and a girl strolled, hand in hand, down the cool, rocky shore. A light breeze ruffled their hair and clothes, but the two were oblivious to the mild disturbance. The walk was silent, not consumed by the chatter and giggles that usually filled their meetings. It was in no way an awkward silence for it was filled with mutual understanding and serenity; it was perfect. The fresh mountain air swirled around them in a warm embrace as they basked in the peacefulness of this summer night, full of beauty and endless possibilities.
Slowly, the young boy slowed to a halt and the girl turned to him with a curious expression playing on her soft features. The boy just smiled, with eyes sparkling, at the girl before him. Her wavy long hair blew in the wind and her almond eyes shone in the moonlight. He couldn’t imagine a more perfect evening. The girl tried to speak, but was soon silenced as her companion cupped her face and leaned in, gently bringing his lips to hers. Her body tingled as her senses welcomed the new found warmth of this first kiss. The boy gradually pulled his face away and a shy smile tugged at the corners of the girl’s lips as they gazed into each other’s eyes. The boy broke out into a huge grin and he took hold of her hand once again as they resumed their silent walk down the soft, gravel patch, thinking about how wonderful life had become.
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The air was filled with the scents of burgers and cotton candies, and the sounds of children laughing and playing carnival games. A pair of young lovers walked through the crowd, smiling and laughing. They went from booth to booth and went on roller coaster after roller coaster, having the time of their lives. As they were walking, the girl squealed happily at the sight of a large, stuffed teddy bear hanging from the tent of a throwing game. The boy smiled as he saw her entire face light up, and told her that he would win it for her. She protested, saying that he didn't have to, but he patted her cheek and told her that he would do anything for her. A small blush rose to her cheeks, and her smile grew even more. The young boy paid and received three balls to try and knock down the bottles, but he couldn't knock them all down.
Despite the girl's protests, he bought another round and tried again, but he still failed to knock down all of the bottles. After five rounds of missed bottles, he finally won the girl the teddy bear, and the smile on her face and glint in her eyes made it all worth it. She lovingly hugged him, and then ruffled his curly black hair, telling him how much she loved him. The girl adored the teddy bear, and would not let it go for the rest of the evening. It was a constant reminder of how lucky she was to have found this wonderful boy, and her smile was a constant reminder to said boy of how lucky he was to have found such a wonderful girl. Sadly, the night came to an end, but it left them both thinking about how wonderful life had become.
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The afternoon sun was shining through the closed blinds of a young girl’s bedroom where she lay wrapped up in blankets, temperature blazing. She was miserable, sitting up there all alone with only the comfort of a twenty inch television screen glowing with the scenes of a trashy day-time soap opera. Suddenly she heard a soft knock on her door, announcing someone else’s presence. The girl expected it to just be her mother checking, once again, to see if she was ok. To her surprise, a head of short, messy black poked through the door way, and a young boy with sparkling brown eyes stepped through the threshold carrying a bouquet of Roses and a bowl of steaming chicken noodle soup.
A grin spread across the young girl’s pale face as she reached for the roses with a shaky hand, and the boy couldn’t help but think how beautiful she was. Her usually wavy black hair was pulled into a messy ponytail and there was no make-up on her heart-shaped face, and to him, she was the most beautiful creation that God had ever placed on this earth. The boy sat down on the floral clad bed and wrapped a loving arm around the girl’s shoulder as she sipped at the soup he had brought. They sat that way for hours just talking about everything and nothing while watching and making fun of the overly dramatic lives of the characters on the television show. All the while they were thinking about how wonderful life had become.
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The rain was pouring down on this chilly evening while a young girl sat curled up on her couch, reading a book and sipping a large mug of steaming hot soup. She loved nights like these, where she could just curl up and read while the rain fell onto her roof in comfortable, mechanical pattern. She was so engrossed in her book, that she almost didn't hear the phone ringing. She got up and answered it, listening to what the voice on the other line had to say. Slowly, the color drained from her face and her palms began to sweat.
The young girl hung up the phone and grabbed her coat, leaving the house in a numb state of mind. If one asked her later, she wouldn't be able to remember getting into the car and driving to the scene, all that she would be able to remember was the sight before her when she got there. She got out of her small car and pushed through the crowd. The rain drenched her hair and clothes as she stared blankly at the mangled car in the middle of the road, illuminated by flashing red lights. She couldn't hear the shouts of the paramedics, nor the cries of the witnesses, all she could hear was the pounding of her heart, and all she could see was the hardly recognizable face of a young boy.
His messy black hair was caked in blood, and his once sparkling eyes were closed- forever? The police officer asked her if this was the right boy, and all of the sudden the freight train of reality hit her head on. Her legs gave out and she fell to her knees. Tears streamed down her face, the salty drops mixing with the rain. She tried to stifle the sobs that shook her petite frame, not wanting to believe the truth. She couldn't take her eyes off of his face. That beautiful face that had kissed her that night while they walked down the riverside, that embarrassed himself just to win her a silly teddy bear, and that brought her soup and comforted her while she was sick. She thought of how his brown eyes always lit up when he saw her and how he made her feel so special and happy. What now? The police officer helped her off the ground, sadness spreading across his features, but the girl didn't notice, all she could think about was how horrible life had become; how quickly it had changed and she found herself trying to remember what wonderful had felt like.
