"Come on," Pixie said, "the moon is out." She dragged at Mel's hand, and flew open the screen-door that led out to her backyard. The light that spilled across the grass was only a sliver from the crescent moon,
A perfect world is illuminated childhood.
"Come on," Pixie said, "the moon is out."
She dragged at Mel's hand, and flew open the screen-door that led out to her backyard. The light that spilled across the grass was only a sliver from the crescent moon, but it was enough to illuminate the yard in the way that only moonlight could.
The two teenagers trekked across the lawn, one reluctantly. He stared ahead at him at the girl who now started dancing in the cold air, spinning around her arms like they were wings or propellers or something long and spinning like that. He hugged his body, breathing out in a huff so that his breath was steam in the air. He watched as it hovered in front of him for a little while, before fading away into a transparent vapor.
Pixie was looking at him. "What?" he asked.
"Come on."
She led him to the swing set that her father had given her when she was two. It was one of those wooden ones with the yellow plastic slide and blue rubber swings. The chains were rusted from age, and the years had caused the seat to sink lower and lower to the ground. Or maybe it was just that Pixie had grown farther and farther away from the ground.
She jumped on the first swing, the one she had named "Bluebird", when she was five. It was the one closest to the side, close to the wood that could hurt her badly if she smashed into it. Mel just watched her.
"Come on Mel, get on "Cloud" and swing as high as you can. We'll have a contest!"
"This is what you call an interesting Friday night?" he pouted.
Pixie scowled at him, her long wavy brown hair falling into her face. Pixie loved long hair, on both boys and girls; she thought it was beautiful and unadulterated. Hers was like Goddess tendrils cascading down to her butt, mermaid tresses that were so shiny they looked as if they were still fresh from the sea. She was sitting on the ends of her hair and they pulled on her head whenever she tried to look up. But she was so use to it that she didn't even mind.
"What's wrong with swinging on a swing with your best friend by moonlight? It helps you to be a better artist."
"You forget," Mel said. "I don't want to be an artist."
"Oh but I do," Pixie replied. "So do it because I need something to sing about."
Mel laughed at that, and he seemed to relax slightly. Before he was so tense that his weak shoulders had hunched in and his hair fell awkwardly in his face and he didn't even have enough flexibility to run his hand through it. He jogged forward and ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
"What's wrong with swinging on a swing with your best friend by moonlight? It helps you to be a better artist."
"You forget," Mel said. "I don't want to be an artist."
"Oh but I do," Pixie replied. "So do it because I need something to sing about."
Mel laughed at that, and he seemed to relax slightly. Before he was so tense that his weak shoulders had hunched in and his hair fell awkwardly in his face and he didn't even have enough flexibility to run his hand through it. He jogged forward and grabbed the outward swing named "Cloud", and began to pump his legs back and forth.
"We'll make it a contest." He said, "Whoever can go the highest and then jump."
"Well I'll definitely win, because you're a wimp." And with that Pixie jumped into the air with the swing still attached to her behind and for a moment it looked as if she was going to go up and up and just keep on going, soaring into the starry sky. But the chain on the swing-set pulled her back.
They swung like that for awhile, feeling the thrill in their bodies as the swings flew upwards and then came rushing down to earth again. Mel's pumping went uneven and he began to swing sideways, almost crashing into Pixie. They both stopped abruptly, holding on to the chains as tight as they could because they were laughing so hard.
Mel caught his breath and looked up at the sky. "It's a pretty cloudy night really; the moon won't be out for long."
He looked over at Pixie, who was spinning around in her swing with a day-dreamy expression on her face. The chains wrapped around each other tightly, squeaking all the way, and then suddenly released, sending Pixie spinning, circles and circles and circles again. Like a wisp of a little girl.
"Hey," Mel whispered. "Let's try this whole, jumping competition again. Except this time, when the clouds cover up the moon, let go."
"Let go of what?" Pixie asked, looking at him.
"The swing."
"Oh," She looked disappointed, biting her bottom lip. Her lips were really full, almost too full. Like a collagen ejected Marilyn Monroe. They almost overwhelmed her small heart shaped face. Good thing she didn't wear red lipstick, she thought. Not that she wore any makeup. She didn't feel brave enough to wear makeup.
"Alright," Mel encouraged, feeling instantly bad and wanting to perk her up again. "On the count of three, one-two-three..."
They both shot off into the sky at the same time, finding their own individual rhythm. The swings creaked in the cold autumn air like moans of lovers, at least that was what Pixie thought it sounded like. But of course she always thought lyrical things like that, writing her own songs and everything.
They swung for so long that Pixie began to drift off into her own thoughts, everything becoming dazed and blurry. She leaned her head against the chain of the swing and mechanically swung her legs back and forth, back and forth. She barely noticed when the yard suddenly turned dark. She looked up at the moon only to find that it had disappeared from the sky. So she let go.
Mel followed shortly after, and Pixie let out a strange laugh when she hit the ground on her feet, tumbling forward onto her hands and feet. Thinking of Jack and Jill tumbling down the hill, "and Jill came tumbling after..."
Mel almost landed on her, but Pixie rolled away just in time. The boy lost his balance, never having been very well balanced anyway, and fell forward on top of her. They were laughing so hard that they just rolled there for awhile until they were lying next to each other.
"So?" Mel breathed, "Think of anything to sing about?"
Pixie smiled, "Matter of fact yes."
My moons been covered by a cloud
My moon refuses to come out
And no amount of coaxing I could do
Is enough to tempt my moon
Oh moon, do not hide
I told Mel to be nice this time
'Cause he has to learn to swing in your light
Oh my moons been covered by a cloud
"Genius." Mel said. "Masterpiece composition, it will go down into musical history."
Pixie playfully slapped him. "You're just saying that because you're my best friend."
Mel rolled over on his side, "Am I really your best friend?"
Pixie rolled her eyes at him. "No, I think I like my imaginary friend better, he doesn't ask such stupid questions."
Mel reached over and touched her arm, he was going to pull away, but something made it rest there. "No Pixie, seriously."
"I'm serious; I'm really beginning to think that I'm just going to have to promote good old Shin-Dig to the job."
"You're making that up; you don't have an imaginary friend."
"Oh yes I do, I just never told you because I figured it would make you jealous."
But then Pixie saw the look on his face, and her expression changed.
"Why are you asking me things like that?"
Mel just shrugged; his hand was still resting against her arm.
"Mel, you know I need you. You're my best friend; I don't know what I would do without you. I couldn't do anything I don't think. I didn't really start living until I had you for a friend..."
"Just a friend though?" He asked. "You never thought of us as anything more?"
Pixie jerked up, scared. Because this was the thing that scared her, and woke her up in the middle of the night, that he would say the words he was saying now, for what could she say to him?
"No."
"No?" Mel sounded surprised; he sat up, removing his hand from Pixie's arm.
"You're my best friend. I never wanted you for anything more; I love you because you're my friend. I-I need you."
"To be your friend..." Mel prompted.
Pixie's voice trembled. "Yes."
And then she realized he was shaking. The night was cold but Mel wore a thick hoodie, he shouldn't have been cold enough to shiver. He was shaking because he was scared, Pixie realized.
"But I love you." Mel said.
Pixie turned cold, her face frozen. She didn't know why it was so hard. Why couldn't she just love him the way he wanted her to? She could see the two of them together like that, she could see it, but for some reason she didn't want it.
"Well, I don't love you. Not like that." She touched her lips, realizing how harsh that sounded.
"You don't?"
"Oh God Mel, I don't know! I don't know anything and never was able too, that's why I needed you can't you see? I always needed you to be my friend, so it could be you to tell me who I really am, because I don't know. I'm too scared to know, and I'm too scared to love you. I need you, I can't love you."
"You can't love me?"
"No."
"Okay."
And then he rolled over, stood up, and walked away
In a perfect world, people are true and real. They say what they feel , they mean what what they say and they say what they mean.
A Perfect World
Due: December 9 ,2004
By:Elyse Marcus
For: Ms. Hannah ENG-2D2
