alienated
a short story
the wheels of the bicycle briskly glided through the road, and the enormous trees that surrounded him indicated he was almost there. as he pedalled, the cold winter air froze his pale face, causing his scarlet lips to tremble. lucas placed his right hand inside the pocket and took out his watch, it was 07:00 in the morning.
the world around him was still dormant, and somehow, that felt recomforting to the boy. lying in the half-asleep skies a sharp bright star was still visible, firmly shining like it was the last breath of evening. he thought that it was the most beautiful thing in the world.
lucas pulled his bicycle over an old oak tree and looked around to make sure he was alone. a gentle breeze caressed his messy brown hair, and he walked forward. through the clear silence of the forest, evolved in the atmosphere, he could listen to the sound of water falling.
a sensation of disquiet crossed all over his body, making him slightly laugh. some meters ahead, shrewdly hidden by nature, a huge lake bathed by a cascade emerged in front of his eyes. he stopped for a moment and hesitated, a tiny little white bird clumsily flew above his head leaving a lovely singing behind.
the young boy leaned over the lake and, with an anxious expression, looked through the limpid water as if he was looking for something. from the other side of the surface line, the same clear green eyes were spying back on him, with a mischievous smile.
the water started to gurgle as a vivid expression showed through it, making lucas open a large bright smile. he greeted it with his hand while sitting on the fresh grass, and the reflection greeted him back. it was glad that the boy came.
for hours, they stood there, talking. they talked about the world, about how lucas was tired of living in it, and how he wished to be free and to fly like the birds. people never understood him, and he never understood them as well.
then, the lad talked about things that the reflection did not understand, after all, it was only a reflection. as lucas spoke, his other self gesticulated and laughed enthusiastically, like the outside world was the most perfect place.
- you are my only true friend. - said the boy with a serene voice, while looking at the skies.
the reflection stared at him with an empty gaze. it liked lucas too, but it was not able to speak, so it just replied with a closed-lip smile.
from the ample window next to his bed, the young boy could vaguely spot the forest. a fear of forgetting something bothered him, while he gazed at the distant trees being shaken by the wind.
the house was empty. lucas walked to the door and turned the calendar, january 7, 1993. a month until his 16th birthday. he sat at his desk and grabbed a book he was reading, it was about irish forests and their mysteries.
even so, he had ironically discovered himself the biggest mystery of all. he barely remembers their first meeting, but he surely remembers the feeling of a 6-year-old seeing his reflection not obeying to him for the first time. it felt terrifying, so much that the little boy started screaming of horror and almost fell into the lake.
eventually, they became best friends, and saw each other in secret, every day. lucas would talk about his world and the reflexion would listen, with sparkles in its eyes. he opened the window and stared at the numb skies. it was starting to rain.
some weeks later, the reflexion was observing the skies at the forest when it saw some little white birds flying above the lake. they were carrying a spongy object on their beaks. yes, the reflection knew what it was. lucas had talked about it once, he eats it in the morning with something red inside. it was called bread.
how it desired to be able to taste bread, to feel the texture of grass on its hands, and to smell the most delicious scents. and then, the reflection realized. without his other self, it was absolutely nothing.
suddenly, the sizzle of a bicycle echoed through the surface. its friend had arrived. a young boy appeared above the lake with a smile and greeted the reflection, while taking something from his backpack.
he asked it if it wanted to listen to a story he had read in class the day before, that had left him completely obsessed. the reflection did not show any reaction. a pair of piercing eyes were staring at lucas with a cruel expression.
the boy got confused and started to slowly approach the water as a he gazed deeply at his own reflection. with a gesture of brutality, the reflection swiftly grabbed him by his neck, and swallowed the boy to inside the lake.
a tall and slender figure heavily raised from the water with a triumphant expression on its face. emanating an evil laugh, the new lucas turned around and glanced sarcastically at the lake. shattered in tears, with a terrified expression, was a young boy lying in the water.
lucas touched the fresh grass and let escape a pure tear of joy. then, he raised his head up to the sky and spotted, from a few meters away, houses. and he followed them.
