A Boy

• Kim Nguyen, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2019

A road sign approached. What did it say? I passed it and yet the road felt right. I swerved, pulled onto a bumpy street that led towards a small town perched by the side of the ocean. The road was lined with restaurants and shops. Families gathered on the streets, chatting and laughing and licking cones of ice cream. I parked and stepped out into the crowd. I kept my head down as I slipped through them. I didn’t want anyone to see that I was crying. I walked along the marina to the far end of the street. Seagulls circled above. My gait was light and quick without the weight of bag on my shoulders. I was standing in front of an old house, a sign creaking over the door. The Old Soul. I peered through the windows. An old man was wiping down the bar inside. I cupped my hands over the glass. Did I know him? Sensing my presence, he turned around. I ducked out of the way and towards the road when I saw the outline of a boy in the distance. He stood by the pavement and stared out at the ocean, the hazy light glowing around his silhouette. There must have been other boys in the marina, and yet the sight of him seemed to paralyze me. He must have seen me too, for he turned, his head tilted as if he were studying me. He ventured closer. As he approached, I could just make out the short brown locks of his hair, his broad shoulders and the smooth contours of his arms. The sunlight blinked around him. Did I know him? He inched closer. He said nothing as he studied me, his eyes curios, searching, as if he were trying to relearn my face. I had never seen him before. None of his features looked familiar, and yet when put together the formed an expression that I knew from a lifetime ago. A thin white scar cut through his upper lip, the same exact mart I had, though his was on the opposite side. Without realizing what I was doing, I lifted my hand to his faced and traced the scar over his lip. His skin was so warm. When we touched, a flash of memory barely registered in my mind. A Cave. A swirl of dust. A kiss. I closed my eyes, trying to fill in the spaces, but memories kept slipping away. I let my hand slide down his arm, where it rested at his wrist. Gently, I pressed my thumb into his skin until I felt a steady Thud, thud, thud of his pulse. He was alive. He laced his fingers though mine. The world around me came into focus. I gasped, realizing now that I knew him, that I had always known him.
His Lips parted, as if he were just as startled as I was “You,” he said.
My chest swelled. I felt my heart. “You.”