Falling Past Dreams

• Sophie Zhu, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2022

Her feet trembled on the rough concrete as the wind blew back her golden curls. As much as she tried to resist, she looked under her feet. Sixty-two stories down, each filled to the brim with regret. Although her will to live was strong, the emptiness that was spreading throughout her stomach was invincible. She constantly craved perfection, which left her staring at the mirror and drawing flawlessness onto her insecurities. What hurt her the most was that she knew that they would always be nothing more than just drawings. She was never brave and feared every petty speck of danger around her. But still, standing where she was, she had eliminated every worry in her body. This was for she was about to eliminate eveything about her. She tiptoed around the edge and was finally able to stop hiding for a second. She banished the unease from her body as if she had all the power in the world. A thick tear dripped from her graceful blue eyes. "Are you actually an idiot?" a concerned voice murmured behind her. Slightly shaken, she turned her head slowly. The voice was that of a boy - one that was everything. He had a beautiful smile with teeth shinier than a princess's most prized diamond, brown curly hair and dreamy eyes that she could stare into for hours. 'No, not really.' she whispered softly as all her anxieties rushed back. She never liked people. She never liked anything. She looked at the smoky sky while she walked away from the edge, her steps elegant like white mice. The boy grinned and looked down at the bumpy floor, seeming to be proud of what he had done. 'Thank you, you saved my life', she whispered in his ear, breaking her first genuine smile in weeks. Besides, she had found her true love, love where nothing else mattered. How was she supposed to be sad when she'd got what she had been longing for after waiting years? All the pain, all the tears and all the plain agony was worth it because she had no doubt that from his eyes, she was the most beautiful girl in the universe. To him, she was special. She knew he loved her. If anything was, this very moment was perfect. As if it were scripted, she ran towards him as he wrapped his arms around her. They kissed, like she was in the fairy-tale of her dreams. 'That would have been nice.' She smirked as the wind flurried at the speed of light. The ground, a few seconds close, glared at her and the foolishness she gripped onto until the very end, where her actions were irreversible.