A Song For Two

• Arlo Gallagher, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2022

The shore followed the pristine coastline as his hair flew slowly in the wind. The waves followed his feet, as if the soles of his shoes led the water to where he stood. His pale blue eyes followed forward as he turned his body towards the slender figure he had sensed behind him. They had partially green eyes, they looked as if they had central heterochromia. One eye had blue in their (mainly) emerald green irises, the other brown. He remembered how charming and unique that was. His hand washed the sand next to him and gestured his hand in a welcoming way to let them sit down. They kept their hands behind them, and their feet came inwards. Beside them was a case that he assumed was holding a violin in it. He smiled at the fact that they had begun playing the enchanting instrument.

A wide grin gleamed across their face after a long catchup between each other. They brought out the small case from beside them and they crossed their legs before they watched him stand by the water. He tied up his hair into a small ponytail and raised the water droplets around their head to make a replica of what seemed to be a flower crown. They chuckled happily, watching each droplet of the seawater around him forming into the intricate, yet oddly charming accessory.

They paced back and forth for hours at a time, always checking the backstage door or the front entrance, hoping to see his small, yet iconic pink and yellow sunhat through the crowd, his small, confident looking face underneath that colourful mess. Yet no sign of him anywhere. They trotted onto the stage hesitantly and noticed a piano off to the side of the wooden flooring. They thought less of it, considering there were other musical performers before and after them, but oddly the host wouldn’t move it more to the side. Shrugging it off, they held up their violin and took a deep breath before playing the first note. They heard the same tone coming from the piano beside them and turned their head in its direction. They found him warmly smiling at them, with a passionate hand position. He seemed to know all the notes.