The lonely kid

[Aleric]

I'd seen the camp-fire on the beach from a great distance.

Although it was dark, too dark to see anything from that

distance, I had known immediately that there weren't many

people there, because it had been totally silent. When I finally

arrived at the place where the fire was burning I could see

a young boy, who had been staring absent mindedly into the

sea, but who had turned towards me with a short expression

of hope on his face when he became aware of my presence.

An expression that especially drew my attention when it faded

away once I stepped into the circle of light.

 

I sat down next to the fire without saying anything, and neither

did he. And so we sat in silence for a few minutes.

 

"What's on your mind kid?" I asked breaking that silence.

 

He studied my face for a while before replying. Then he

started to pour out his young heart.

 

"There are no other kids on this island," he said softly, making

a weak gesture that hardly included even a part of the beach,

as if the spirit do to anything at all had left him.

 

"And you feel alone," I said.

 

"All I want is a friend, to lay on the beach and look at the stars.

To build sand-castles with, to collect shells and to swim with

during the day and watch the sun set into the sea. To share

the camp fire and tell stories. All I want is a friend to be with,

who understands me, that I can laugh with and cry with.

That, is what I miss."

 

I felt a tear run down my cheek and we sat there in silence

for a long time. When I got tired I did lay back and watched

those stars, and the kid moved over and came and lay next

to me, and we watched the stars together.