Veiled Words

As she wound her way through the corridors and back to her usual seat in the cafeteria, her three friends began to question why she suddenly walked out of the room. She just brushed it off and told them she had to take care of some business. They all felt mildly suspicious of her cryptic phrasing, and all started smirking as they came to a mutual consensus. Akiko glanced around and rhetorically asked them why they all had such suspicious smiles.

"Would you mind explaining", one said in an impish voice, "why you got up so quickly when you spotted that boy?"

"Yeah, you can tell us", another chirped in.

"It's nothing! There was just a minor problem that needed solving, and that's what I went to do."

"We didn't know your type was the tall, gangly loner", the first one said again

"First off, I don't have a type, and second off, if I did, what you just described would most certainly not be mine."

"Oh, lighten up a bit. We're just having a bit of fun", the second replied.

"Come on, we've been trying to get Akiko a date for a while now, but every time we go somewhere, she either scares him away or just ignores him"

"I told you all, I'm not looking to date anyone right now. Besides, with drama club, I wouldn't have the time anyway. Now, can we move onto something else?"

Their smiles grew even more devious, but they decided it was most likely time to stop prodding her. However, a silent agreement was made that this discussion was far from over.

Benjiro slid back down to the floor thinking how surreal everything felt at that moment. He sat back down and ate his bread. He replayed the conversation a few times over in his head, and even repeated it out loud a once or twice to make sure everything he had heard was correct. The tightness in his chest from before had loosened for a brief moment when the girl apologized, but now a new one was starting to form with her request. He hadn't made any friends since he got to the town, so being invited by someone who originally thought he was a stalker was an odd request. And to dinner with her family no less.

He decided that he would mull it over once school was finished. At least, that's what he thought. Nearly the entirety of his next two periods were consumed with thoughts of why that girl had even asked him and what would happen when it was finally his turn to present. Language arts arrived at what seemed like both a hundred years and five minutes ago. As he found his seat, he rested his face on top of his hands and tapped his foot. After attendance was taken, the contest began. Some people did their poem on a season that they liked, or animals that they found particularly cute.

There was one guy that wrote what turned out to be a love poem that was obviously about Hiromi, and Benjiro couldn't help but grimace the whole time he spoke. Hiromi in turn only gave a polite smile as the young man stole an obvious glance in her direction. He wasn't completely sure, but the guy just got shot down.

"Oh, that poor bastard", Benjiro inwardly thought

"Hiromi Domon, please come to the front"

She stood up and seemed to glide rather than walk to the front of the class. Nobody understood why but her long hair looked like it was floating behind her, and that small smile she always had on her face made it look like she was sparkling. She straightened up, drew back her shoulders and stuck out her chest, which attracted a few quiet inhales from the male audience.

"Look up at the stars and what do you see?

Do you see something out of reach?

The twinkling light in the murky sky

You think you'll never reach it, but give it a try

They illuminate the dark planets below

And bring comfort with their welcoming glow

Leave the Earth, come sail in the constellations

See why they garner such adulation

Maybe leave the Milky Way and out of the galaxy

Go see what lies in the infinity

When you get there, then tell me what you see

Does it fill you with wonder or make you happy

Touch the stars, take their hand and fly into the unknown

Then look back, and see how much your view has grown"

The moment she finished sounded off the loudest round of applause, and even a few people trying to whistle. "Alright everyone that's enough. We still have a few more to go."

Benjiro heard someone whisper "Welp, there goes the competition."

"Hey, don't worry, things aren't over quite yet."

"Come on, you don't really believe that we have a chance."

More names were called and more entries were presented. Yamanaka, the class jokester, wrote a poem that made everyone at least grin, about a snake that wanted to learn how to jump rope. As his turn drew closer, Benjiro's heart sounded like a kettle drum in a cavern. Whether it was from excitement or fear, he couldn't tell.

"Benjiro Nojiri, it's your turn now."

"OK, self, it's the moment of truth," he thought, "Just get up there and spit out what you have on the page."

As he stood in front of the class, his chest gave a final twinge as all eyes were on him. He could feel his knees shaking a little, so he bent down to deliver a quick jab to each of his legs to calm them down. A final deep breath and he launched into what he wrote on the page:

"Another restless night, your heart swells with fear

Lie awake, in anticipation, silence is all you hear

The stillness is broken, the footsteps draw near

The devil has arrived, your terror has been made clear

Beg for mercy, but your cry falls on deaf ears

Stare into lifeless eyes, where nothing but hatred leers

Let the punishment come, just so that it hopefully passes

You wonder if you may as well receive forty lashes

Day after day, night after night your humanity is fading

It feels like your entire life you've been paying"

Benjiro looked up and noticed that a few people seemed to be rubbing their arms as if they felt cold. That didn't make any sense, the central air wasn't broken, but no matter.

"They say heroes are made, but none come to the rescue

You're left to rot until there's nothing but bones and sinew

Lies you are fed, and lies you start to believe

Your body and heart are broken, but nobody will grieve

Push an animal around enough, soon it will bite

It may not win, but it won't go quietly into the night

A moment of bravery, that's all you need

They say you resist the devil, and he will flee

I killed the devil, now it won't come for me

I killed the devil, but why don't I feel free?"

As Benjro finished, he looked around and noticed that more than a couple people were staring at him. The strange thing was that the stares followed him as he dropped his submission on the teacher's podium and back to his chair. Mr. Watanaba stood back up with his lips pressed together and his eyes filled with what looked like concern.

"Well (ahem) thank you Mr. Nojiri."

He glanced at the clock

"OK, class is just about over. Everyone, I'm quite impressed with your ingenuity. I will further examine your work later, and will make my final decision in a day or two.