Late-Night

Jackson felt someone tossing and turning beside him, so he groggily opened his eyes and find Alicia. She was sitting outside, lost in thought.

Rubbing his eyes, he got up and slowly made his way over. Alicia's short hair gave her a boyish charm, but her eyes revealed a soft, feminine touch. She was wrapped in a long blanket, presumably to fend off the cold.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" Jackson inquired.

"Sleeping," Alicia replied, seemingly uninterested in talking.

"Hmm, sleeping with your eyes wide open? Are you a goldfish?"

"Goldfish?" Alicia turned to Jackson, her eyes filled with curiosity. "What's a goldfish?"

"Uh... big round eyes, all orange... just like that!" Jackson struggled to find other words to describe them.

"How do you know about these fish?"

"I found a couple in a ditch once, but they died a couple of days later due to pollution in the water," Jackson said with a sigh.

"...Take a seat," Alicia seemed to have something on her mind and patted Jackson's thigh repeatedly.

Jackson sat down beside Alicia, checking her out and noticing her hesitation.

"...How long did that fish keep you company?" Alicia got straight to the point.

"I can't remember. I only remember it was a short time, but being with them..." Jackson forcefully held back the tears that threatened to escape, "it made me really happy."

"Yeah," Alicia finally smiled, and it was the first time Jackson had seen her smile. "Being with friends, it really makes you happy."

Jackson understood. She was daydreaming because she missed her friends.

No wonder she had been staring at the sky earlier.

"Do you believe in heaven?" Jackson asked.

"I do. I feel that one day, when I die, I'll go there," Alicia answered honestly, tears occasionally trickling down but not too many.

"I worry there won't be enough room in heaven."

"Do you think it's like a hotel up there? As long as you don't do bad things, you'll definitely get in."

"Forget it. Whether I can get in or not, what's it to me?"

"Huh?" Alicia was puzzled. "Aren't you going to see your goldfish?"

"What if I really see them up there? Will I be happy? I'll only become more certain that they're really gone."

This statement left Alicia speechless.

"Only by living well can we be with our friends, rather than hoping that one day, we might make it to heaven."

...

Indeed.

What was she thinking about?

Alicia burst into tears, and Jackson gently stroked her head.

Suddenly, a shooting star streaked across the sky.