The Morning After Magic

Auren awoke with a smile spreading across his face, one that had not crossed it in years. The soft morning light crept into his room, and the walls shone like a galaxy—stars trickling slowly like a river, planets moving in a soft, dreamy manner. He stretched contentedly, rubbing his eyes together.

"I should switch the theme today…" He glanced at the cosmic walls and mumbled softly, picturing something else. "Let's see… blue—like her eyes…" He smiled to himself. "And a little bit pink… like the flower in her hair." He put his hand on the wall. A gentle vibration of magic replied, and in a moment, his room changed. The galaxy dissolved into a crystal-clear waterfall, backed by a quiet forest of shining pink flowers and trees. Mist twirled around the falls, and sunlight glinted off every surface.

Auren backed off, eyes wide. "YEAH! This is pretty! I hope she sees this someday!" He turned once in a small dance, his heart full of joy.

"Good morning, Mom!" He came sliding down the stairs on his bag, plopping into the kitchen with exaggerated flair. "Hey Mom, can I get some extra cash today? I mean, after groceries, maybe I'll get myself a juice… you know, just because."

Lisa, who stood at the stove, cocked an eyebrow, grinning. "Why are you smiling so much this morning?"

Auren rested against the counter with a silly grin. "By the way, Mom… your name? I think I forgot it."

Lisa blinked. "What's wrong with you?"

Auren cocked his head. "No seriously. Say it. Your name?"

Lisa smiled, rubbing her hands clean. "It's Lisa."

Auren widened his eyes with over-the-top admiration. "Oh wow! Miss Lisa, you're so lovely. Lend me a bit of extra money today. For very important things."

Lisa erupted into laughter. "You're behaving crazy, Auren. What's wrong? Did you get yourself a girlfriend or something?"

Auren blushed in an instant, scrubbing the back of his neck. "Wha—what?! No! Nothing remotely like that! I swear!"

Lisa raised an eyebrow in a sly smile. "Mhm. You're keeping something from me. Here—" she gave him the money, adding a little more than normal. "And this bit extra… give that to her."

"Mooommm!" Auren screamed, grabbing the money. "It's nothing like that!" And before she could taunt him further, he streaked out the door, face red, muttering, "She's impossible…"

Lisa stood in the window, shaking her head and smiling warmly. "Auren… I hope you spend every day like today." She later entered his bedroom to tidy up and came to a standstill in wonder. The decor of the room took her breath away—the waterfall, the rose-colored blossoms, and the serenity. "Wow…" she whispered. "Now I know you have a girl." She smiled, putting her hand on her heart. "Whoever you are, thank you."

While Auren was already in town, skipping along the luminous market streets, flailing his sack about like a kite. Carrot Man saluted from behind his store, beaming. "You're looking good today, young man!"

"Thanks!" Auren grinned broadly. Those passing by saw his sparkle—a lad who had previously trudged with his head bent now walked with his step springing and his eyes shining. He loaded a few items, whistling. When he walked past the Juice Crystal Shop, he hesitated, his mind working hard.

"Hmm… what would Rose like? Sweet? Citrusy? Sparkly?" He ended up choosing a bottle of Starlight Peach Pop with a star-shaped top.

At home, time dragged. Auren repeatedly checked the clock, tallying minutes.

"Already evening?" he sprang up.

He dashed to his room. Drink—done. Shirt—adjusted. Mirror—awaiting.

"Okay. Breathe. It's just a cliff. It's just Rose. It's just my first… real friend…"

He grinned again.

"Let's go meet her."

And with that, Auren raced out, heart full of light.

Hope—on the rise. Friendship—in bloom. Cliff—in wait.

Auren ascended the twisting mountain path, his footfalls quick with an almost frenzied lightness, yet his heart pounded a wild tattoo of excitement against his chest. The heavens overhead were already afire, brushed in bold strokes of fiery orange and lavender bruise—evening had started its cinematic dissolve into dusk.

The way under his feet glittered, not with light alone, but with crystal-glowing blooms, their petals tenderly throbbing like small, hopeful hearts, guiding him forward. Lightning bees, filmy as spun gold, drifted by, trailing pale, shimmering paths in the dropping air. He smiled, his hand almost touching along the flowers as he stepped.

"What will she wear today?" he muttered to himself, his cheeks flushing with nothing to do with the ascent. "Perhaps that yellow skirt once more. or something entirely new, something that will surprise me?" His pulse picked up, a euphoric flutter.

"What did she bring today? Something sweet? Something hot? A surprise for me?"

"Will she smile when she looks at me? Will she—" He froze in his tracks, the growing excitement suddenly catching in his chest.

"Did she come? What if she didn't?" The question, cutting and bitter, cut through his avid thinking. He shook his head wildly, as if to shake off the uncertainty. "No, no. She will come. She promised. She must."

He arrived at the final incline, the well-known rim of the cliff right in front, the very same holy ground where they had camped the night before, under starlight and mutual understanding.

But as he climbed onto the edge of the cliff…

It was deserted.

The wind, which a moment before had seemed like a light friend, now seemed like an empty sigh, passing by, cold and uncaring. The sight was overwhelming—the city below, a scattered galaxy spilled over the earth, shining and vibrant. But its beauty seemed like a heartless mockery.

There was no Rose.

Auren stayed still, transfixed. The wind danced through his hair, no longer carefree, but a cold whisper. The bottle of juice in his hand, the one containing Starlight Peach Pop, now seemed impossibly heavy, a hard weight of unspoken possibility.

He made his way to their corner and slumped slowly, the ground colder and harder than it had been before. He laid the bottle down beside him, a silent tribute to a missing friend.

"Perhaps… she's running late." He forced a weak smile, a desperate attempt to convince himself of a falsehood. "She will come."

He gazed out at the distant floating parks, their soft drift now looking sorrowful. The sky trains rushed overhead like radiant serpents, unmindful of his situation. The glint of Crimson Town's crystal roads far away seemed remote and inaccessible.

Minutes turned into an eternity. The city's gentle hum below went on with its eternal song. The sun fell lower, draining its last, waning light behind the clouds, tinting the horizon with shades of regret.

Auren's fingers ran over the outline of the bottle cap, repeatedly. His eyes kept flicking behind him… longing, expecting to see her silhouette emerge on the path, under the dying light.

But nobody came.

But still, he did not go. He could not.

He remained seated on the cliff, one small man holding on to the last strands of hope, his heart slowly, excruciatingly, coming to rest.

Then… the wind actually said something. Or maybe, it was simply his own innermost, most abandoned thought finally given voice to in the endless hush.

"Rose…"