Wind tastes the autumn air as I tug the collar of my coat higher around my scrawny pale neck. Leaves-painted golden by the season- chase each other through the dampened fields. Boots clunking on the dirt path, I trudge through the forest. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular- just something to do.
A world-frozen on paper- is cupped in my pocket. The pages rustling the whispers of an enticing romance with every movement I make. I take out the book, my long white fingers running down the creased torn cover. Oh how I yearned to be in love. To have someone kiss me like it’s their last day, to have someone tuck a lock of hair behind me ear, hold my face so gently you’d think I would break in his hands.
But here I am, untouched by beauty or romance living a lonely life in a lonely city. I drop down on a fallen log, leaves scatter away from my feet as I shuffle away the debris on the ground. The crunch of footfalls snap the delicate silence and interrupt my thoughts. I turn around and see a tall silhouette making it’s way through the trees.

The person spots me and moves more determinedly towards me. Nerves skitter around in my stomach as my pocketed hand curls around my Swiss army knife. I flick open the blade and fell it press against the rough material of my coat.

The first thing I saw was teeth. There were some big honkers on this guy. My eyes traveled up the strangers face and traced the crooked nose and frizzy brown hair. He ambled toward me. Then I noticed his eyes. They were a deep brown, large and intense. I couldn’t stop staring at them. These eyes had seen things, they held the knowledge of a thousand years in their dark stirring depths.

A tight feeling wove itself inside of me, fluid with nerves and jitters. I wanted to throw up, cry and sing for joy. Frightened yet exhilarated I stood up, closing my knife and trying to muster a smile that was at least halfway decent on my too fat lips. The boy stood a couple feet away from me. His beautiful white fingers whizzed into a pattern of intricate design, the motion made me dizzy, those long tools, so elegant and sure, hypnotized me, each soft movement mind blowing in itself.

“Hi,” he said unsurely- his voice was hoarse and deep.

“Hey,” I replied shakily.

“What brings you here?” he asked

“I come here everyday,” I replied

“You still haven’t answered my question,”


“OK, I was bored and didn’t want to sit at home,”


“Ok,” was all he said. I sat back on the log and he sat down next to me. I couldn’t help noticing how his knee brushed against mine. “What’s your name?” He asked me.


“Well my name’s Melissa, but I hate that name so everyone calls me Sable,” I replied easily.


“What’s wrong with Melissa?”


“I don’t know, it just sounds… ugly,”


“Ok,” He said then turned away to look through the dark trees.


“What’s your name?”


“Finn,”

So every day after that I went to the same spot to meet the strange boy named Finn. We would sit on the log and talk, sometimes we would dance, sing or Finn would bring his ukulele and strum along quietly to songs I had never heard of. But the intoxicating melody and sweet tune kept my humming it for hours after we had met.


“What do you want to be when you grow up?” he asked my one day. We lay stretched out the forest ground, looking at each other.

“I want to be… a real person,”


“Huh?” he asked.


“I don’t want to be a trophy wife (Finn snorted at this- I shot him a dirty look) or a teacher or actress who gets botox injections every other week. I want to be… I want to be… a shoe salesmen,” I replied happily.


“Interesting,” he replied. Then he leaned over and kissed me.


His lips were soft and gentle as his hands caressed my face, his cool minty breath glided over my face. I closed my eyes, this was just so perfect. Then I opened my eyes.


And it was just a dream.