《Crushed But Worthy》


 Chapter 1. Alishas escape from sadness ended in an unexpected encounter

    Chapter 1


    That Friday night, all the street lights suddenly went out. The nightingale that had just been twittering so gorgeously seemed frightened and fell silent, and only the lone moon illuminated the square in front of my house.


    The tension from sadness in my heart began to grow.


    All I wanted was to run away somewhere, to escape from myself and my loneliness.


    ¡ª But where to run so late, amidst that depressing darkness? Oh! Maybe¡­ maybe to the swing??¡ª?I thought to myself, rocking on the bed like a hunched old woman.


    ¡ª Heh-heh-heh!?¡ª?I laughed at myself.?¡ª?Eeeeeh, why not?


    I hadn¡¯t swung on it since I was about 8 or so. It¡¯s because¡­ I¡¯m too shy!


    ¡ª But hey! No one will see me now,?¡ª?I encouraged myself as I looked out of the window at the playground,?¡ª?Oh, I must run there to make up for all the emotions I¡¯ve missed out on over the years and to shake those stupid thoughts out of my head!


    Right, my sleeping beauty??¡ª?I gently stroked my napping cat, Knopa. With her eyes closed, she stretched out her paws and ¡°threateningly¡± showed me her claws.


    So, I grabbed my ugly gray raincoat to scare away any unexpected passersby and headed for the front door.


    The corridor was dark, like the rest of the house. I moved fast, on tiptoe, like the ballerina.


    Moving through the corridor, I didn¡¯t even illuminate it with my phone screen so that its glow wouldn¡¯t hit the window of my parent¡¯s bedroom door.


    ¡ª Ow!- Bang!!!?¡ª?Ooooh, Mmmph?¡ª?I fell off my feet like a clumsy hippo, tripping on an open umbrella on the floor which my beloved Dad had left to dry at the wrooong time.


    ¡ª Oh no!?¡ª?I said, clutching my smartphone in the coat pocket and gritting my teeth in pain, as I heard the rustle of slippers in my parents¡¯ bedroom which was fast approaching the door.


    Suddenly someone opened the door and turned on the corridor light, I was blinded and closed my eyes.


    ¡ª So, where are you going??¡ª?my Mom asked in a hoarse, sleepy voice,?¡ª?and why are you lying on the dirty floor like a piggy?


    ¡ª Uh, I¡¯m just going to the yard, -I said, meeting her stern gaze.?¡ª?I won¡¯t be long, honestly, Mom, there¡¯s nobody there, not a single living shadow, well, except for cats and crows.


    ¡ª Oh yes, what time is it now??¡ª?Mom asked tiredly, tapping her smartphone screen, ¡°Wow, it¡¯s eleven o¡¯clock, it¡¯s late, baby, go to bed, now.?¡ª?Yaaawn!?¡ª?Tomorrow is a day off, you¡¯ll have plenty of time to run and jump around.


    ¡ª But¡­Mom, I¡¯m not 12 or even 16, I¡¯m an old 22-year-old filly. Well, even the fillies are allowed to walk around the farm.


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    ¡ª Yes, they are allowed, but not at midnight! Because if that filly gets caught by a pack of wolves, no one will save her,?¡ª?my mother warned.


    ¡ª Ugh! What kind of wolves are there in town, Mom? I asked her as I tied my pink sneakers.


    ¡ª You look like such an adult, daughter, but you still don¡¯t understand anything in this world. Uh, I¡¯m so tired. Alex, Alex, hmm, Aleeeex?! Do you hear me??¡ª?my Mom snarled looking into the bedroom, at the bed.


    ¡ª Hmm? What??¡ª?Dad barely said, half asleep.


    ¡ª Your daughter wants to go out at half past eleven, do you hear me? What should I tell her??¡ª?She asked irritably.


    ¡ª So what? Is she 12 years old or what? She¡¯s already a big girl,?¡ª?my Dad replied, yawning loudly.?¡ª?Just for a little while, and close to home! Deal??¡ª?he called out to me from the bed.


    ¡ª Yes, of course, Daddy, I promise I won¡¯t go beyond our neighborhood. All sorts of people walk around there.


    ¡ª What? ¡ªMom exclaimed. ¡ªAlex, are you in your right mind, I¡¯m no longer going to pour you a full glass of wine before going to bed. I am, once again, convinced that it was my big mistake.


    ¡ª But what¡¯s wine got to do with it, Larissa, it¡¯s common sense, not wiiine, ugh!


    ¡ª What are you trying to say, dear??¡ª?she began to get angry.?¡ª?Do you think I¡¯ve lost my common sense??


    ¡ª Sheesh, no, what I¡¯m trying to say is that you should let Alisha go out to clear her head,?¡ª?Oh, how deeply Daddy senses me¡­?¡ª?and you, my love, lie down next to me so we can be alone for half an hour?¡ª?Dad hinted to Mom.


    Mom reddened from embarrassment and froze for a few seconds, after which she exploded, swinging her head to Dad:?¡ª?But what if she runs into some inadequate man?!


    ¡ª They¡¯re all in bed now,?¡ª?replied Dad calmly.?¡ª?And where have you seen them in our area?


    ¡ª I have, and not only that, Alex.


    ¡ª What do you mean, Larissa??¡ª?Dad asked Mom.


    ¡ª Well, on Wednesday, one of them accosted me, I didn¡¯t want to tell you to avoid any conflicts, because you can expect anything from them.


    ¡ª Did he touch you??¡ª?Dad jumped up excitedly.


    Mom reassured him, looking at her brand-new manicure.?¡ª?No-no, he just asked me for cash. He was drunk and, I think he needed it for booze.


    ¡ª And how do you know he was drunk,?¡ª?asked Dad, propping his head up with his hand.


    ¡ª Hm, he had it written on his forehead,?¡ª?Mom couldn¡¯t find a better answer.


    ¡ª §°h Larissa, in your eyes, every other person is a drunk, ohoho!?¡ª?Dad laughed. But when he saw his mum getting even angrier, he covered his mouth with his hand.


    ¡ª Well, Alex, it¡¯s on you,?¡ª?she chided, and turned to me, warning?¡ª?If you¡­ don¡¯t come back¡­ in half an hour, I¡¯ll come after you with this broken umbrella and, oof, kick your butt so hard that you¡¯ll never want to walk alone so late again. Did you hear me, Alisha?


    ¡ª Uh-huh!?¡ª?I replied with relief as if the hot iron had fallen off my head. But this cheerful mood was abruptly dashed when I looked down at the floor,?¡ª?Oh nooo!- came out of my mouth.


    Mom opened the door again and called.?¡ª?Now what?


    ¡ª I think I broke Dad¡¯s umbrella, but no worries, I¡¯ll get him a new one tomorrow.


    ¡ª Ohh! Don¡¯t let him hear you?¡ª?she fretted, and quickly slammed the door.


    I ran outside like crazy and rushed to the playground. There was no one around, even all the street cats and crows that were just here have vanished somewhere, maybe my raincoat, like that scarecrow, scared them away.


    My butt, could barely fit in the swing seat. I pushed off the ground, then again, and again, so hard that I almost flew out of the swing.?¡ª?Whoops! Hahaha!!


    I closed my eyes and felt the rush of adrenaline which got my blood pumping, and endorphins that damped my mental pain.


    I was a little dizzy, but it was a pleasant sensation that pushed all the sadness out of my mind, as well as the memory of my promise to my Mom to come home in half an hour.


    Oh, finally, my inner ¡®Kiddo¡¯ had enough fun for a whooole year!


    I don¡¯t know how much time had passed when I thought?¡ª?Ow, stop, stop I¡¯m telling you. Time to go home, or I¡¯ll be punished. I slowly opened my eyes.


    Suddenly, in my peripheral vision, I saw a silhouette swinging next to me, and it looked like it was a man?¡ª?Hmm?!?¡ª?I gasped and put my feet on the ground, trying to stop my swing, which didn¡¯t work the first time. Unlike me, he did it on the first go.?¡ª?Wow, that¡¯s masculine strength!?¡ª?I was stunned.

 Chapter 2. What a surprise...

    CHAPTER 2


    I carefully turned my head and looked at his face. Well, fraaankly, I didn¡¯t see anything in him, I mean?¡ª?literally nothing,?¡ª?because I didn¡¯t see him at all, except for the luminous stars in his eyes.


    That¡¯s because his face was turned away from the moonlight, while mine, on the contrary, was illuminated by it like a spotlight.


    ¡ª Oh, look who¡¯s here, a familiar face,?¡ª?the stranger said in a soft, mysterious voice, causing a mixture of strange sensations in my body.?¡ª?By the way, I¡¯ve been thinking about you a lot lately,?¡ª?he confessed,?¡ª?but didn¡¯t expect to see you here, especially now.


    ¡ª Um¡­What do you mean? Have we actually met before?


    ¡ª I asked embarrassedly, and without even listening to his answer, I cut him off,?¡ª?S-sorry, I have to run, or else my mum will come for me and we¡¯ll both be in trouble.


    I quickened my pace toward my house.


    ¡ª Already? So soon? Don¡¯t leave me here alone! My heart feels heavy now¡­?¡ª?he said, continuing to sit on the swing, which creaked under his weight.


    ¡ª What happened? Your girlfriend dumped you?


    ¡ª Worse¡­ my cat passed. I so loved her.


    ¡ª Aw, I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m really sorry, I have a little cat too, her name is Knopa. Oh! It¡¯s so late, I should have fed her by now, so anyway, um¡­ Bye.?¡ª?I said to him faintly.


    ¡ª But¡­ hey! We¡¯re neighbors, and we¡¯ve crossed paths so many times, so¡­ why should you be scared of me??¡ª?Do I look like a werewolf or something??¡ª?he asked and slowly got off the swing.


    ¡ª Sorry, young man, I can¡¯t remember you, but you don¡¯t look like a werewolf, well I hope.


    ¡ª You hope??¡ª?He didn¡¯t get it.


    ¡ª Yes, I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t see you well,?¡ª?I explained with a shaking voice.


    ¡ª Oh, wait,?¡ª?the young man said, taking a step forward; the moon flooded his face with a pale glow.


    He was about my age, well, maybe a few years younger, but more importantly, he was a head taller than me.


    Of course, he was as far from young DiCaprio as the Moon is from Earth, although,?¡ª?I thought, taking a step forward,?¡ª?hmm, not that far!


    The pitch of my voice jumped two notes higher as I asked him,?¡ª?So, you say¡­ we¡¯ve met before?


    ¡ª Yes, sure, we¡¯ve even greeted each other several times, huh, you¡¯re kidding me, don¡¯t you really remember me?¡± he asked, looking at me with bulging eyes.


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    ¡ª Hmm, I can¡¯t remember,?¡ª?I answered, looking at his face from different angles. I was so engrossed in this process that didn¡¯t even notice how I started to ¡°bite¡± my nails.


    ¡ª That¡¯s strange, very strange,?¡ª?he said, and froze, looking into my eyes.?¡ª?I felt embarrassed and looked down.


    ¡ª Oh, my name is Leon, by the way,?¡ª?he suddenly animated.


    ¡ª Cough!?¡ª?I choked on my bitten-off nail?¡ª?What-what? Leonardo?


    ¡ª I said Le¡­ooon?¡ª?he made a face as if offended.


    ¡ª Oh, sorry,?¡ª?I snapped back to reality.?¡ª?I¡¯m Alisha.


    ¡ª Oh, Alisssha, so gorgeous name, it sounds so close to my heart,?¡ª?Leon whispered.?¡ª?A smile broke out on my face.?¡ª?But I still don¡¯t understand,?¡ª?he continued,?¡ª?How can You regularly greet a person and then suddenly forget him?


    ¡ª Don¡¯t know. Oh¡­maybe it¡¯s because I rarely look guys in their faces,?¡ª?I answered, raising my palms, trying to find an answer for myself.


    ¡ª Ow! That¡¯s nice, I love shy girls.


    Well, I won¡¯t hide that I was flattered by his compliment and it settled somewhere in my heart, but honestly, at that moment I felt scared, just because of the tone in which those words were said. Brrr!


    My knees stopped listening to me and started shaking.


    Leon seemed to feel my fear. He decided to calm me down a bit, saying in a low voice?¡ª?By the way, I live in that house, the sixth floor, the one on the far left.


    ¡ª Yeah, I see, it¡¯s quite different from the others,?¡ª?I replied, peering at the only unglazed balcony in that building.


    ¡ª I think you should always be yourself, stand out somehow, and not ¡°follow the crowd¡±. I saved a lot of money, by the way. Hey, sit down, let¡¯s swing a little more, or better yet, let me push your swing.


    ¡ª Ooohrr, you¡¯re so sneaky boy! It¡¯s like you knew I couldn¡¯t say no to you this time.?¡ª?I thought to myself.?¡ª?He caught my thoughts and ¡°finished me¡± with his seductive smile.


    But I¡¯m not the kind of ¡®dumbass¡¯ who would sit in a swing in the dead of night and let some weird stranger swing me around, even if he looks a little like DiCaprio, right??¡ª?I thought, nervously clutching one hand with the other and biting my lower lip.


    He playfully patted the seat, and I ran to him as if on cue, saying?¡ª?But, Leon, dear, not for long. Okay? Because in a minute my mom will come for me, and it won¡¯t be very romantic, believe me, Leon.


    ¡ª Okay, trust me. Just give me five minutes and I¡¯ll let you go,?¡ª?he replied confidently.


    Somehow I forgot about my fear and boldly jumped on the ¡°saddle¡± ¡ª, just like on a horse,?¡ª?then closed my eyes and gently commanded?¡ª?So? Let¡¯s go! I¡¯m waiting!


    He began to push the swing very carefully.?¡ª?¡°Woooo?¡ª?hoooooo,?¡ª?I rejoiced, feeling with every hair on my body that something incredible and special was waiting for me that night.


    ¡ª Leon??¡ª?I called excitedly with my eyes closed.


    ¡ª Yeah??¡ª?he answered in a strange squeaky voice.


    ¡ª What kind of girls do you like,?¡ª?bony tall blondes, or curvy tiny brunettes like me,?¡ª?just be honest,?¡ª?I asked him, giving him enough options, of course.


    ¡ª Hat¡­?¡ª?he squealed like a seal, sniffling.


    ¡ª What do you mean??¡ª?I asked him, smiling stupidly.


    ¡ª I mean¡­cheeee!!!?¡ª?he suddenly sneezed.


    I was so startled that I dropped my hands and plopped face down on the ground.


    When I came to my senses, I looked up, asking myself,?¡ª?So, is this the end of my fairy tale?


    Leon looked at me with such worried eyes, as if I was dying. I got frightened. Leon rushed to comfort me, sweeping the sand away from my bloody knees,?¡ª?Relax, and give me your knees,?¡ª?he said.


    ¡ª Yes, but how??¡ª?I cried in utter despair.


    ¡ª No, no, you sit down, I¡¯ll clean it up myself,?¡ª?he insisted


    ¡ª Oh no, just don¡¯t go into my nostrils, please,?¡ª?I still didn¡¯t know what I was saying. I was in shock!


    ¡ª What??¡ª?he didn¡¯t understand and lifted his eyes.


    ¡ª I say¡­ ahhhh!?¡ª?I moaned piteously.


    ¡ª Are you okay??¡ª?he asked.


    ¡ª Uh-huuuh!


    ¡ª Are you sure, sweetie?


    ¡ª Cheee!!!?¡ª?I couldn¡¯t help but sneeze from the tickle in my nose caused by the sand, and all my drool and snot flew in his noble face.?¡ª?He shot me a disgusted look.


    ¡ª Oh my¡­?¡ª?(Gulp)?¡ª?I thought.?¡ª?It¡¯s over, now he is going to bury me right in this sand. Mom, Dad, Knopa, I love you very much,?¡ª?I mentally said goodbye to my life and loved ones¡­