☀ hazel eyes and an amber sunrise – writing competition entry Hazel watches herself from the window, the cityscape obscured by the haze. Her reflection seems pensive – as if musing on an impossible thought. The sun is setting in the settling city. Fiery beams of gold glisten, scattering into millions of particles as they strike the window. Skyscrapers reach up to a vast watercolor sky of pink, yellow, and blue. Apartment lights twinkle in the metropolitan cityscape; and in a way, they seem like fireflies glowing. City bustle carries on as usual – as expected in the city that never sleeps. It all plays out like a slow-motion timelapse. It’s an uneventful end to an uneventful day. Her hazel eyes meet her own, and she blinks. Hazel’s phone screen lights up with a text. Blue light clashes with the yellowing room. “Hey! How are you?” The text seems too friendly; it radiates carefully controlled friendliness. She freezes as she sees the sender’s icon - a bouquet of roses. She can smell their sickly aroma from her room. It triggers a dormant reaction within her – and it’s from someone she hasn’t talked to in three years. What is she doing? Hazel reaches her hand to the phone, and slowly taps out a response. Why can I feel my heart pumping? “I’m good <3” She hovers her hand over the send button. What am I doing? Am I actually doing good right now? She sends the text. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and three bubbles promptly start bouncing on the screen. Hazel, eyes trained on those three dots, watch as they bounce up and down. Up and down. The nerve-wracking rhythm goes on, until a message appears. Hazel blinks. “I miss you.” She lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. What to write n-? The phone starts ringing to the sound of Bach. A chorus of violas signal the phone call - a royal fanfare to the returning princess. The harpsichord leads the orchestra’s way. For a moment, Hazel gets lost in the music. Crescendos, accelerandos, and harmonies transform her mind. But the moment stops. Her heart drops. And she answers the call. A face appears on the screen. The face smiles as soon as it sees Hazel. “Oh my gosh, hi!!” the face exclaims. “Hi Amber,” Hazel replies. Where are her glasses? What happened to her hair? Amber is a stranger on a street. Years have passed since high school, and they finally begin talking. “Uh, so how are you?” Amber asks. It takes a moment to process what’s happening. She’s talking to Amber. Amber. Just her best friend from high school, who she hasn't seen since moving to New York. Just a ghost from her past (except that she’s here. Right now.) Amber’s looking at her. “Sorry, what?” The words don’t feel like words. “How have you been?” How have I been? Hazel hears herself say, “I’ve been good, how about you?” “I’m good as well.” The conversation dies down to silence and staring. “Uh,” The words come out before Hazel knows it. Too late now. “Why did you call me?’ Amber hesitates, then says “I missed you, that’s all. Anyways, how has college been?” “Last month, I had so much homework, but now, I’ve been getting it done, which is good.” Hazel pastes a smile on her face. Amber smiles. “That’s awesome! Have you done anything cool recently?” “I started ice-skating recently - which is cool, I guess.” “Woah, that’s definitely so cool! I love watching ice-skating,” Amber grins. “Remember me when you do the triple-axel.” For a second, it’s almost as if they’re friends again. Hazel’s mouth turns into a slight smile. “Come over here, and I’ll teach you next time.” The mood shifts in the conversation. Hazel’s eyes widen. Her smile leaves her face; just as quickly as it appeared. Amber notices this too, but says, “Of course! I’d love to.” There’s a palpable tension on two screens thousands of miles apart. The silence is deafening. “I’m sorry that I left you.” I abandoned you. I never replied to you. I never called you. I never talked to you. I left you. I betrayed you. “That was mean of you,” Amber says. Her eyes are wet. “I missed you so so much.” Hazel starts crying. “I know,” Hazel says, between tears. “I knew this whole time.” “Why? What did I ever do to you?” Hurt and pain fills her eyes. “I don’t know! I don’t know,” Hazel chokes. And it’s the truth. She never knew why she stopped talking to Amber. But one event led to another, and here they both were, talking again. “I never forgot about you.” Hazel says. Amber looks up, eyes watering. “I never forgot about you, as well.” “I was scared that you forgot me,” Hazel says. “But we never did.” All the streetlights finally turn on in an instant. When two friends reunite, something beautiful changes in the world. They start crying again, but this time, with tears of joy. ☀ Morning arrives. The sun rises from its slumber, bathing the air in a brilliant, golden amber.
this is @clevercomment's writing comp entry for swc november 2023!! it's 855 words - the main story is here https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/post/7668272/ (on forums), so i would prefer it if you read it there :D this project version is only if the forums go down (which they're known for doing aha) - nothing is different between the two versions. author's note (this was added after the deadline, and is not part of the word count. it is up to you whether you want to read it or not):
