That Light in Your Eyes

On a waning-moon night, the classroom stood empty. She curled up in a corner, her knees drawn to her chest.

“Are you here to laugh at me?”

A shadow strode toward her. “It’s dark and stormy. I’m here to steal something.”

“What are you stealing?”

He smiled, suppressing a trace of pain. “A treasure.”

She looked up, frowning. “A treasure? Here?”

“Yes, the most precious treasure of all. I want to steal her away and hide her somewhere safe.”

She turned her face aside. Beneath the moonlight, his face was veiled too, blurred and gentle.

He crouched halfway down and placed a hand on her folded arms. The warmth of his palm began to melt the ice and snow.

“Will you come with me? Leave this place where nobody sees you?”

As if they were taking turns reciting a fairy tale, she laughed as soon as she opened her mouth. “Where would we go?”

“Anywhere, as long as you say yes.”

She looked at him, then lowered her eyelids. Two hot tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m someone who’s been driven into a corner. There’s no light ahead, and no road beneath my feet.”

“Little Scruff, listen carefully. If you climb a mountain, I’ll clear the way for you. If you cross a river, I’ll wade through it for you. If you reach a dead end, I’ll tear down the wall. You must always believe that there’s always a way forward in this world. The road is beneath our feet. The light is in our hearts.”