And it’s hard to hate someone once you understand them.
There is no need to put your heart in a bottle, then you will die.- Ty from Stolen
I’d never seen a man cry before, only on TV. I’d never even seen Dad close to crying. Those tears looked so odd on you. It was like the strength of you just seemed to sap away. The surprise of it stopped me from being so scared.
I thought you wanted to catch a camel,” you tried again.”No.””I want to.””Well, you go then.”You laughed. “I want your beautiful face where I can see it
You smiled then, and your whole face changed with it. It kind of lit up, like there were sunbeams coming from inside you.
I didn’t look back, but I knew you were still watching. It probably sounds weird, but I could just feel it. The hairs on my neck bristled when you blinked.
Your eyes were too intense to stare into for long.
I remember the lights turning into blurs of blazing fire. I remember the air-conditioning chilling my arms. The smell of coffee smudging into the smell of eucalyptus.
I guess whoever built and buried that IED out there in the desert will never know how far that blast traveled. But all things ripple out, cause shrapnel.
If there’d been an astronaut on the moon right then, I’m sure I could have seen him. Perhaps he could have looked down and seen me too… the only one who could.
How long will you keep me?” I asked.You shrugged. “Forever, of course.
I remember that feeling of skin. It’sstrange to remember touch more than thought. But my fingersstill tingle with it.
Nobody’s bought this land. And no one’s going to want it either. It’s dying land, lonely land.””Like me, then,” I said.”Yes, like you.” You chewed the corner of your lip. “You both need saving.