Across the World

Chapter 2: Lost Soul

LUNA felt uncomfortable that there was another person at her favorite spot within the forest. Suddenly, the silence filled the area where they were. And she didn't even know if she would regret her decision to go to the place. Her mind could not concentrate, like when she was at university. She did nothing but glance at the man. She was about five meters away from him. When she couldn't stand it anymore, she decided to approach him to lessen the nervousness that her heart felt.

She slowly got up from her seat on the grass. Her feet walked carefully closer to the man. She took a deep breath and courage. "How are you?" she asked him. The man didn't answer. He just simply stared at her. She was very sure he was the man she had hit earlier. She felt guilty because she ignored him when he apologized to her. "My apology for what happened earlier. I didn't mean to bump into you and escape the situation. I was in a hurry to get to the university," she explained. "Are you alone? How did you find this place?" he asked her. Finally, Luna heard his voice again.

"Yes, I am alone. I knew this place for a long time and I often visited it. How about you? Are you alone too?" she replied. The man just nodded. Silence filled the air. Luna didn't know what else to say. She just approached him to calm her feelings. She also felt that he was not a bad person.

"I'll go ahead. I have to finish this,” she told him-- she was referring to the art materials she was holding in her hands. “If you need someone to talk to, I’m only right there," she added and pointed to an area not far from them. She just wanted to be kind to him. She was hoping he would ignore her. Especially now that no words came out of his mouth. She decided to stand up. But as she was doing so, the man pulled and held her hands tightly.

"Can you really see and feel me?" he asked her while staring straight at her very soul. “Or is it just my great desire to play tricks on me?” he added. Luna was stunned with wonder by his question. Of course, she could see him because he was in human form, someone capable of feeling. She was annoyed at his oddness.

"Yes, I see you and I feel the tightness of the way you hold my hands. Let go of me!" Luna demanded. He immediately let go of her hand and looked away embarrassed. She stared at him for a moment and was unable to understand the way he was acting. "Is he going through something in his life?" One puzzle that ran through her mind. “There's sadness in his eyes,” she added. And while she was thinking and staring at him, the man turned his back to her again.

"I'll go ahead," she told him and hurriedly walked away from him. When Luna came back to her place, she laid her painting tools on the grass, and watched the beautiful nature. She wondered what she would paint. Then suddenly, she heard music undoubtedly from a guitar and closed her eyes along with its hymn, even if questions were still bubbling up at the back of her mind.

She slowly turned her head to peek at him and saw him playing his guitar. She listened to his music while watching him. She was totally mesmerized by his talent. The voice on his guitar was full of sadness, like what she was seeing in him. But despite the sadness that she felt irradiating from him, he was still glamorous to watch. Suddenly, the man stopped playing his guitar. She quickly turned her eyes away from him. She finally had an idea of what theme she would paint for the competition. She considered the idea of painting him, and he was the perfect genuine subject. She knew that the outcome would be better. She began to move her paintbrush along a clean paintboard. She first painted the surroundings that she saw around her. The sky, trees, grass, and a nearby ravine. After she painted the said place, she drew him as a black shadow.

"I perfectly finished my painting," she whispered to herself and lay her body on the grass. She closed her eyes and took a breath. "What are you doing?" she heard his voice. She opened her eyes, and found herself surprised. It was not the sky that she was looking at. It was his face so close to hers. She abruptly sat up and grabbed her chest. She could not answer because of the disruption inside her.

"It's extraordinary to look at the sky you painted in the color of dark blue and shades of violet. The green trees and grass with a shadowy form of a male," he nonchalantly said to her. Luna just looked at him at a loss for words. "Are you not going to say anything? What do you call that painting you created?" he asked her.

"The lost soul," she answered him quickly, finding her voice. She did not know if she should explain the meaning of her painting.

"By the way, I'm leaving this place. You might want to come with me. In just a few minutes, the sun will set, and darkness will take over soon." Luna wondered about what he had said, and he was right. "I'll come with you, but please wait for me. I need to fix my things first," she answered, to which he nodded. The man started walking while she was fixing her belongings. She rushed to chase the man. She slightly took a peek at him, wanting to ask him, but decided against it because he was so quiet. She thought that she might embarrass him, so she decided to shut her mouth. She just accompanied him on his walk until they reached the road and rode a bus.