When Shooting Stars Fall: Chapter 5
05 | Incineration
Late autumn’s evening breeze has already cast off the humidity of late summer, blowing unrestrained and carefree.
It’s already been about 24 hours since I last slept, lying in bed tossing and turning, unable to contain the excitement bouncing around in my heart. I can only wait, wait for the dark sky to quickly turn bright, then wait for the bright sky to turn darker again.
Finally, my alarm goes off on time in the early hours of the next morning.
The train starts and stops on its journey, before finally stopping at my station, yet it's still quite a distance from Skymirror Salt Lake. I walk towards my destination hastily, walking faster and faster until I start running. Finally, after running under the low slope of the moonlight and through the winding pathways, I finally see the dreamlike salt lake that is like the surface of a mirror.
And in the middle of the salt lake, under an unchanging tranquil starry sky, a familiar figure stands with his back facing me.
This is the first time I’ve seen Xavier without his school uniform, his figure harmoniously illuminated by moonlight. I can’t help but run towards him in , stepping onto the ankle-deep salt marsh.
Xavier turns his head back, the evening breeze sweeping a pleasant fragrance into my nostrils, clear and cool, just like the moonlight.
He grabs my hand and leads me to the pier built across the salt lake to sit down. While crossing my legs over the edge to swing them, I look left and right, thinking about something.
“No need to look, they didn't follow behind.”
“You finally managed to shake them off?”
“Mn.”
I vaguely sense an evasiveness in Xavier’s gaze, but soon, the light in his eyes become even brighter as they reflect .
“Didn't you arrange to meet me to see the meteor shower? Why are your thoughts on other people?”
Before I can open my mouth, a beam of starlight passes through the night sky, reflecting on the salt lake below.
“It's here!”
Instantly, Xavier and I raise our heads.
The inky night sky is dotted with constellations of different brightness. A cluster of meteors fall from it, and just as quickly. It’s followed by the second and third clusters appearing and disappearing— The entire world is within sight, as if Xavier and I are the last two people. And this meteor shower is a scene viewed only by the two of us.
I put both hands together, making a wish towards the shooting stars. When my eyes open, I see Xavier also making one.
I ask him what he had wished for, he shakes his head, and says he won't tell me.
Just like that, we sit here between Heaven and Earth, waiting until the night sky turns into a lavender before standing up.
“Wait— I have something I want to give you.”
I remember something, and pull open my bag’s zipper, pulling out a star tassel from within and raising it in front of Xavier. He's stunned for a moment, before taking the sword tassel and inspecting it, while asking me: “You made this?”
“Mhm… I know it looks a little ugly, but…”
“Looks good.” He interrupts me, and then returns the tassel to me. “Can you help me hang it up?”
I smile at Xavier for a bit, and hang the tassel onto his wooden sword. Finally, I take one last lingering glance towards the salt lake, wanting to pull him back the way we came, but unexpectedly, his feet come to a stop where he stands.
“What’s wrong?”
Xavier silently looks at me for a moment. “Can I hug you for a bit.”
“What?” I don’t think I’ve heard him clearly, and look into Xavier’s eyes, .
“I said, can I hug you for a moment?”
He repeats his words once more, his tone mild, flowing into my ears like wind.
Without waiting for my reaction, he takes a few steps closer, and then bends down and holds me around my waist, still in that calm and pristine manner. I am stunned for two seconds, my hands climbing up his back little by little…
So this is what an embrace with him is like.
“Thank you, my wish came true,” he says by my ear.
“Next time when there's a meteor shower, let's come together again,” he proposes once more, and I nod.
I deeply want time to just stop at this moment, and deeply hope this wish of mine can become reality.
I don't know whether it was Heaven punishing a greedy person, but ever since that night, my life also became just like a shooting star, falling down from its highest point.
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