[chahoua]

Careful not to wake me at such an early hour, Syndra slides out of bed and sneak out of our house. She inevitably always steps on the creaky floorboard, which stirs me out of my dreams. Through sleep heavy eyes, I watch her don her fall cloak and fix her hair in the mirror, and then smile at her reflection. She moves so slow, in everything she does, with such grace and purpose. 

She leaves. I wait. Then I leave. I trail for behind and watch as she steps delicately over the frost covered ground, crunching dead leaves under her toes. Syndra stirs the thick fog under her nimble fingers, speaking a druidic enchantment in her musical, eternal voice. A golden shimmer followed her movements, creating mystic symbols in the air.

What a wonderful way to start my day. 

[chahoua]

Her fiery attitude and strong determination is so typical of the human race. They live with such enthusiasm, almost as though they recognize how little time they have and are attempting to absorb every drop of existence while they still can. Aubrey feels such passion for the causes she fights for, and I know she feels that love for me. How lucky I am, to be loved by a human, for her whole short lifetime. 

[chahoua]

The Common Dragon, also described as a Typical Dragon, is the most widespread and adaptive species of dragon. Full grown, they fall in the medium size class, although the oldest of them have been known to reach large sizes. They are short bodied, have four muscled legs and two large wings, as well as a long tail. They appear with or without spiked spines, tails, and faces, and usually with horns. 

Their temperaments vary widely due to their wide distribution. Usually, they are very possessive over their hoards, which tend to consist of gold, jewels, and other treasures. They tend to be of average intelligence, which is comparable of that to an average human.

[chahoua]

Close your eyes. Feel the raindrops roll down your face and off of your skin, cleansing your body of dirt. Listen to the whispers of the winds through the trees, and allow their blessings to heal your soul. Dig your toes into the soft mud forming beneath your feet and ground yourself here. Let go of your tensions and worries. Nature will take care of you.

[chahoua]

The melodic whistling of the train drowns the soft hum of your snore. Your head bounces on my shoulder with each rhythmic bump of the tracks, and my hand clutches yours tighter as we weave through the countryside. 

[chahoua]

Wind breathes life into us. It moves us in new directions eah day. It tosses our hair with it’s gusty hands and cleanses us of our sins. Leave go your burdens into the wind. 

[chahoua]

Love is a qualitative, not a quantitative, feeling. You will never run out, so do not be afraid to love as often as you can. Love your mailman for his warm smiles. Love your family for their supporting words. Love your girlfriend for her caring heart. Love your dog for his excited barks. Love your teacher for her passion for knowledge. Love your friends for their infinite wit. Do not restrict your love to quantities. Love effortlessly, love passionately, love endlessly.

[chahoua]

Our feet swing over the side of the building. It’s such a thrill, being this high above the city. The cars move like ants, moving in patterns that seem erratic, but a system appears to us eventually. Lights blink and blur into the movement of the ground level. Honks and sirens cut over the busy bustling of the people out and about so late at night. I reach for your hand. We can see the whole world, but I only want to look at you.

[chahoua]

Rest your head on my arm and gaze up into to the stars. Admire the vast wonders of the Milky Ways and tell me what you imagine their contents to be. Trace constellations as I run my hand through your hair. 

[chahoua]

A static buzzed over the faint singing of a voice in the radio. The pop singer was drowned out by the morning calls of the songbirds, who were the first to wake today. Dew glistened off the smashed hood of the red sedan, and it stuck to the pale, lifeless skin of the driver and passenger, who held hands to their last breath. 

[chahoua]

Don’t test me, I can and would look into your eyes for all eternity if you would only let me.

[chahoua]

Leaves in the trees high above me swish in the wind. The ferns around me tickle my ankles as I sit cross-legged on a tree stump. A stream in the distance babbles endlessly. As the light falls, the fireflies begin to take flight and glow softly around me. 

[chahoua]

It’s incredibly early for me, but she insisted I get up with her to see the sunrise today. She has watched the day start almost every morning for as long as I can remember, and every time it’s like shes falling in love with it for the first time. I never get tired of seeing how she lights up when the first beams of the sun breach the horizon. I never get tired of how her eyes squint when she smiles at the beautiful colors of the sky, and how her skin glows in the beautiful pink hues of the sky. I’m glad to have start my day with her, my own sunrise. 

[chahoua]

What possibly could you miss about your old ford truck? Maybe its the characteristic creaking right before a heavy slam of the door. Or how the cracked leather seats scratched our legs when we wore shorts. You must have loved how the old fashion windows had to be rolled down by hand, even when the handle on my side broke off. Was it how the truck bounced and wobbled on old dirt roads? I remember always fearing that she would fall apart beneath us. The seatbelt tugged on our shoulders just a little too tight, just how you liked to hold my hand between shifting. 

I know how you cursed and cried the day she wouldn’t start back up. And dammit, I would love to take her out one last time, on that hilly country road overlooking those beautiful Pennsylvania autumn leaves.  

[chahoua]

Waves lap at my shins. My toes sink deeper into the sand. Salty air whips strands of hair into my face. I wade in further, watching the water swirled around my hips. Her energy is a powerful one, yet it is loving at the same time. I reach my hand out toward her seemingly infinite stretch, out toward the horizon, before bringing my fingers down to the surface. I trace a heart in the calm and watch it ripple away. She knows I love her.

[chahoua]

Drops of rain drummed on the roof of our deck, creating the perfect cadence to accompany our morning coffee. We watched the sky fall from the safety and warmth of our porch swing, holding hands under a blanket. 

[chahoua]

The boards of the old wooden bridge creaked beneath her boots as she shifted her weight onto the railing. Her thick brown hair swayed gently in the cool breeze while the last golden leaves of autumn whirled past her.  “It would really suck if this railing broke,” she huffed, and a breath of chilled air escaped her mouth. Her raspy voice was nearly drowned by the crashing of the creek that flowed under us. It had rained a lot recently, so the water was higher than normal, and given the season it was likely icy cold. Her dark eyes shined against the skin that looked almost gold in this afternoon light, and oh how badly I wanted to kiss her dusty pink lips.