Strange Sepia
Toby and The Looking Glass
Toby just stood there, as if paralysed in front of his mirror.
He stroked the length of his face, lead his bony fingers down a trail of perfection. He studied his hazel eyes, which glimmered in the light, and then his cheekbones, which jutted out of his pale, flawless skin.
Soon, he heard noises from along the corridor
"Come on, Toby! What the hell are you doing?"
His mother agonised, identifying the foggy stains of his fingerprints on the mirror.
"Nothing," he emitted;
"Just give me a second".
His mother tutted and shook her head
"Who do you think you are, bloody Narcissus?"
But Toby loved his own reflection, and it was not from vanity.
He dragged his self away from the looking glass, he felt a crunch underneath his feet. Cursing, he picked up a few broken pieces of glass and a peculiar photograph. It was very old, the edges were soft with creases and the hue had been bleached out by the sun. Nonetheless, Toby could make out two figures in the picture. They were both little girls; one aged around nine and the other a looked lot younger, perhaps three or four years old. They both sported white dresses and had the same wavy, golden blonde hair, which, because of the photograph's sepia tone, looked like spirals of honey cast about in the wind. They were walking, barefoot, on a dirt path through a gathering of bushes on a very sunny day, and in their eyes, they looked lost, but still wore a smile on the mouths. The two girls captivated Toby, and he didn't fathom why.
He made his way through the corridor and down the stairs, still holding the tattered photo in his hands. His mum peered over his shoulder,
"What's happened to that then?" she groaned
"I stepped on it." Toby muttered.
"What? That's your nan's, that is! What's it doing 'ere?" She raised her voice, as if Toby had purposefully stolen it to spite her.
"I don't know!"
He handed her the broken photograph and headed to the door for school.
"I gotta g,o or else I'm gonna be late. Just tell nan that I'm sorry."
*
Breaktime, Helen left her friends alone, and took her violin to the music room. It was a sublime sunny day, although it was a little too windy. She entered the music room, and all she could hear was a quiet strumming from behind one of the doors. She placed her case on a shelf, and quietly she pressed herself against a practice room door, to try and find the source of the strange music.
Not there, she thought, and went to the next one.
She opened the door and sure enough, there was Toby. He was sitting on the desk completely alone apart from his guitar, just singing to himself.
He didn't notice for a second or two, and then he looked up at Helen, who was smiling.
"Crap!" He cursed, shocked by her arrival. His cheeks flushed slightly, but in his brown eyes, he was smiling.
"Urm. Sorry about that..."
Helen pressed herself against the wall and grinned back. When she looked at him, she felt happy but couldn't help the nerves from creeping up on her.
"Don't worry about it. It was nice, actually"
Ashamed that she couldn't think of any better words to spit out, she too blushed a little, but Toby smiled warmly at her.
"Thanks, it's something I've been working on,"
He drew out a seat from under the desk.
"Come, sit down with me" He patted the chair and grinned up at her.
She did as she was told.
"So..." Toby started "Why are you in here?"
"Oh, just for violin" and suddenly Helen felt awkward and scared. Toby nodded, and simply gazed at her. She tried to avoid eye contact, and looked away instantaneously whenever she saw him looking at her. She bit her lip and looked down, crossing and uncrossing her legs. He chuckled at how timid she was.
She felt him move closer to her.
"Helen..."
She looked at Toby, but he had not said anything.
Very strange.
Then a sudden force took control of her body. She was unaware of what she was doing, but she reached out and pressed her lips against Toby's. Kisses were seldom between the pair, but she wanted more. He wasn't complaining. Helen wasn't complaining.
I definitely wasn't complaining. But then, I'm not the one to whinge...
He stroked the length of his face, lead his bony fingers down a trail of perfection. He studied his hazel eyes, which glimmered in the light, and then his cheekbones, which jutted out of his pale, flawless skin.
Soon, he heard noises from along the corridor
"Come on, Toby! What the hell are you doing?"
His mother agonised, identifying the foggy stains of his fingerprints on the mirror.
"Nothing," he emitted;
"Just give me a second".
His mother tutted and shook her head
"Who do you think you are, bloody Narcissus?"
But Toby loved his own reflection, and it was not from vanity.
He dragged his self away from the looking glass, he felt a crunch underneath his feet. Cursing, he picked up a few broken pieces of glass and a peculiar photograph. It was very old, the edges were soft with creases and the hue had been bleached out by the sun. Nonetheless, Toby could make out two figures in the picture. They were both little girls; one aged around nine and the other a looked lot younger, perhaps three or four years old. They both sported white dresses and had the same wavy, golden blonde hair, which, because of the photograph's sepia tone, looked like spirals of honey cast about in the wind. They were walking, barefoot, on a dirt path through a gathering of bushes on a very sunny day, and in their eyes, they looked lost, but still wore a smile on the mouths. The two girls captivated Toby, and he didn't fathom why.
He made his way through the corridor and down the stairs, still holding the tattered photo in his hands. His mum peered over his shoulder,
"What's happened to that then?" she groaned
"I stepped on it." Toby muttered.
"What? That's your nan's, that is! What's it doing 'ere?" She raised her voice, as if Toby had purposefully stolen it to spite her.
"I don't know!"
He handed her the broken photograph and headed to the door for school.
"I gotta g,o or else I'm gonna be late. Just tell nan that I'm sorry."
*
Breaktime, Helen left her friends alone, and took her violin to the music room. It was a sublime sunny day, although it was a little too windy. She entered the music room, and all she could hear was a quiet strumming from behind one of the doors. She placed her case on a shelf, and quietly she pressed herself against a practice room door, to try and find the source of the strange music.
Not there, she thought, and went to the next one.
She opened the door and sure enough, there was Toby. He was sitting on the desk completely alone apart from his guitar, just singing to himself.
He didn't notice for a second or two, and then he looked up at Helen, who was smiling.
"Crap!" He cursed, shocked by her arrival. His cheeks flushed slightly, but in his brown eyes, he was smiling.
"Urm. Sorry about that..."
Helen pressed herself against the wall and grinned back. When she looked at him, she felt happy but couldn't help the nerves from creeping up on her.
"Don't worry about it. It was nice, actually"
Ashamed that she couldn't think of any better words to spit out, she too blushed a little, but Toby smiled warmly at her.
"Thanks, it's something I've been working on,"
He drew out a seat from under the desk.
"Come, sit down with me" He patted the chair and grinned up at her.
She did as she was told.
"So..." Toby started "Why are you in here?"
"Oh, just for violin" and suddenly Helen felt awkward and scared. Toby nodded, and simply gazed at her. She tried to avoid eye contact, and looked away instantaneously whenever she saw him looking at her. She bit her lip and looked down, crossing and uncrossing her legs. He chuckled at how timid she was.
She felt him move closer to her.
"Helen..."
She looked at Toby, but he had not said anything.
Very strange.
Then a sudden force took control of her body. She was unaware of what she was doing, but she reached out and pressed her lips against Toby's. Kisses were seldom between the pair, but she wanted more. He wasn't complaining. Helen wasn't complaining.
I definitely wasn't complaining. But then, I'm not the one to whinge...