Astronaut.
you know its gonna haunt me
A sliver of sunlight peeked in under the hat to warm her eyelids. Her giggles vibrated with the rough road they drove on. She didn’t know where this adventure was, but it was going to be great. Any time she donated to Noah’s watch always turned out to be more fun than her wildest dreams and drawings. She had learned early on in her life around him that he was much more interesting than her sister’s husband. Heck, he gave her cake for dinner! If that wasn’t good, she had no idea what was. Not to mention he looked like aking! Jupiter had been talking about a prince, but he was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, much more than a prince. In her dreams, Noah married Jupiter and they became king and queen, and Lora Joan would be a real princess.
When they rolled to a stop, she tried to push up the huge brim of the hat on her head. It was bigger than her whole body! Noah was crazy giving this to her. She pushed it off and turned her head to find that he was at her door, preparing to open it and free her from her restricting seatbelt.
“Where are we?” she asked as she hopped out of his truck. She saw the yellow and green grass beneath her shoes and her jaw dropped. “It’s half dead!”
Noah chuckled and took her tiny hand in his. His knuckles were awkward in his youth. She liked the way they felt on her fingers. It was like she was touching a tree without its clothes on. She sighed happily and looked up in wonder as they neared a large and very colorful tent. People were coming in from the rest of the world, it seemed, just so they could come to this show. The strips of the tent were bright red and yellow, alternating in a dizzy pattern to excite its visitors.
They approached the big, open flaps. She giggled and hugged Noah’s hand. Was that apony!? She squealed excitedly and darted through the people to see the pretty animal. When she was standing before it, she stopped. She didn’t want to look like a snake to the poor thing. She reached a hand up and let it sniff her, making a giggle erupt from her dry lips.
The young man standing beside the tiny horse tightened his grip on its reins. Lora Joan wished he would set it free. Then she could ride it to a land very far away where she could live forever and be a princess.
Noah took her hand and led her inside where all the other people went. For a few minutes, he held her on his hip as he searched for a seat or two. He might have to sit her on his lap so she could see.
Once the show began, the chatter around them grew hushed. In the center of this enormous audience was a ring around what looked to be a stage. There, a ballerina tigress danced and twirled, her red stripes blending into her hair and making her fierce. Lora Joan’s eyes followed her every movement in wonder, and soon she was in a daze. The ballerina’s droopy pink tutu looked like a wilting tulip.
Her eyelids fell, and her head landed on Noah’s shoulder.
When she opened her beautiful blue eyes again, she was met with billions of stares. Her hands tightened instinctively on Noah’s shirt when she realized she was in the center ring. She looked around, frightened, and called for her sister. A booming laughter burst from the man standing beside them. He looked like someone from her nightmares. Cowering into Noah’s embrace, she stared as the man came closer and glared at her face. Was she ugly to him? She felt a comforting hand in her hair, but she was still afraid.
“Little girl,” the man whispered. “Are you… sick?”
She glanced around the crowded tent and gave a weak nod.
“OH NO!” he wailed, and all the clowns that had been hiding in the shadows burst forth and started screaming all at once, “Germs! Germs!” over and over as they scrambled from the ring.
Lora Joan cried out and buried her face into Noah’s neck. Big, fat tears collected in her eyes and spilled down her tiny, blushing cheeks. She heard her king saying something to the other man in her defense, and then she was being whisked away from this awful place.
Noah opened the back of his truck and made a comfortable lap for her to curl up in. He stroked her hair and asked what was wrong.
The girl’s pouting lip protruded and showed its hidden pink flesh. “I hate being sick.”
“Oh honey. Why do you hate it?” He held her close and rubbed his thumb along the curve of her small arm.
“I’m scared of dying. I don’t want to leave.” Her angel-like voice was heavy with sadness.
Sighing, he touched her chin. She looked up at him with large eyes. “Lora Joan, dying is part of life. If you don’t die someday, then you were never alive.”
A frown pulled her lips down. “Jupiter told me that you said you would stay and make me better.” Her fingers were playing with each other like sleepy puppies. “Will you?”
“I can’t stay forever.” She lifted her gaze to him again, and he smiled. “I’m going to die someday, too.” His fingers brushed aside a strand of her curly hair. “I promise you’ll understand.”
She shook her head in defiance. “I don’t want to. I hate dying. It’s not fair.”
“I’m going to die, and so is Jupiter.”
A gasp escaped her. “Nuh uh! You’re lying!”
He shook his head solemnly. “But I promise that she’ll always love you.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder, thinking silently to herself. “Are you afraid she’ll die?”
Noah turned his eyes to her and saw that she her chin was tucked, her eyes hidden by a wave of her hair. She was fidgeting over her stomach, like a squirrel trying to warm its paws in the winter. He smiled and pulled her hair behind her ear. “I have no reason to be afraid.”
“Why?”
“Because,” he said, pulling her closer to his chest, “the people you love are always in your heart. Even if you can’t make memories with them anymore, they are with you in spirit.”
Her tiny brow furrowed and she looked at him. “What’s a spirit?”
“Spirits are what make us human.” He drew a flower on her knee. “It’s your feelings that stay behind when you’re gone. The people who miss you are made happy, remembering you.”
She took this in, biting at her bottom lip as she looked out to the darkness that was the woods. The sun must have fallen asleep while they were inside that stupid tent. She yawned a little and closed her eyes. A minute later, Noah nudged her. She lifted her head again and looked, and her breath was gone.
Little glowing lights were floating around them. The fireflies drifted lazily through the air, diving at the grass and picking at the leaves.
“I don’t want to die,” she said quietly.
Noah wrapped both his arms around her and kissed her temple. “It’s okay to love life. Life is great, and it shouldn’t be taken for granted.”
She nodded knowingly and leaned forward, her hand outstretched to touch a burning bug that came close. “Jupiter doesn’t want me to die, either.”
The image of this little girl’s sister, teary-eyed and desperate, flashed into his mind. He took Lora Joan’s hand and held it tightly to her heart, looking deep into her eyes. “I don’t want you to die.”
Her chin wrinkled and droplets glazed her eyes, growing on her eyelashes.
He smiled and touched her cheek. “Nobody wants you to die, Lora Joan.”
When they rolled to a stop, she tried to push up the huge brim of the hat on her head. It was bigger than her whole body! Noah was crazy giving this to her. She pushed it off and turned her head to find that he was at her door, preparing to open it and free her from her restricting seatbelt.
“Where are we?” she asked as she hopped out of his truck. She saw the yellow and green grass beneath her shoes and her jaw dropped. “It’s half dead!”
Noah chuckled and took her tiny hand in his. His knuckles were awkward in his youth. She liked the way they felt on her fingers. It was like she was touching a tree without its clothes on. She sighed happily and looked up in wonder as they neared a large and very colorful tent. People were coming in from the rest of the world, it seemed, just so they could come to this show. The strips of the tent were bright red and yellow, alternating in a dizzy pattern to excite its visitors.
They approached the big, open flaps. She giggled and hugged Noah’s hand. Was that apony!? She squealed excitedly and darted through the people to see the pretty animal. When she was standing before it, she stopped. She didn’t want to look like a snake to the poor thing. She reached a hand up and let it sniff her, making a giggle erupt from her dry lips.
The young man standing beside the tiny horse tightened his grip on its reins. Lora Joan wished he would set it free. Then she could ride it to a land very far away where she could live forever and be a princess.
Noah took her hand and led her inside where all the other people went. For a few minutes, he held her on his hip as he searched for a seat or two. He might have to sit her on his lap so she could see.
Once the show began, the chatter around them grew hushed. In the center of this enormous audience was a ring around what looked to be a stage. There, a ballerina tigress danced and twirled, her red stripes blending into her hair and making her fierce. Lora Joan’s eyes followed her every movement in wonder, and soon she was in a daze. The ballerina’s droopy pink tutu looked like a wilting tulip.
Her eyelids fell, and her head landed on Noah’s shoulder.
When she opened her beautiful blue eyes again, she was met with billions of stares. Her hands tightened instinctively on Noah’s shirt when she realized she was in the center ring. She looked around, frightened, and called for her sister. A booming laughter burst from the man standing beside them. He looked like someone from her nightmares. Cowering into Noah’s embrace, she stared as the man came closer and glared at her face. Was she ugly to him? She felt a comforting hand in her hair, but she was still afraid.
“Little girl,” the man whispered. “Are you… sick?”
She glanced around the crowded tent and gave a weak nod.
“OH NO!” he wailed, and all the clowns that had been hiding in the shadows burst forth and started screaming all at once, “Germs! Germs!” over and over as they scrambled from the ring.
Lora Joan cried out and buried her face into Noah’s neck. Big, fat tears collected in her eyes and spilled down her tiny, blushing cheeks. She heard her king saying something to the other man in her defense, and then she was being whisked away from this awful place.
Noah opened the back of his truck and made a comfortable lap for her to curl up in. He stroked her hair and asked what was wrong.
The girl’s pouting lip protruded and showed its hidden pink flesh. “I hate being sick.”
“Oh honey. Why do you hate it?” He held her close and rubbed his thumb along the curve of her small arm.
“I’m scared of dying. I don’t want to leave.” Her angel-like voice was heavy with sadness.
Sighing, he touched her chin. She looked up at him with large eyes. “Lora Joan, dying is part of life. If you don’t die someday, then you were never alive.”
A frown pulled her lips down. “Jupiter told me that you said you would stay and make me better.” Her fingers were playing with each other like sleepy puppies. “Will you?”
“I can’t stay forever.” She lifted her gaze to him again, and he smiled. “I’m going to die someday, too.” His fingers brushed aside a strand of her curly hair. “I promise you’ll understand.”
She shook her head in defiance. “I don’t want to. I hate dying. It’s not fair.”
“I’m going to die, and so is Jupiter.”
A gasp escaped her. “Nuh uh! You’re lying!”
He shook his head solemnly. “But I promise that she’ll always love you.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder, thinking silently to herself. “Are you afraid she’ll die?”
Noah turned his eyes to her and saw that she her chin was tucked, her eyes hidden by a wave of her hair. She was fidgeting over her stomach, like a squirrel trying to warm its paws in the winter. He smiled and pulled her hair behind her ear. “I have no reason to be afraid.”
“Why?”
“Because,” he said, pulling her closer to his chest, “the people you love are always in your heart. Even if you can’t make memories with them anymore, they are with you in spirit.”
Her tiny brow furrowed and she looked at him. “What’s a spirit?”
“Spirits are what make us human.” He drew a flower on her knee. “It’s your feelings that stay behind when you’re gone. The people who miss you are made happy, remembering you.”
She took this in, biting at her bottom lip as she looked out to the darkness that was the woods. The sun must have fallen asleep while they were inside that stupid tent. She yawned a little and closed her eyes. A minute later, Noah nudged her. She lifted her head again and looked, and her breath was gone.
Little glowing lights were floating around them. The fireflies drifted lazily through the air, diving at the grass and picking at the leaves.
“I don’t want to die,” she said quietly.
Noah wrapped both his arms around her and kissed her temple. “It’s okay to love life. Life is great, and it shouldn’t be taken for granted.”
She nodded knowingly and leaned forward, her hand outstretched to touch a burning bug that came close. “Jupiter doesn’t want me to die, either.”
The image of this little girl’s sister, teary-eyed and desperate, flashed into his mind. He took Lora Joan’s hand and held it tightly to her heart, looking deep into her eyes. “I don’t want you to die.”
Her chin wrinkled and droplets glazed her eyes, growing on her eyelashes.
He smiled and touched her cheek. “Nobody wants you to die, Lora Joan.”
♠ ♠ ♠
These past three were done by my friend Kat. I'm sorry it took so long to put them on. xD
Do you like Lora Joan? I do. She is so sweet.
Comment!