Genius
I Just Saw A Rainbow
"I don't believe in magic."
He flicked the tip of his cigarette upwards and the flying ash yanked my head to the ground. I watched it hungrily as if I expected it to burst into flame or feathers- or both.
"Me neither. 'S just tricks 'n' stuff..." He cocked his neck and flipped his lighter into his pocket. I was sure that was what he did, anyway. "So...you wanna see a trick?"
I shrugged, moving my body slightly to face him. "Depends..."
He shrugged right back at me. "Suit ya self. Ya'll check ya shoe eventually." I folded my arms and stared for as long as I dared, trying to feel the inside of my shoes with my feet. "Jus' take a look will ya," he laughed.
I looked in both, and found the lighter at toe of my left trainer. I clutched it in one hand, my shoes in the other.
"That's not magic," I said.
"What d'ya think magic is, then?"
"I dunno..." I scratched my head and looked the other way. And then I looked up to him. "Cheesy shit, I guess- like...love and...sunlight and shit. The everyday stuff. That's the closest thing we've got to magic."
"Shit.... magic, huh?" He was staring at the sky behind me, probably tripping. "It's a pretty bleak life bein' a Genius. I see that there rainbow over there, and y'know, I don't see pretty colours or a bleedin' light show. Nah, y'know wha' I see? I jus' see light, y'know. But it's all fucked up, like, y'got all these raindrops 'n' the light hits 'em and scatters. It's just scattered light."
I looked at the sky. I just saw a rainbow.
"And when I'm lookin' at it, like, righ' now, I can see lines, and graphs. S'all geometry, see? The sun is level with the tip of the circle..."
"You don't think it's pretty?" I asked. Perhaps I was mocking him now, but my feet were cold and wet.
"Define pretty..."
"I...well, you can't-" I paused. His eyebrow curled up. His eyebrow smirked cockily at me. I cleared my throat. "It's something nice to look at."
"You're nice to look at. Does that make ya pretty?"
"I'm a boy...I'm not pretty, I'm...well, I would be referred to as handsome, you know, if you liked to look at me." He was not embarrassed. I wondered if he understood what there was to be embarrassed about, or even embarrassment alone.
"Maybe I wanna find that rainbow there handsome..."
"You can't call a rainbow handsome."
"I don't see why not."
"It's not right."
"Right is an awfully definitive word, don't ya think?" I didn't answer and he raised his eyebrows at me before turning to look at the sky again. "I like handsome better than pretty. And...I quite like rainbows, I think." He seemed to fall to the ground. Whatever he did, it was certainly not graceful, but so quick I don't know how I made the assumption. He was now drawing in the air with his hand. He followed the arc of the rainbow, but came full circle when it disappeared.
"You live 'round here?" I asked, as I started to back away. It'd be...comforting to know he wasn't far from his home.
"Always have done. Never been nowhere else but round here." His voice popped with pleasantry.
"I've never seen you at school."
"They dunna want people like me in those places."
"Like you?"
"Geniuses." I laughed. His lips twisted humorously.
"You're a genius," I stated blankly
"I dunna read...nor write..." He shrugged. "S'all all right though. Leaves more room for the important stuff."
"What's the important stuff?"
"Magic."
I waited for his serious face to change, before deciding, "You're shitting me, aren't you?"
"Yeah," he sighed guiltily, struggling to his uncertain feet, leaning his lower back against the wall and bending his knees as he lit up another fag I didn't know he held, with the lighter I didn't realise I'd let go of. "But...shit's pretty magic, 'member?"
He flicked the tip of his cigarette upwards and the flying ash yanked my head to the ground. I watched it hungrily as if I expected it to burst into flame or feathers- or both.
"Me neither. 'S just tricks 'n' stuff..." He cocked his neck and flipped his lighter into his pocket. I was sure that was what he did, anyway. "So...you wanna see a trick?"
I shrugged, moving my body slightly to face him. "Depends..."
He shrugged right back at me. "Suit ya self. Ya'll check ya shoe eventually." I folded my arms and stared for as long as I dared, trying to feel the inside of my shoes with my feet. "Jus' take a look will ya," he laughed.
I looked in both, and found the lighter at toe of my left trainer. I clutched it in one hand, my shoes in the other.
"That's not magic," I said.
"What d'ya think magic is, then?"
"I dunno..." I scratched my head and looked the other way. And then I looked up to him. "Cheesy shit, I guess- like...love and...sunlight and shit. The everyday stuff. That's the closest thing we've got to magic."
"Shit.... magic, huh?" He was staring at the sky behind me, probably tripping. "It's a pretty bleak life bein' a Genius. I see that there rainbow over there, and y'know, I don't see pretty colours or a bleedin' light show. Nah, y'know wha' I see? I jus' see light, y'know. But it's all fucked up, like, y'got all these raindrops 'n' the light hits 'em and scatters. It's just scattered light."
I looked at the sky. I just saw a rainbow.
"And when I'm lookin' at it, like, righ' now, I can see lines, and graphs. S'all geometry, see? The sun is level with the tip of the circle..."
"You don't think it's pretty?" I asked. Perhaps I was mocking him now, but my feet were cold and wet.
"Define pretty..."
"I...well, you can't-" I paused. His eyebrow curled up. His eyebrow smirked cockily at me. I cleared my throat. "It's something nice to look at."
"You're nice to look at. Does that make ya pretty?"
"I'm a boy...I'm not pretty, I'm...well, I would be referred to as handsome, you know, if you liked to look at me." He was not embarrassed. I wondered if he understood what there was to be embarrassed about, or even embarrassment alone.
"Maybe I wanna find that rainbow there handsome..."
"You can't call a rainbow handsome."
"I don't see why not."
"It's not right."
"Right is an awfully definitive word, don't ya think?" I didn't answer and he raised his eyebrows at me before turning to look at the sky again. "I like handsome better than pretty. And...I quite like rainbows, I think." He seemed to fall to the ground. Whatever he did, it was certainly not graceful, but so quick I don't know how I made the assumption. He was now drawing in the air with his hand. He followed the arc of the rainbow, but came full circle when it disappeared.
"You live 'round here?" I asked, as I started to back away. It'd be...comforting to know he wasn't far from his home.
"Always have done. Never been nowhere else but round here." His voice popped with pleasantry.
"I've never seen you at school."
"They dunna want people like me in those places."
"Like you?"
"Geniuses." I laughed. His lips twisted humorously.
"You're a genius," I stated blankly
"I dunna read...nor write..." He shrugged. "S'all all right though. Leaves more room for the important stuff."
"What's the important stuff?"
"Magic."
I waited for his serious face to change, before deciding, "You're shitting me, aren't you?"
"Yeah," he sighed guiltily, struggling to his uncertain feet, leaning his lower back against the wall and bending his knees as he lit up another fag I didn't know he held, with the lighter I didn't realise I'd let go of. "But...shit's pretty magic, 'member?"