I Was Married to the Sun

"There is no real meaning, but that's the point of it; to see the beauty in the ordinary, the unexpected in the mundane. Think about it: I was married to the sun. There's nothing remarkable about it, it's only six words, just a sentence. But it makes you think - what if? I don't know how well that translates outside my head, but there you have it. All I wanted was to spark people's imaginations, get them to think outside the box for a change."

Amelie's face lit up as she spoke, filled with her earnestness to convey just exactly what she meant and, somewhat weirdly, Hazel understood. It didn't make sense, not in any conventional way, but that was the catch. It didn't have to for it to connect.

"Come on," Amelie had said, standing up as the tram came to a stop. "Let me show you how I see the city." With barely a pause for rational thought, Hazel had agreed.

Hazel could hear, word for word, the lecture she knew she'd get if her mother had any idea what she was doing, walking the streets with a person she'd only just met, yet Hazel couldn't bring herself to care. Amelie was just a completely different entity, her outlook on life entirely different to anything Hazel had ever encountered.

Their tour confined to the CBD, Hazel had discovered more in three hours with Amelie than she'd ever uncovered on her own. When you looked, truly looked, the city was full of wonders hidden in plain sight. Everything from the alley front restaurant where diners sat on empty milk crates to a sculpture of a reuniting family took on new light with Amelie at her side.

"Do you see now?" Amelie asked. "Nothing, nothing is as it seems. Someone cared enough to tell the world they'd heart Justin 4eva and that means there's always something more. Do you get it?"

"That there's a story in everything?" Hazel clarified. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I do."

Amelie beamed at her. "Brilliant, then I don't think there's anything else I can show you. Maybe I'll see you around some time. Thank you for choosing Amelie City Tours, we hope you enjoyed your trip."

Hazel laughed as the other girl took her leave, disappearing around a corner. A quick look up told her it was later than she expected, the first stars already visible in the sky. Tucking her hands into her coat pockets, Hazel let her feet take her where they will as she focused on processing everything she'd experienced that day.

The bell over the door jingled as Hazel returned to the coffee shop she'd neglected for far too long. Donnie was behind the counter as usual, and he looked up as the girl entered.

"Hazelbee!" He called, reaching automatically for a fresh mug. "We thought we'd lost you. What have you been doing with yourself?" he asked.

Hazel felt her lips pull up in a smile as she answered Donnie's question the only way she knew how, repeating Amelie's line but adding her own twist to the end. "I was married to the sun in a city lost by time."