Flourish

Bambi prefers fairy tales to real life because in fairy tales you can tell who is good and bad, from the first page there is a clear villain and hero, Bambi hates that in real life you can’t tell, peoples evil and true intentions aren’t as easily spotted. Evil people can hide in the form of an ordinary person, they aren’t green like witches or ugly like ogres, most times they are pretty and normal, they look like anyone else and that scares Bambi, how can she trust anyone when the most seemingly normal person in her life turned out to be pure evil?

Bambi has never had a boyfriend, never really been interested in boys her uncle took that luxury away from her, Bambi has spent her teenage life scared someone will realize she is not just strange but broken. Bambi feels like a fish out of water as she tries to understand her new feelings, she is not sure why her heart beats faster around her new teacher or why she gets tongue tied when she glances at his face but she does, she feels herself desperate for the familiar again but not knowing how to achieve it, like a fish out of water she waits hopelessly and flounders pointlessly.

Ryan loves the fantastical nature of fairy tales but like all grownups he has stopped believing because he has grown up and his childhood innocence has been replaced by skepticism and doubt. Ryan likes fairy tales and mythical creatures but he does not believe they exist; he stopped believing when he was seven and his mother jumped from the tallest bridge in their town. Ryan no longer believes and he is intrigued by Bambi’s obvious belief in the fictional.

Ryan walks into his classroom fifteen minutes early to see Bambi, she is sitting there only she has no book she is just staring out the window, Ryan stares out the same window but unlike Bambi he does not see the magic in the leaves hitting the ground, he does not see how the wind makes the trees rustle and he definitely does not see the little dancing creatures on the ground, Bambi does and she smiles as they dance leaves falling beside them, how Bambi wishes she were one of those dancing creatures, so pure and happy and free. She doesn’t even realize that Ryan is standing at his desk squinting out the window until he speaks, “No book?”

“I’m having trouble deciding” Bambi says still staring out the window, “Last year my mother bought me a big book of Russian fairy tales so that,” Ryan nods, “Or reading the Great Gatsby”

“They are very different choices”

“I’m stuck” She mutters, Ryan smiles as she glances over her shoulder at him her brows raised in thought,

“I could bring you a book” Ryan says quietly, his apartment is filled with classic literature, “I could lend you one of my favorite books”

“Really?” Bambi asks, sharing books is such a huge thing to Bambi, she does not like to discuss the books she reads because the words become a part of her and it is such a personal experience to share that with someone, “What is it?”

“Dracula”

“I haven’t read that” Bambi does not want to admit why, Bambi is scared of the blood sucking person,

“I’ll bring it for you tomorrow” Bambi wants to refuse but she can’t so instead she mutters quietly,

“What if I get scared?” Bambi looks so sincere with concern clouding her pretty face, Ryan frowns as he realizes she is being genuine,

“Why would you get scared it’s not real?” Bambi stares at her teacher, and sees the confusion in his eyes, it saddens her

“What do you see when you look out the window?” She asks

“A tree” Bambi is saddened by his answer, it almost breaks her heart, Bambi wants to know why Ryan has stopped seeing beauty in simple things, why he looks outside and sees nothing but a tree when his imagination is endless, she wonders when he lost his imagination and if it will ever return.

“I want to lend you a book” Bambi says with a small smile, “I’ll bring it tomorrow and maybe after you read it when you look outside you’ll see more than a tree” Ryan frowns at Bambi but agrees.