The Prince and The Shepherd

Scantila Flane

Clusters of clouds march gently carried by the southeast wind slicing the vast blue sheet of the sky.

A leafless tree stood motionless in the middle of the hot sandy dessert.Arid and dry .She was silent under the burnt sun heat .Rain and husky wind .Mute ...mute ..

In the he valley of the mountains lies a dark forest, save a thousand haunted and riddles tidbits of death. Life ahead . Move ahead .Scantila threw the blanket and hit a mosquito which still flying and buzzing around the room before it dead and left a drop of blood in her palm .

She stood for more than an hour waiting for a bus that can still be boarded here. This road is not too big or too crowded.

Lacking of busyness makes people have time to see and pay attention to other people. Well, a few guys saw her while they chatted and eating at the small taverns.

She thought," Maybe I'm too quiet and seem arrogant, don't try to approach them for fun or just go hanging out there ,it's a public place where anyone can come there freely "

Occasionally she could hear terms sarcasm from them. But she didn't react." Ah, just let them be, I'm not at a side of getting disadvantage from them anyway "

A bus stopped in front of her

unloaded some passengers and simultaneously new passengers squeezed in through the small door of the bus.

She walked normally and entered it the last. Arriving inside, as usual, there was already a full seat and many people just no choice ,standing.

Mostly school kids ...well they are the ones who make public transportation crowded especially at rush hour. She stood near a high school student. He offered her to sit in his seat ...very nice, he was really sweet. But before she said thank you and got the seat , an old woman came through and quickly sat in the chair.

Scantila smiled at the polite young man. She caught the glint of annoyance in his eyes." I'm used to standing " she said and he nodded, she didn't know what his nod meant but she could tell that his friends over there were throwing kinda mischievous smile at him .

She understood about

teenagers .

Was her destination same as the high school teenage students? Scantila wanted to ask but how can it be possible because the roar of the bus engine is too loud.

Apparently not. When she wanted to get off, they hadn't gotten off yet. They must get the next bus stop.

Before going down she had a chance to say goodbye at him .

The young man nodded a bit nervously and bowed his head. Then the bus sped up again, faster and faster, and she left the road after watching the bus which seemed getting smaller and smaller till it really disappeared from her sight.

Back home , she just had drink and didn't eat anything even she was hungry as she remembered her talk with Raven which turned to be a quarrel as he rejected her intention to work overseas." You cannot save anyone "

He gave a sarcastic look," It's like" you can't please everyone " what is your point ? "

" You can not always be present for me , neither can l "

Raven looked at her as if she lost her sanity, "We discuss this for the sake of our peace. Why do you even share your plan if you just show your stubbornness ?"

"Well say , I just offer you a perspective. None can take away my pain. You know my problem and ones have to face it alone , not always can get help from anyone else, even the closest one ...do your parents always able to give a help at the time you need help the most ? None ever . "

Raven recalled a thinker said ,"You cannot give answers that are right for them, or even answers they can digest right now. They will have to find their own answers. ~Jeff Foster " but he won't say it right now .lt would just make her felt right about herself.lnstead , he poured himself some water ,

"I met your boss today "

Her eyes met his . " Today ?what for ? Telling him not to select me ?"

A boyish look flashed a second in his face.He remembered how he knew her for the first time.

On the train, he sat down right next to her.Smilingly ,he didn't even think or saw her as a pretty girl . It's a way to get rid of kinda clumsiness.

" Hi, I am Raven"

Sitting next to him, she smiled back ,Looking up at him but not saying her name . Smile is a universal language.

" Old memories," his eyes were watery a bit ,she saw him hiding it briefly.

" I don’t judge, dear ,but it's clear, you really are stubborn ''

Hey smile dissapeared all of sudden,hearing him said so .She could not refrain her annoyance now .

"And you are extremely childish today "

Again she saw the little drops of tears in his eyes.A growing trauma of being left. They looked out over there,both hiding their innermost feelings.

He sighed proudly at last ,

" I’m harder than you think"

Yet she sat there , gazing at him respectfully when he was letting long moments in silence.Softly,she looked at his eyes ,

"Talk to me later , ok ? now l must go ..."

And all she could hear was his

kicking shoe on the bottom table.

He shrugged .

" Look ,what can l do to make you feel better? "

His face agleam.

A flame of anger danced in his eyes.Holding her hand ,he acted as a pleading slave to a princess ,

" As you see..My soul wept quietly"

He' s down on his knees, at the same moment she can't help herself to laugh quite loudly.

" Show me the world...to every corner of it "

He realized that no matter how hard he tried to prevent her leaving, in joking or serious mean , she will go after all ...

_____

The world is a small planet in the huge galaxy but the dwellers have been fighting usurping each other place by killing .

A boring tiresome place to stay . Too much for the Kings and too small for million of the Mass...strange ,what's the use of other planets other than being big and rotating unstoppably as round giants fire ?

The mass search for food and shelters, spending hours in a day , hoping for more and more .