I woke up because of the relentless birds that had begun chirping their loud songs even before the sun had risen. It was still dark outside, but the sky was slowly turning a pale shade of blue.
I got out of bed, went through my morning routine, and caught myself thinking that I wanted to watch the sunrise by the lake. I had never managed to catch a sunrise in the city that would stay in my memory for long. In books, authors often mention mesmerizing sunrises and sunsets capable of reaching the deepest parts of the human soul and making one ponder the meaning of life for a long time. So I decided that at least once in my life, I wanted to feel that myself.
I got dressed, made myself a sandwich with sausage for breakfast, and took it with me along with some orange juice, planning to eat it there while thinking about those same authors who devoted entire pages to describing the sunrise.
On the way to the lake, I noticed how different the early dawn was from an ordinary morning. The air was filled with cold moisture that seeped into every part of my body, sending a barely noticeable but pleasant shiver through me. It felt as if the world consisted only of me, the birds, and the swaying trees. How I wished it could always be like this, I thought in that moment.
To reach the lake, I had to follow a narrow path winding through the nearby forest, and then, suddenly — I was there.
Right in front of the lake stood a bench, and slightly to the side of it, a lone, incredibly beautiful willow towered. A sudden, strange feeling overwhelmed me — was it awe, or was it loneliness?
"You look like you've been waiting for someone for a very long time… someone who will never come."
The words slipped out of my mouth before I even realized I had spoken them.
I approached the willow to sit down nearby, but then I saw something completely unexpected.
Under the willow, I found a girl. She looked about my age, maybe slightly older. The moment she noticed me, her eyes, colored like the deep sea, turned directly toward me. For about a minute, we studied each other, trying to figure out wether this was real or some trick of our imagination. Who in their right mind would wake up this early and even make the trek to a lake? Meeting someone at this hour seemed so unlikely that it felt as if the weeping willow itself had prayed for us.
"I didn't expect to meet anyone else this early in the morning," the girl broke the awkward pause and stared straight into my eyes.
I hesitated for a moment, just studying her. She had thin, jet-black hair that barely touched her shoulders, pale skin like that of a corpse, and a slender frame, but her facial features were soft and rounded. She looked unwell. Almost like a ghost that had risen from the grave and sat right in front of the lake. Her appearance was striking and different from everyone else only because of the contrast between her pale skin and incredibly dark hair.
"Are… you sick?"
It was the first thing that came to my mind when I saw her, and the words slipped out before I could second-guess myself.
Her expression shifted quickly from surprise at my blunt words to an explosive laugh.
"Did I say something stupid?"
"Haha, no, not at all. It's just… you're the first person to ask me that so directly. Usually, people just hint at it, afraid they might hurt me or something. Well, I guess it's noticeable."
I sat down beside her, taking in her profile.
"Yes. I've never seen anyone so pale before. It immediately makes me think that either you're sick, or… maybe a vampire?"
"Would you believe me if I said I was?"
"Probably not. But if you showed a few tricks only vampires could do, I'd seriously consider their existence."
She looked at me in surprise again and started laughing even harder.
"Unfortunately—or fortunately—I'm not a vampire at all. I was diagnosed with a terminal illness, so I spend the remainder of my life in this forgotten village, enjoying this lake early in the morning, so kids like you don't pester me with questions about vampires."
I stood there for a moment, observing her after her words, when I noticed a bowl of strawberries in front of her and a grapefruit soda in her hand. A rather unusual combination, I thought to myself.
I stood there for a moment, observing her after her words, when I noticed a bowl of strawberries in front of her and a grapefruit soda in her hand. A rather unusual combination, I thought to myself.
"So… you're gonna die soon?"
She shifted her gaze from me to the lake, lost in thought, and took a sip of her soda.
"Soon? I don't know. I know I will die, but I don't know exactly when. And I wouldn't want to. People somehow live with far worse, some even survive them. Who knows, maybe I'll live five, ten, or even fifty more years."
A small smile touched her lips, one that seemed to hold acceptance. But had she truly accepted her fate, or was she simply hoping for one more day? I couldn't tell.
"And what about you?"
"Me?"
"Yes, would you want to know when you're going to die?"
As she asked, her sea-colored eyes seemed to plunge into the depths of the ocean. I felt as if I were transported to the Nautilus, a place with no people and no land, just you, the endless ocean, and clouds covering the sky. They looked so empty.
"Probably not. Who would want to know that ?"
"Exactly. Well, who knows. Some people do. Definitely some.
"And how do you know that?"
She turned back to the lake and picked up a strawberry.
"Isn't it obvious? There are so many people in the world. Some are happy, some are sad, and some simply don't want to live. They are the ones who would probably want to know. To live in a world of intertwining red threads and never find the one that belongs to you, just floating along and dreaming that some truck would simply hit you. That's life for people whose eyes have turned into empty stones."
I looked at her, unsure how to respond. A wave of sadness hit me, but I couldn't fully understand her words. Are there really people in the world with nothing at all to strive for? But I said nothing. It seemed best to remain silent for now. What surprised me most, though, was how eagerly she devoured strawberries and sipped her grapefruit soda.
She noticed the grimace I made looking at her soda and strawberries.
"Hahaha. So… you think I'm strange, don't you?"
"Well… I don't know. But I do know that you're the first person I've ever seen eating strawberries with grapefruit soda."
"Hey, my strawberries with soda are just as good as your sandwich! Not everyone can appreciate it, that's all." She smirked, showing that only true connoisseurs could understand the charm of such a combination.
I looked at her with a doubtful smile. Then we simply ate in silence, waiting for the sunrise.