The Smiler

It was a cold morning, but stubborn sunlight shone through dusty blinds on condensated windows. Their crystallised effect shimmered on decaying leaves of a dehydrated indoor plant. By chance, I caught his reflection in the mirror. His pale face was a palette of charcoal circles and pigments of black mixed with beige. I had never seen his eyes so lost, but I recognised his smile peering over an untidy 'George Clooney' stubble. He was staring at two doves sitting on mossy branches of an Autumn tree. Maybe he related to its vulnerability or the empty nests, left behind by departing birds. dewdrops on moss stains - damp feathers softly floating away from bare branch I was always too afraid to ask questions, so I turned on the radio to break the silence and 'Purple Rain' began to play with 'I never meant to cause you any sorrow, never meant to cause you any pain.' The lyrics of the song seemed to connect, as he mumbled the chorus, "Purple Rain.... Purple Rain," but then paused, as the lyrics became complicated. His voice was like an eerie echo in a misty valley. He exhaled a deep sigh, like he was relating to the song and with a heavy heart sat down staring at the grey walls of his room. 'Fast Car' by Tracy Chapman began to play to his distaste. He started to switch through the channels, until he heard 'November Rain.' In a tired tone he repeated the line, " Everybody needs some time alone...." A tear slowly rolled down his cheek, he wiped it away quickly, so that no one would notice. I sang the next lines, "I know it's hard to keep an open heart, when even friends seem out to harm you, but if you could heal a broken heart, wouldn't time be out to charm you? There was no response. I was always good at reaching out to people, but struggled with him. As the song came to an end, I could hear several monotonous sighs, until he got up, turned off the radio and walked out of the room... Dragging me with him, as he put on his smile. emotions like stars fade from black to red to blue - changing like the sky