Resplendent

A Story by JAM

A dream I had of someone while camping, scribbled in a water damaged notebook.

I dreamed that we danced,

You wore a white and blue dress

And were resplendent.

The night had wrapped around us. The honeyed glow of the halogen orbs strung up in the branches of the trees around us the only things holding Nyx at bay. Your raven’s down hair was done up in a neat little bun that clung closely to your scalp. It caught the glow of the lights like a halo emanating from your crown. Your onyx eyes caught the same glint, and shone like pools of gold as they flickered between mine to the ground between us. You wore a dress as white as porcelain. Blue flowers dotted across the silky fabric from the top to the bottom. It swooped down to the top of your knees, and fluttered as a soft breeze snuck by and twirled the dried pine needles in the red dust at our feet. The blush burning in my cheeks seemed to be echoed in your own every time you cast your glance my ways.

“I’ve never done this before.” You admit.

“It’s easy.” I lie, “Just follow my lead.”

You nod and close the half step distance between us.

“What do I do?” You ask.

“Give me your hand,” I say as I extend my right.

You took it, and I lead your right hand to my shoulder, and put my left hand on your hip. The blush was a veritable fire in my cheeks as we locked eyes for a blessedly brief second. I wasn’t sure if I could stop myself from being swept away otherwise. I swallowed the panic that formed a lump in my throat; my voice breaking as I speak and hoping that the small tremors in my hand aren’t noticeable.

“All waltzes have the same beat. 3/4’s. One, two, three,” I say, putting an emphasis on the first beat “We move on every beat, understand?”

You nod, and smile. Your eyes fluttering between my face and the ground in between us, as if you’re half expecting it to fall away at some point.

“Alright, let’s start.” I say, as I feign confidence.

“One,” I pull us a step backwards. The heels of your black slippers stop on my toes.

“Sorry.” You whisper.

But I pay it no mind. Getting this right was the only thing plaguing me at the moment. The pain was inconsequential compared to it.

“Two,” I slide us to the side.

Your feet find their way to the dust covered forest floor this time, and your eyes finally leave the ground and stare into mine. I feel my legs go weak.

“Three,” we move backwards, near our original starting place. “And that’s a basic waltz. See? easy.”

“Easy!”

You bare the most radiant smile I had ever seen. Like a torch burning in the night.

“Let’s go again.” I say, and you nod.

“One.”

We step backwards, our hands interlocked. Your eyes only briefly leave mine and travel to the ground to watch your feet.

“Two.”

A quick slide to the right.

“Three.” You say cheerfully as you pull me back with you to the beginning.

“We can also do things like this.”

I say as I once more begin the count.

“One.”

We once again move backwards. This time, however, I add in a little half spin that comes to a stop as we do.

“Two.” Another half-spin as we slide to the side.

“Three!” Once again you complete the cycle, spinning us as we return about where we started. “Can we try with music?” You ask.

Your eyes were as the stars, hidden behind the needled canopy. A deep, bottomless, pool of water reflecting the night sky. I found myself lost in their depths

“I don’t have any ready.” I say, trying to contain the panic suddenly bubbling to the surface like a spring underneath a still pool.

“Then sing it.” You say.

I laugh, and begin to hum a rough Blue Danube, and pull us back in a spin. You laugh and join me in my humming. Harmonizing with my missed notes and adding new bars where there were none. The singing nightingales, and screaming owls joined us in our song.

We spin as we dance like two falling sycamore seeds. Like two dust devils through the dried summertime woods. Like two currents in the same river colliding. Losing ourselves in the night. In the song. The scent of pine tar staining our clothes, and sticking in our hair. We lose ourselves in the spinning. Lose ourselves in one another as we spun. We spun with the cycle of the stars. Our twirls were the earth's movements. The movements of every galaxy within the cosmic sphere. Everything spinning with us. Everything revolving and moving for you.

And you were resplendent.