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A Story by Christina

This is based on a daydream I had while listening to a track off one of my favorite films (Synecdoche, New York) called "Little People."

I could feel his warm presence behind me as I trotted away. I came to a maple tree in the yard with yellow and green leaves wilted in the sweltering sunlight, turned on my heel, and leaned against its trunk, clasping my hands over the small of my back. I did my best to appear confident, but absent-mindedly bounced nervously on the balls of my feet, ignoring the pain of the bark pressing against the backs of my bony fingers. “Have you figured out what you want with me?”
He stopped and stood directly in front of me smirking. I noticed that, like me, he too had his hands clasped at the small of his back, but displayed the genuine confidence I wish I had. He declared matter-of-factly, "I’ve decided that I want to know you. Your every thought, your every feeling, every memory, and every moment.”
“Why?”
“Because I think I can understand you.”
I averted my eyes and stared at a spot of grass near my feet, toes slightly angled toward each other, and as usual I had no plans to respond. He waited for a moment before slightly bending over to eye-level and asked, “What are you thinking?”
After a moment’s hesitation I turned my gaze back to his curious eyes and boldly stated, “I’m thinking that I’m afraid. No one has ever known me or ever wanted to.”
He huffed in amusement, and speaking as if we shared the same soul, said, "But you’re relieved, because finally someone wants to.”