Illuminate (Shed Light On)

Through anger, pain, rough times and good times, shine some light on things to see more.

I sat, silently.
The quaint courtyard was peaceful; soft glowing rays of light peered through the single oak tree's numerous leaves and the small stream of water rolled gently along the wooden planks of the pathway, gurgling at each bend and turn. Charming blue orchids swayed in the small breeze and the sound of small finches could be heard overhead, chirping daintily.

I screamed.
I belted out everything I had, my voice curdling on itself. All other sound evaporated from my mind as it was filled with an eerie reverberation. My vision fogged and blackened, tears burst from my constricted eyelids and my skin stretched and tightened in recoil. Pain replaced air in my lungs, and I was shaking violently-

“Hey.”
I gasp, the first air I inhaled in a long while, and open my eyes. Darkness is all I see. Did I even open my eyes?
“What are you doing?”
A flicker and a light bulb burns on. My eyes cringe at the brightness but in a matter of seconds adjust, due to its faint glow. The source is from a lamp.
Not some luxurious, towering, modern floor light or an artistic, mosaic box lantern, but a frumpy, patched, old grey shelf lamp. It's monochrome painted neck was peeling, it's shade was worn into the metal frame at it's corners, and it was missing a leg at the base to put the whole thing off kilter. I tried to close my eyes again.
“Hey!”
“What?!” I shout back to nothing in particular, not visibly seeing anything other than the stupid lamp.
“What are you doing?” The lamp flickers gently.
I stare back with a disgusted look written across my face for a few long moments before the damn thing flickers again, “I asked what are you doing?”
“I'm...screaming, alright? So, just....leave me to it!” I spit as confusion is muddled with pure annoyance.
“Yeah-huh, I can hear that. But what for?”
“Because...I'm angry...” I grit through my teeth, desperately wanting this moment to end.
“Angry 'bout what?”

I exploded, “I-...I don't know. Everything! Anything!! I hate the way my coffee spilled over this morning, my shoes came untied and I tripped, my elbow slid off the corner of the table at work. It frickin' hurt! I hate how I walked outside and the wind messed up my hair, how my nail got caught on my shirt twice, how my car hit a pothole in the road. I hate how I took a joke too seriously today, how someone was being a pretentious snob, how I failed at meeting a person's expectations. How I lost my keys...again....how......how....everything happens.”
“It's ok.”
“Ok?! It's not ok!! Why the hell would it be ok?! Why am I listening to some run-down piece of crap! Like you would even know!” I fumed.
“Hey, let me tell you something, kid,” the lamp sharply flared brightly, “you think you're the only one out there who has their off-days? Yeah, I've had my fair share of falls, bumps, knocked-overs. I've also been torn from the wall, tossed on the ground. I've shattered, bent, and snapped at moments. I've changed my shaded image countless times to fit people's preferences, I've had my innards rewired and stitched up repeatedly. When my energy starts to drain, they shove a new battery into me and stick me into an even higher voltage socket.
But I never stop shedding light. Allowing others to see, whether they can see everything around them or barely anything in front of their face! It's still an illumination that allows them to see. And that is what makes me, me. And that, is ok.”
I sniffed as I looked around us; me and this strange little lamp. Shadows surrounded us and I strained to see anything beyond. My body began to relax, the anger subsiding, like drying off after a hot shower. I looked to the lamp that now shifted to the other side of it's tilt, “So what do I do now?”
“Heheh, kid, all ya gotta do is listen.” The lamp suddenly blinked off.

I opened my eyes drearily to the the sunshine. The courtyard was back to its graceful calm, and as I wiped the dried tears from my face, I began to listen. I heard the birds chirping back and forth melodically, the rushing stream floating down the walkway, the wind passing by through the flowerbed. And I heard a soft whimper.
I slowly stood up and paced around the tree to see a young boy leaning down, sobbing harshly into his hands.
I knelt down, and gathering my voice I spoke.
“Hey.”
“What?!” he hissed as he looked over to me, eyes puffed swollen with tears but dark and clouded.
“What are you doing?” I ask softly.
“I'm crying! What do you care?!”
“Want to talk about it?”  

Author's Note

We are all just a bunch of lamps. It's weird and not fully thought out, but maybe you'll get something out of it. I lacked lots of energy with descriptive writing, but I think certain points are there. Again, this was a speed run in one night. So just winging it for now. Thanks for reading!