literature

Stars Amidst the Tears

Deviation Actions

Published: Feb 27, 2013

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Literature Text

Stars Amidst the Tears

I saw her that day, in the overcrowded orphanage, sitting by herself in a corner. Her head hung low as she hid herself as best she could underneath an old, tattered cloak. She made no indication of noticing me as I slowly made my way toward her from across the room, but I could sense her small heart begin to race. Looking back, I realized how threatening I must have appeared; fully dressed in my gear and my rifle in my hand. I told her that everything was going to be alright as I a sat down beside her. She said nothing. I lifted my hand to reassure her. She quickly scooted away. I heard the sound of bells as I looked down at her. In her haste, she mistakenly moved her cloak and I was able to catch a glimpse of the edge of her tail before she could realize it. When she saw she quickly hid it away. I reached out to her a second time. She didn't have any more room to move away. She grew tense as my fingers slowly wrapped around the front of her hood. Gently I pulled it back and two large, fluffy ears sprung out from underneath. I lay my hand on her head and carefully began to stroke her long, carnation-colored hair. She shivered.

"I know what you're going through." I told her as I lifted my hand and reached for the straps of my helmet. She looked up at me. I could see the pain and mistrust in her eyes. My eyes used to look like that.

Slowly I lifted my helmet, letting my long, azure hair flow free. She didn't notice it. All she saw; or what I guess she saw; was my own pair of triangular ears. Without asking, she lifted her hands to touch them. Without having to be asked, I lowered my head to her hands. She pulled at them; hard. They were sore from being hidden under my helmet. I hid my discomfort from her.

"Where do you get them?" She ask. She had a European accent, which made since. We were in South Africa.

"I don't know," I told her, "They were just there one day."

She didn't seem to like my answer. She pulled even harder. This time I didn't hide my pain. I grunted and she let go. As I rubbed my ears, I told her that I was once an orphan too. She asked me why and I told her. I was an experiment that wasn't needed anymore and was supposed to be thrown away. I told her what I was told about the woman who saved me. About how the woman ended up dying to save me. She seemed to understand my story. She made a sad face for me and I laid my hand on her head again. She didn't grow tense this time.

I asked her about herself and she told me what little she could remember. About how she came from a different place and about a really deep well that wasn't really a well at all. She told me about being warned not to play near the well but she did anyways because she liked how it glowed. She told me how she accidentally fell into the well and fell asleep. to a different place and how she got a lot of attention because of he ears and her tails. She told me about the men with the triangles; which really weren't triangles but they looked like triangles so that's what she called them; and how they took her somewhere and hid her. Then she told me about one of the Triangle men who wasn't like the others and how he took her away from them and brought her to another place, which reminded her of the place we were at the time. She told me about how the man was shot while he was trying to sell her to some men, except she didn't know exactly what she was describing. I did. I knew about the Triangles too but she didn't need to know about them so I didn't tell her.

She told me about how she ran away because she was afraid and how she was found by an old woman who had different colored skin than she did. About how the woman told her to keep her ears and tails hidden because people in this new place didn't have either and that they would try to hurt her because of them. About how the old woman gave her a cloak and told her to wear it all the time and how the old woman gave her food and let her sleep in her bed with her. She told me she liked living with the old woman.

Then she told me about the day when scary men came to the old woman's house and how they shot the old woman and tried to take her away with them. She told me how she ran away from the men and hid in the tall grass. She mentioned that there were a lot of bugs in the grass that bit and stung her and that she didn't like bugs. I told her that I didn't like bugs either. That made her smile.

It was my turn for watch. I took her to the roof with me. We talked more and she told me about how she was found by more old women when she came out of the grass. She told me how they were happy to see her and that they took her away from that place because it had caught fire and that nobody lived there anymore.

She told me about how the women brought her to the orphanage and how she was the only person there who had different colored skin and how the other children didn't like her because of it. She told me about when the other children first saw her ears and tails and how they pushed her down and hurt her. How they would stomp on her tails and pull her ears and how they wouldn't stop even when she cried. She told me that they still did it except when the old women were around because they didn't get fed if they weren't my kind to each other.

I didn't like her story. I knew about all the things she talked about, except the well. I knew about the revolution and about the murders. I knew about how they were killing entire villages except for the children because they were going to make them fight in their war. I didn't tell her these things.

I asked her if she knew where her parents were. She didn't. I already knew the answer before I asked.

We talked more and I told her about how I lived in a different place and how there weren't any scary men that would try to take her and how there were no mean children because I didn't have any other children at my house. I told her about my wife, who was like us but different and how she would love to meet her.

I asked her if she would like to come live with me and my wife in that place. I told her that, because of something important I had done in the past, someone very important owed me a big favor and that I could use that favor to take her with me. I told her that, if she came with me, that she wouldn't have to be afraid of being hurt because I would protect her and that I had come to care for her, even though we had only just met. I told her how I always wanted a child but that I couldn't have one because my wife couldn't make babies and that I considered it a miracle that we met like this.

She was afraid at first. I could see that as I looked down at her. I told her to take her time and make up her own mind about it and that I would be at the orphanage for a few more days before I had to leave. She left me to be alone that day but I found her again after my watch was over. The other children had just set upon her when I walked up. They looked at me when I picked her up and put her on my back. I took off my helmet again and they stared at my ears. I glared down at them and they ran. We kept each other company for the rest of the time after that. I enjoyed that.

Men came to take the children. We stopped them. They came again with more numbers. We stopped them again. They killed the oldest woman and scared the other two away. We stayed and protected the children. The men attacked once again, viciously. We stopped them that time too. They almost took her. I took her back. They shot me but I got her back.

Our men arrived on the fourth day. I was hurt but she was with me so I didn't let it show. They were putting all the children onto another helicopter to take them to a different orphanage. They would be safe there.

I knelt down and asked her again to come live with me. She said yes and embraced me. I did my best to hug her back. We got onto my helicopter and, as I strapped her in, I told her that I would always be there to keep her safe. She cried. She cried but wasn't sad. I sat down next to her and strapped myself in. I laid my hand on her head and looked down at her. She looked up at me. As we left the orphanage, the sun shown in through the windows of the chopper. Her eyes were as big as I had ever seen them. And, in them, I could see stars amidst the tears.

The short version of how Zerro met Kaciana.

Zerro - [link]

Kaciana - [link]

First time writing and posting in a while, so bear with me. I was inspired after I won Kaciana in an auction held by . My main model for this composition were the short works of Ernest Hemmingway. The way he'd write short, declarative sentences that stuck to the point appealed to me from the moment when I first read his works.

Unlike most RPers that I've seen out there, I prefer to keep and continue the story of my OCs, even when I leave the group they were created for. Zerro is an example of that. For those who don't know, this story takes place after the events I experienced in (which is still very much active and accepting new applications everyday. I'd suggest checking it out). I'm writing filler pieces in slowly but surely. I hinted at my OC's relationship with 's OC, Kri ([link]), but I didn't get his permission to actually use her so I couldn't add her into the writing process. Maybe next time.

*Artist recognition:*

Zerro ([link]) was drawn by