Her eyes pierce the sky like a yawning tiger awaiting its prey.
You never know when life can end, she says and repeats it like a mantra.
When she became a few years older, she met a boy with tears, in his eyes.
He told her, once out of isolation's grim grip, that life is not worth believing.
She frowned and sat down, confused by his words. Of course life is worth living. Why would it be not?
He shook his head and took a seat beside her. You have not lived for very long, have you?
Of course I have! I'm as old as you are.
The boy shook his head again. You have not stepped for years in their shoes. You have not felt pain. He gestured to the few that walked the halls like their feet were made of lead, their heads held down with equal weight. They all had a similiar sad frown.
They can be happy. The girl said, with belief in her words.
No. said the boy with equal belief. No, they can't.
Well, why not?
Because they are the sad ones.
Why can they not be happy? It doesn't take much. Perhaps it is the music they listen to, or the clothes they wear. It is weighing them down.
No. They choose to be sad. They choose.
Why do they choose sadness?
Because even if they chose happiness, they would never really be happy. They would be wearing a mask.
Oh.
Yes.
I think I am going to go walk in their shoes. The girl rose to her feet and kicked off her shoes. She walked slowly over to a girl sitting all alone.
The boy watched in amazement as the girl with the tiger eyes placed the lonely girl's shoes on her feet. The girl picked up her own shoes and handed them to the girl sitting on the grass. The girl laughed and put them on.
As the girl came back, with new shoes on her feet, she said, Well, this isn't so hard. I bet I could walk in everyone's shoes by year's end.
The boy just laughed in disbelief and watched as day after day, the girl's feet adorned a new pair of shoes. The boy saw everything from sneakers to sandals to boots from hot pink to dull green. Finally, near the end of the year, the girl asked the boy to switch shoes with him.
He shook his head and said no.
Well, why not? You don't have a foot fungus, do you? She laughed.
I am sad. If you walk in my shoes, then sadness will also come upon you. I could not bear that.
The girl frowned. I have walked in everyone else's shoes. Some have been sad, some have been mad, some have been joyful. Your shoes cannot possibly hold more pain than the others.
The boy shook his head again.
What are you afraid of?
The boy sighed and slipped off his shoes, knowing he could not win. He exchanged them with the girl.
By the end of the day, the girl had grown real quiet and would look at the world through a crooked stare. When the last bell rang, she sank to her feet and said quietly to the boy, How do you do this, everyday?
The boy slid down beside her, saying nothing.
The girl had tears in her eyes and let them fall freely down her face. She stood up slowly, and the boy followed. She said in a whisper, I have walked in your shoes. Now, I want you to be happy. She leaned over and kissed the boy, wrapping her arms around him.
The boy stepped back and broke the kiss. He slipped off one of her shoes and one of his and exchanged them so now they were both wearing a shoe of each. He gazed for a long time at her then said, You were in my shoes. I do not want you to just want me to be happy. I want you to want to be happy too.
The girl returned his gaze and said, I am happy. I have stepped in everyone's shoes and your shoes are the only ones that really made me feel. That is the most wonderful thing in the world. To feel. She kissed him once more, and this time the boy did not break the kiss, but kissed the girl back.