A gust of wind caused a great chilling to send shivers throughout the stone grey hot air balloon that drifted slowly over the town of Carden. The wind happened to only take hostage of one traveler who was no stranger to unsettling situations. The chill was felt through every bone and especially through Valentine’s heart. The wind was hardly the worst of the journey, but it still sent him into despair, and he wished with all his being that at least the weather would be kinder to him.
Huddled in a corner of the basket with his legs pulled up close enough to his chest that he could feel the coldness from his thighs, he closed his eyes and waited for the wind to die down. Unfortunately, for Valentine, the wind would resume until twilight came, which for him would be several hours. In the meantime, he sat holding his head close to his knees while periodically peeking out of a very small hole in the basket. It was a miracle that more holes didn’t pierce through the wicker a few years ago when a very angry mob of young teens threw rocks at it. Only one short blonde female was able to throw one large enough causing damage to the basket, and over time creating the hole that he had now stared out of at least a hundred times.
Despite the damage, he wouldn’t be bothered to fix it. A window was created with the hole that helped him to see the world when his legs couldn’t hold his measly weight anymore, or like, in this case, wanted to avoid the weather. Even with the cruelty that the world had shown him he still felt both his heartbeat with excitement when he saw animals scurrying around, or when the wildflowers bloom in early spring. In nature was where he belonged, but sadly, they always found him, but this time he hoped things would be different.
Valentine reached into his pocket and pulled out several maps that were all worn down so badly a moth could have been the culprit, but it was his own doing. The hot air balloon had been his home for months at a time, and the maps were needed on many occasions. He gazed at all the tiny towns, and landscapes that were etched on the hole-ridden paper. Valentine’s fingers danced upon the paper searching desperately for a new place to call his home. A small scribble was written on the map with a circle around it. The name of the place was too hard to read, but at this point, Valentine knew that it could be just like all the other places, or it could be just the place he had dreamed about.
The journey would be a treacherous one due to the mountains he would have to go above, and an unexplored forest area that he was unfamiliar with. He had nothing to lose but his own body, so he decided that the risk would be worth it. Quickly he grabbed all the maps and pocketed them. Placing his heart between his legs he closed his eyes and hoped that the hot air balloon would drift quietly in the sky away from the freezing wind.
As he dozed off, the hot air balloon rushed across the sky and in between the clouds much faster than he would have wanted, but since his body did what everybody does when they are exhausted he stayed asleep regardless of the bumps and quick turns that the wind provided. The wind acted as his driver and quite a poor one at that. Several hours went by before Valentine’s very heavy eyelids tried to open once again. The cold had made his eyelashes stick together causing slight pain when he finally pried them open. The turbulence caused instant panic to rise in his heart. Standing up quickly he peered over the basket only to find that it was much darker than he had anticipated. His eyes adjusted poorly, and the light from the fire helped as much as a cat would help a dog. Fumbling through his leather sack he grabbed out a flashlight that probably weighed as much as a boulder, or so it felt to Valentine, who had a small build. Although if you just glanced at him you would expect him to have the strength of leaf in autumn, you would be wrong. He was incredibly strong, but he never used that strength against any living creature. No, instead he used it to survive away from civilization. He had built many houses with his own two hands with no outside help, and sadly, he had to leave them to stand alone in the forest for some strangers to find and use it at their own will. Again, it would show that no matter his abilities he would be used up and discarded over and over again by the world all because of how he looked. Being different is never easy in a world that wants to keep everything and everyone into a little box that in reality would never exist in the first place. It is possible that in this case, the difference of Valentine’s existence is in itself an idiosyncrasy and one that the world should stare at in wonder instead disgust. A burst of light radiated out in front of him the instant he pressed the button on his flashlight. Mountains appeared dangerously close to the bottom of the basket. As though he had just gazed upon sasquatch, his hands fumbled in shock almost causing the demise of the very flashlight that he held so dear. Barely catching it from falling into the pit of darkness below he held it close like a baby creating light to cast a shadow under his apex, took a deep breath, and turned it back to the front of him. If he didn’t gain height right away he would become one with the mountain and that would be the end of it. It made him sad to allow his hot air balloon to be turned into nothing.
Valentine wasted no time turning on the burner and creating more heat to rise into the balloon. The fire’s light danced upon his red flesh causing him to look more orange than he was. The heat warmed him and comforted him when no one else would. It would seem odd that someone would find a basket and a balloon as their main home, but Valentine thought it was the perfect home. He could leave any place to get somewhere new in a short amount of time. It had never wronged him, and he knew that the mountains would not be taking his hot air balloon or him with it.
Up and up the hot air balloon rose until it was high enough to clear the very top of the mountain. Letting out a sigh of relief, Valentine watched as the basket cleared the tallest trees on the mountain, and the second the basket floated to the other side he turned his body to face the inside of the basket and let his body slide down to the bottom again. He was filled with relief and was just about to pat the basket with a good job when a flash of light filled the sky like a high beam light turning on and off in a flash. Sweat beaded down Valentine’s arteries until it reached his apex causing it to slide down his neck. His breaths grew louder and grew with force as he tried to think of what to do next.
A loud bellow sounded down from the night sky, and within moments the night turned white. Valentine’s green and blue eye peered out above the balloon with his neck stretched out as much as possible without causing him to free-fall down from the basket. The darkness had consumed the sky once again, and Valentine hoped that the more seconds ticked by that the weather would shift. Valentine’s luck was never great, and it was about to get worse when he felt a single drop of rain poke him in his green eye. His heart shook violently, but the shaking wouldn’t help because a million tiny raindrops collided upon his face. He spat out water from his mouth, and pulled his head back in and ran to the burner. Well, it was more of a lunge since the basket wasn’t nearly large enough to run in unless he ran in circles and very small ones at that.
His best chance of survival was to land, and that would be a death mission in itself. He knew nothing of the land below his feet, but he did know that if he stayed in the air his balloon would be destroyed. He started to drop faster and faster on purpose hoping to reach the ground before any major damage could occur. Of course, when he was just a mere thirty feet away from the ground lightning lit the sky, but this time a causality was involved. That casualty sadly was Valentine’s home. The balloon had been lit on fire and the fabric was being consumed by the flames. Tears flooded down his face, but he could do nothing. He hoped that the rain would at least put out the fire to save the balloon. Surprisingly the main problem wasn’t the fire, it was that he was about to plummet to the ground. He hoped that only flat grass would be beneath him.
Then the basket connected with the earth, and his body flung right out of the basket causing him to pass out. His body collided with a very large but mostly flat rock that wouldn’t kill him but would cause his body to ache for years to come to no doubt. Even the rain would harm him as he lay passed out on the rock. It beat down upon him with all its might and soaked his clothing beyond repair. If he would have just been left there he would have surely been consumed by moss.
The morning sun woke Valentine when it peeked out over the mountains. He struggled to move, and not just from the pain his body felt, but also from the weight of his clothing that the rain had caused. He tore off his forest green suspenders and pulled his now torn and bloodied shirt off of his body. He was able to sit up at least, and with his eyes still heavy he forced them to open. His eyes blinked more than they normally would, but he was able to become acquainted with his surroundings. The hot air balloon was damaged no doubt. The basket was sprawled out on its side with the balloon caught in weeds that poked through the large hole that was now there caused by the lightning.
For the most part, the area he landed in would have been a great spot to land if he had been able to see where he was going in the first place. A downward sloped hill was just a few feet away that had houses at the end of it, and a river that flowed in between the valley. He wondered if they too would use him for his wishes if they knew what he could do. Word had spread from town to city and from city to different countries over the years, and he had yet to find a place that didn’t know of his peculiar appearance and abilities. Even if this town knew of him, he would still be an outcast from his looks alone.
Having a heart for a head was no easy life, but having people who feared you but also wanted to use you was more than he would have wanted even for his worst enemies. As he walked down the valley for any help to repair his hot air balloon or at least a place where he could buy supplies he thought of horrible things. Very horrible things that happened to him in the past. People always want him to grant a wish, but they were not willing to pay the consequence of what that wish would cause. They never understood that regardless of what they wished for he could only grant what they truly wanted. This was always a shock to the people closest to them. The last wish was made by a man named Chase McOwen who wished for a sports car, but what he wanted deep down was a divorce from his wife, so instead of a sports car arriving in his driveway, he disappeared from the house. When his ex-wife went to look for him there were papers outside the front door that were already signed by both of them and finalized. If they would have gone to court his ex-wife would have gotten the house along with many other things that were still left in her care. Chase was left alone to find a new place to live, and even though it is what he truly wanted he was furious at Valentine. Off he went to live with his mistress, but he still hunted down Valentine. So, once again up he went to the sky to be alone and away from people who thirsted for his abilities.
The houses looked welcoming enough with their flowers that were overgrowing in their front yards, but he knew that the outside always showed more deceit than truth. Valentine strode down the hill the best he could before ultimately rolling the rest of the way like a tumbleweed. Rolling with great speed he made it quickly down to the bottom of the hill, and when he arrived there was already someone who stopped him from rolling into a tree. Dizzy from the fall, his eyes flickered before opening wide at the woman who stood above him. A glare from the sun caused him to block it with his arm while he gazed at her. She was smiling and Valentine thought that it was quite beautiful. Though he would dare not say it to her. Her eyes were glazed over with the color of the wings of a sparrow. He wondered how her eyes would look in such a way since he had never seen any like hers.
“Hello friend,” she said.
Without knowing how to reply to someone who spoke to him with such warmth, he stood up and gazed upon her face. The more he studied all her features the more he felt in a trance. Her skin looked soft, and her eyelashes were long. It was her long bubblegum pink hair that flowed gently to the side from the wind that captivated him the most. He was very fond of more unique hair colors but had yet to see this exact hue. He wanted to touch it but refrained from doing so in case she thought it would be rude.
“Do you know what I said?” Her voice asked softly.
His hands began to shake, and when he started to speak, he realized that he hadn’t spoken a word in nearly two weeks. The last conversation he had was with a stray dog that was purely one-sided, and he had thought about taking the dog with him. He changed his mind when he thought about what people would do to his dog if they were angered by what they would receive. He couldn’t put that type of misery and pain on to a helpless and innocent animal, so he kissed the dog and promised to visit him again.
Clearing his throat he began again but this time successfully saying, “Yes…yes, I did,” he replied with his voice sounding hoarse.
The woman grinned and shook her head. “Did you need any help? I heard someone falling down the hill, and wondered who had climbed it. I figured it was one of the children in town, but your voice doesn’t sound familiar. I’m assuming you aren’t from around here?”
Valentine realized that she didn’t mention his appearance, which was hard not to do, so he waved his hand in front of her eyes, and her eyes didn’t move with his hand. He gasped in shock, and tears welled in his eyes. Of course, kindness would only be shown to him because she could not see who he truly was. He stepped away from her and thought about just walking past her to leave her out of whatever chaos he would bring. Before he could decide the kind woman spoke again.
“Please don’t be shy. I would love to help with whatever you might need.”
Her sincerity was hard to turn away from. Valentine gathered up all his courage to say, “My name is Valentine. I flew in a hot air balloon and crashed on top of that hill,” he said while pointing to the balloon and then sighing at himself for forgetting so quickly that she wouldn’t be able to see the broken hot air balloon that he had pointed to, “I just wanted to grab some supplies and be back on my way.”
As he spoke, she smiled and shook her head in understanding. When he was finished her hand gently pressed against her chin in thought. Valentine noticed her gesture and wondered if she knew where he could get supplies. For all, he knew the town could be tiny and not have anything nearby, but he hoped that it wouldn’t be that small of a town.
The woman held out her hand to shake Valentine’s and she said, “Nice to meet you, Valentine, my name is Delphine. I can lead you to the center of town where all the shops are.”
Valentine hesitated to shake her hand back, but she left it up until he took it. When he did a shock went through him that he had never felt, and it scared him. He stumbled back from her with his heart beating fast. It was a happy feeling, a feeling of connection that he had never felt. It was overwhelming, yet he wanted to hold her hand again, but he refrained. He allowed his heart to slow back to normal before answering her.
“I’m not sure if that would be such a good idea. I can find my way to town, but thank you for your kindness.”
Delphine frowned, but to Valentine’s surprise she reached out for his hand once more. “Nonsense, take my hand and I will help you. No need to be shy around me.”
Her eyelashes fluttered convincingly. Valentine had lived his life craving for kindness like this and decided to take her hand. He hoped the risk would be worth it and that no harm would come to Delphine for helping him. Nervously he took her hand once more, and again a surge of happiness flooded throughout his whole body. He tried not to smile, but there he was smiling like someone who just had a first kiss. Valentine took this day as a good one regardless of what was to follow because at least at this moment, a moment that he had never shared with a human before, he felt happiness.
Within a few minutes, they were walking on a sidewalk through the many houses that stood on both sides of the street, happily with their well-maintained flowerbeds. Despite the picturesque scene, Valentine still felt uncomfortable. His body shook like it had shaken hundreds of times previously. Delphine noticed the change and rubbed his hand gently with her thumb in hopes of calming him. Sadly, the comfort he received wasn’t going to be enough to help him.
His body stayed in flight mode the entire time they passed houses. It must have been too early for most people to be awake or perhaps they were all already at work. Only a few people were out sitting on their porches or watering their plants, but not one person so much as gazed in their direction. As though he was getting away with high crime, Valentine felt more worried than when people noticed him. It was an odd feeling and one that he hoped would go away soon.
Delphine who sensed his fright decided that a general conversation might ease his mind. Patting his hand fondly she asked, “So, Valentine, where were you traveling to?”
It was odd for him to have questions asked about him that didn’t pertain solely to his gift, but he welcomed it nonetheless. “I was traveling to a place on my map. I can’t read what the name is, but it looked like the best place to go next.”
Delphine smiled brightly, and replied, “Ah, so you are an explorer?”
Valentine almost choked on his laugh from her response. It seemed like such a nice compliment to say, and yet he wondered if he truly would be considered one. He had traveled far and wide around the world for years at a time, with little staying put. He thought of how wonderful it would have been if all these years people saw him as an explorer. He would be famous for a much different reason, but even if he didn’t have his abilities, he knew that his face would never be accepted.
A smile grew on his face for a moment before he replied, “I wouldn’t say that exactly.”
Delphine cocked her head to the side in confusion, but instead of asking him many more questions she refrained. “Alright then, well Valentine we are almost to the supply store where they should be able to help you. To be honest I don’t know much about hot air balloons. Although, I imagine it would be quite a thrill,” she replied giddily.
Again Valentine had chuckled with her. More laughter than he had ever remembered doing so except maybe when he was a child and laughed with any animals that would play with him. Animals never seemed to be afraid of him and welcomed him like an old friend. He thought about all the times he had spent in the woods and how so many occasions he was greeted by an array of creatures. They were the one silver lining to his entire life, but sharing a mutual bond with a human was not something he had ever done. This was a day to remember and one he hoped would end on a happy note.
Two eyes stared at the pair as they walked happily down the sidewalk, and the person who lurked was also happy just for a different reason. Curious the man continued to follow them all the way to the center of town. When they arrived at the supply store, the man waited outside a couple of shops away. Unfortunately, Valentine had slightly put his guard down and had missed the curious follower.
As Delphine and Valentine entered the store a little gold bell above the door sounded, and the shopkeeper came out to greet them. He had a smile on his face when he saw Delphine, but it quickly turned sour when she saw her companion. The shopkeeper had trouble speaking, but Valentine had seen this happen his whole life, and the best way to get through the situation was to pretend like he didn’t notice.
“Hello, I need some help. My hot air balloon landed abruptly from the storm, and I’m looking for anything that I could use to repair my balloon. The basket seems to have made it out fine but lightning struck causing a fire to burn a hole through my balloon. If you have anything that I could use to patch it that would be great,” Valentine said confidently even though his hands were shaking.
Delphine chimed in, “I assumed you would have something, Earl?”
Earl looked at Delphine then back to Valentine and then repeated before stammering to say, “Yes…yes, follow me this way.” He pointed his hand to the back of the store and started walking before he saw if they were following.
There were all sorts of things in the store that made it a hodgepodge of supplies. Some that wouldn’t even be categorized as supplies yet they were in there. It was quite a claustrophobic space, but when they made it to the back there were rows of bolts of fabric. Several different kinds, but most would not work. Valentine moved his hands across the fabric and touched one that felt close to the same as his present balloon. When he touched it, the shopkeeper nodded his head.
“That right there is a nylon blend and would do well temporarily. I have one other fabric that could work for ya,” he walked over to another bolt that was a bright yellow and pulled it out so he could see, “now this would work very nicely. It is outdoor fabric and very strong.”
Despite the shopkeeper’s eyes trying as hard as he could to avert them in a different direction, he slipped up a few times, and his jaw would drop. When he realized his expression he quickly looked away and closed his mouth hard causing his teeth to clink together. No doubt he would have a sore mouth tomorrow. Valentine ignored his fearful looks and appreciated that he at least tried to conceal his shocked expressions. Delphine stood by Valentine but had let go of his hand for some time now, and Valentine was wishing that she would hold it at least once more before he left this town.
“I’ll take it,” Valentine replied. He would have preferred the black one that he first picked up, but he wanted it to last until he could find something better if he needed to.
Earl held the bolt in his hand and led them to the side where he had a fabric cutting station. “Now how many yards do you think you will need?” He asked without making any eye contact. He looked down at the fabric as though it were magnetic.
“Let’s do two to be on the safe side. I can always save extra for emergencies,” Valentine replied.
As Earl started to cut the fabric, he asked, “So, Delphine, how have you been doing lately?”
“Oh you know me, Earl, always just peachy. I just put in a new passionflower plant this morning, and can’t wait to eat the fruit!” She replied with excitement.
“That’s wonderful! How did you two manage to run into one another?”
It wasn’t the question he wanted to ask, and Valentine could tell that at least in this moment he could care less what new things Delphine was up to unless they pertained to him. Valentine thought about answering for her to make it clear that she had nothing to do with him in case things took a turn for the worst, but Delphine answered happily.
“Well, I was sitting at the bottom of the hill and could feel vibrations, and then heard noises like a large ball was coming down the mountain. I knew that someone must have been falling, and there he was. He landed right at my feet, and I helped him to get here.”
Earl nodded at her and sighed relief that she hadn’t known who he was before this meeting. Delphine scrunched her eyebrows at his sigh but ignored the rude response since she wasn’t that fond of Earl anyways. Earl led them back up to the registers and tried to sell him needles and thread, but Valentine already had plenty of them hoarded away in his pack. This wasn’t the first time that a tear had caused him to do some repair work, but this was the largest repair he would have to do since he got it.
Delphine said her goodbyes and followed Valentine out of the shop. When the bell went off again it was almost as though it was a signal to the other townsfolk who knew who he was. People strutted towards him in packs, and all he could do was hold his shopping bag close to his chest. When he realized that Delphine was still next to him he moved her back into the store. Confused she shouted at him to know what was happening, but there was no time to explain.
People shouted his name in the crowd that had formed around him that was led by the lurker who shouted for a wish. Valentine placed his hands over his eyes while shaking his head in sorrow. Another town, another group of demanding miscreants. Even though they had surely heard what the wishes actually granted, they still chanted selfishly in his direction. Should he let them line up again like he had done so many times? Today, he wanted to just deny all of them, but the last time he tried to do that he was tortured until he granted every wish. He hardly thought that this town would be any different. He raised his hand in defeat and the crowd grew quiet.
“Form a line over here,” he said while pointing to the right sidewalk, “I will grant your wishes, but as I’m sure you have heard that it doesn’t always work out as you want it to I would caution you at your own risk,” he said somberly.
Despite his warning, they still lined up like the sheep that they are. Before the first eager person came up to the front of the line, a bell rang behind him. Delphine came out with Earl. Delphine called out to Valentine to find where he had gone, but Earl answered for Valentine. He too wanted a wish granted regardless of the consequences, and Valentine waited for Delphine to join the group. To his surprise, Delphine grabbed his hand like they were about to go to war.
Delphine’s lips rose to Valentine’s ear, and whispered, “I know how I can get you out of here. Do you trust me?”
Curious, Valentine looked down at Delphine unsure if her intentions were sincere. He had no other choice but to believe her. With his hand still firmly grasped in hers, he squeezed her hand to lead. She nodded and pulled Valentine around the corner from her in a sprint. The crowd stood confused before ultimately chasing after them. Delphine weaved him through buildings, and residential homes without slowing down. As they ran, Valentine couldn’t help smiling. They ran several blocks before they reached a small windowless building. Quickly, Delphine pulled out her keys and unlocked the door while pulling Valentine inside before closing the door. The room had couches and a radio that sat on a side table and a small kitchen at the back of the room. To the left was a bathroom and a room that was connected. It was a cozy space, and more colorful than he thought it would be.
Valentine observed the room and admired the quaintness of the space. He had no idea how this place would protect them, but he hoped it would work at least for a short time. Delphine walked over to the couch, sat down, and patted the seat next to her. Since Valentine had never had much interaction with humans except in a negative way, he had no idea what she meant.
“Is this your home?” He asked while gazing at the small details like the perfectly placed art on the walls depicting birds.
“One of them. This isn’t my main home, but one that I use from time to time,” she said casually.
“Why are you helping me?” Valentine asked nervously.
Delphine grinned and patted the seat next to her, and Valentine assumed that she wanted him to sit. He walked over and sat next to her, but made sure to leave plenty of room between them. This was more than just an awkward situation for him. It was amazing, and strange, and unfortunate all at the same time.
She felt him sit down and took a deep breath before saying, “I know how it feels to be an outcast. I wasn’t always blind, my sight left me when I was a little girl. I can see partially out of my left eye, but not well. I was bullied, and I never understood why I was treated so badly for being different. I knew who you were when we met. I didn’t want to say anything and make you think that I just wanted a wish like everyone else. I don’t want a wish, but I would like to help you.”
He focused intently on every word she spoke and felt great joy in his heart that even though she knew who he was, she wanted nothing more than to help. In his mind, he thought what a lovely day indeed. No one in his whole life had ever helped him, and he didn’t think that he would be so lucky next time. He didn’t know how to thank her for such kindness, and bravery that could surely harm her once he escaped. Valentine doubted that the mob would just forget about Delphine’s assistance in his escape, and that made his heart pound with anger.
“Thank you for your kindness, but I fear that you may receive repercussions from helping me. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you. Is there something that I can do to repay you?”
Now she was the nervous one. She fumbled with a gold band that she wore on her index finger. She stopped momentarily and asked, “I don’t need anything, but I was hoping that maybe you could take me with you.”
Thinking that she must have lost her mind, he gasped from her response and stood up quickly. His body couldn’t stop moving. Back and forth he paced in indecision. This day was unlike any other, and he couldn’t understand why anyone would want to leave with him. He had nothing to offer besides his hot air balloon, which currently wasn’t in the best shape, and some money that had been given to him by the people whose wishes went accordingly as they asked it.
“I couldn’t possibly subject you to my life. It is a lonely and dangerous one that no one should have to live,” he said while placing his hands over his head and shaking it.
Delphine placed her hand gently on the back of his neck and said softly, “Take me with you, and I promise that this is exactly what I want. For quite some time now I outgrew living here, but no opportunities arose for me to leave. You would be giving me something that I have ached for such a long time.”
Valentine’s hands slowly released from his face and drifted slowly to his lap. His blue and green eye stared deeply into hers and no part of him didn’t believe what she said wasn’t true. Despite his mind wanting her to stay for her protection, his heart spoke louder and won.
Grabbing Delphine’s hand, Valentine said, “Tell me than how we can escape?”
A grin grew across Delphine’s face before she said, “I have a secret way to get you back to your balloon to fix it. How long do you think you will need to get it back up and running?”
“An hour tops.”
“Okay, I will lead you to get back to it, and I will distract the townsfolk away from the hill until you are done, and then I will rejoin you.”
“Let me grab my supplies, and we can be on our way then.”
Valentine’s heartbeat with excitement but also fear. He would be working off of pure adrenaline, and for the first time, he was happy about it. Having a companion was what he longed for, and he was finally about to have it. After twenty-nine years of his life, he would finally not be alone.
Delphine rose and walked into her bedroom. Valentine could hear a latch open, and then she called his name to come over to her. When he walked in she had a small door open about the size of a young toddler. He peered inside, and it was made out of stone, and various metals all combined to make a tunnel. The surprise was an understatement. She was the last person that he would think would have a secret tunnel. It was so odd, and out of character or so he thought from the short time he had known her.
“Why is this here?” He asked a bit frightened.
“When I bought the house the owner told me that he made it get to the river faster. He was a fisherman, and I believed what he said. It does lead to the river, and this house is quite old and was built before many of the roads were put in. I have only used it a handful of times and it takes about half an hour to get there. When you get there the hill will be just behind you.”
Valentine thought that this could be a trap. He wanted to believe her, and he did but now this seemed so surreal. He knew that he didn’t seem like he could be real either, so why would a tunnel that led to a river be so unheard of? Again, he looked back at Delphine wishing that he could read her mind. He decided to do as she said, and hoped to all the deities that his life would start anew today. That he would have a reason to live, and happiness could be had.
One more look in the tunnel and he replied, “Let’s do this.”
Delphine walked over to her dresser and grabbed a flashlight, here take this. It can get pretty dark in there.”
Valentine took the flashlight, and as he was about to leave, Delphine grabbed him and hugged him. Awkwardly his arms spread away from her unsure of what he should be doing. A chuckle came from her lips, and she grabbed his arms to hold her. Tears flowed down his face in surprise. He had never known what a wonderful feeling it was to have something as simple as a hug. Delphine hugged him tighter and let him pull away when he was ready.
When he pulled away from her, Delphine said, “Go quickly, and I will meet you shortly. If I don’t make it in time leave without me.”
His head shook in disapproval, but he agreed to do as she said nonetheless and then disappeared down the long dark tunnel.
Black filled up the room, and his eyes strained to adjust. He turned on his flashlight and was able to see a few feet in front of him, but no more than that. The tunnel was uncomfortable to journey through, and the rocks hurt his knees and hands. The flashlight became a nuisance to carry while he tried to crawl fast. He placed the flashlight in his mouth, and although the metal tasted disgusting against his teeth, he could move faster with it there, so he made it work.
Onward he went through the tunnel. Delphine was busy at work to create a diversion that would surely last until they could escape. She would go into town and lead them far away from the hill, but to do that she would have to pretend that she was on their side. Leaving the house Delphine decided to bring rope from her hall closet that she had used previously used for tying down all her outdoor furniture when there had been a strong wind a few years back. She hoped she could use it now as a sign that she too wanted to catch Valentine and had only run off with him to have him grant her a wish of sight first, but when he wouldn’t let her wish and ran away.
Quickly Delphine left her house and trudged back into town. The townspeople were all yelling and shouting for Valentine and had left the center of town. They were closer to where Delphine’s house was, which would make it easier to get them away from the hill since her house was in the opposite direction. She snuck into the crowd, and no one noticed her until Earl spotted her.
“Delphine! Delphine! Where did he go?” He shouted at her.
The crowd turned to face her, she could barely see who stared at her, but she knew that none of them would be happy. “He got away! I tried to keep him to grant me my sight back, but when I went to wish he ran away in that direction,” she said while pointing past her house. “I brought this rope for when we catch him we can tie him up somewhere,” she raised the rope over her head.
The crowd gazed at her. Uncertain if she was telling the truth, but then Earl shrugged his shoulders and lead the crowd in the direction she said. She knew that they all pitied her or were disgusted by her loss of sight, and that would be the only wish that they would believe she wanted. Even though she didn’t mind having most of her sight gone, but she knew no one would believe that. They all thought about how could someone enjoy being alive if they couldn’t see.
They continued down the street searching in between houses, and backyards with no sign of him. Delphine tried hard not to grin at their disappointment, but the man next to her, Alex, saw the happiness grow upon her face. He went to grab her, but she saw a blurry hand go to reach for her before he touched her, and ran out of the crowd, and booked it to her home. Alex didn’t have time to shout loud enough that she had run away until they had already lost her. Her second home was not known to anyone in town, and surely they thought it was just some sort of storage facility since no windows were on it.
As the crowd shifted to follow her where Alex saw where she fled, Delphine weaved in between houses for two blocks until she made it to her home. Quietly she poked her head out and she looked both ways but she knew that her sight could barely see anything a few feet in front of her. She saw silhouettes of trees, but not much else. She sprinted to her door and unlocked it while her hand shook. Despite panic rising, Delphine got into her home and shut the door. She locked it and then ran into her bedroom. In her closet, she pulled out a small bag and placed several pairs of clothes, and toiletries in it before ducking her head into the tunnel and leaving her old life behind.
When she made it to Valentine, he was turning the burners on and preparing to leave. Valentine ran to her and carried her up the hill and gently tossed her in the basket. Within a few seconds, they saw the angry mob running up the hill, but before even one of the townsfolk could reach the top, the hot air balloon had already risen several feet in the air. They both waved gleefully at the selfish souls below. Excitement and adrenaline surged through their veins and they couldn’t help but hug each other.
Slowly they drifted away and left the hill in the distance. Despite Delphine’s lack of good vision, she still reached out to feel the sky in her hands and hopped to feel a cloud as they traveled.
“Where to now?” Delphine asked.
Valentine pulled out his map and opened it the place with a scribbled name, a name that he couldn’t read. He pointed to it, and said, “This place is where I was heading before I crashed. I believe it would be a safe haven for me…for us.”
“Sounds lovely,” Delphine grinned.
As they continued, they held each other while watching the sunset in front of them. Pink and orange fluffy clouds floated by them, and another first for Valentine occurred. He had happiness filled in his heart, and a new meaning of life sprouted. During the night Delphine asked Valentine a very curious question. One that no one had asked him before.
“Have you ever wished for something yourself?”
Valentine had never thought to wish for something himself, but he wondered what would happen if he had. “No, I never have.”
With Delphine taking his hand she replied, “Perhaps it’s time you should.”
Both his eyes closed, and he spoke out loud, “I wish that I couldn’t grant wishes to others anymore.”
In an instant, his body felt strange and he felt smoke in his mouth. When he opened it blue smoke exhaled from him, leaving that magic from his body forever. He decided to make another wish for himself, and that wish led them to the scribbled place. A place that would fill their hearts with happiness and create a new meaning of life. They went on many new adventures over the years and continued to grow in love. A love that only occurs when you are different.
