Blueberry Jam

Every night at midnight, the purple clouds come out to dance with the blushing sky, raining crimson tears.

I tend to stay inside cause I don’t like the stains on my clothes and the mess in my hair. The aura around the fairies seems to repel the crimson rain away from them but for me, a lowly sprite, I end up covered head to toe like blueberry jam. Tonight though, I had lost my keys and was stuck outside. I found a tree to stand underneath to wait out the rain and watched the fairies frolic about in the puddles.

I had been painting at the community college so I had colours underneath my nails and along my elbows, I have a habit of holding my head in rest to look at my masterpieces and always wind up with my arm in palettes of paint most days. I also like to take a step back and see my work from a far, but this time as I did that I bumped into an old flame. I was so flustered as I realised the voice behind me was his that I fumbled forward and landed on my face. As if it wasn’t embarrassing enough, the paint palette took a dive for the floor and landed on my head! His light chuckle as he picked me up off the floor and muttered the words “ever the adorable clutz”, sent a ripple of confusion through me. I righted myself, mumbled an apology and excused myself as fast as my tiny feet would take me.

I went about the rest of my day, but I left my work unfinished and went to help the librarian re-stack all the returned books. I find the quiet of the library is a nice place to be with my thoughts so I spend most afternoons there when I’m not painting or in class. The stacks of library shelves is my favourite place to disappear into, with a good book and a pillow. I love to lose myself in the love stories of other peoples lives, as my own love life is stale. I have found myself there in the morning when I awake to the moonlight and realise I slept all day there instead of in my own bed.

Sir Douglas, bless his heart is the kindest librarian I know, he knows I don’t like the empty quiet of home so if I fall asleep he just leaves the door unlatched and goes on home. But today, the other librarian was on, Miss Wrench, she won’t even allow me to be in here at closing time. Ever the stickler for the rules- at least she lets me help out during the day anyway. She won’t stay a minute longer than she is paid for so when it comes time to close- she shuffles everyone out and locks up faster than I can find my keys. Which in this case today I think are in the library stacks where I was working! She unfurled her wings and hailed a cab home and left me standing there emptying my pockets all over the ground unsuccessfully looking for my keys.

So here I am, arriving home to stand under a nearby tree unable to enter my own home and wondering why I never put out a spare key despite the numerous times I have needed one! The rain was particularly heavy tonight, already coming through the branches of the trees and running down the path towards the nearby streams. Honestly I don’t know why I am bothering to try and find shelter, I’m covered in paint anyway, what’s a little blueberry jam to boot?…

Despite the chaos before me up and down the path, I found myself thinking back to the library today when I ducked down out of sight so that he wouldn’t see me. I can’t understand why he came in looking around the library anyway! Ms wrench saw me duck out of sight so when he asked for me she told him I had not been in today. Why would he ask after me after all this time? My heart squeezed when I saw the disappointment in his face at the news I was not there. He lowered his eyes and walked back out of the library with his hands in his pockets just like someone would if they had not a care in the world.

The rain is pooling at my feet now, not the best shoes to wear for a midnight stroll to say the least. I think to myself, it’s time to move on, get my act together, stop thinking about him. In fact, I’m gonna keep avoiding him by transferring to a different college altogether. Although I will miss my library, maybe I shouldn’t make any rash decisions whilst standing under a tree in a sea of tears.

Frolicking fairies aside, the sight before me was resplendent and had me reminiscing the moments that I did dance in the rain. But they were all with him, standing with him under his silver wings, the rain wouldn’t touch me, which is why I don’t dance anymore. He might have named me Jam Jam moments after our first kiss had landed me in a puddle of crimson rain and giggles, but he also left me standing there in the moonlight the next day all by myself with no explanation at all.

I climbed up the tree a little and took a seat at the table, the cafe was closed now but I’m sure they won’t mind me taking refuge here for a while. I laid my head down on my arms to rest a little but I heard a jingle in the distance and realised I was not alone. Across the branch slightly was another table and there he was, my old flame sitting there looking bemused at my disheveled state with my keys held out in his hands. Before I could utter a word of annoyance, he reached out and pushed the hair from my face and said the words I have longed to hear “Ive missed you Jam Jam”.

I rolled my eyes at the ridiculous nickname he had for me and pushed his hand away. This didn’t work in the slightest, as he simply spun my hand towards my back and kissed me like he had been deprived of sunlight and was finally warm.