I Never Gave The Universe Much Thought - Giselle Tran

I never gave the universe much thought. I never cared about before or after or the end or how tiny strings bind us together like chinese finger traps. But out here, past Metcalf road, the golden hills twist, tilt, and billow in the wind as hazy shades of pink and yellow kiss my skin. The crickets begin their nightly roars, and a few birds call to each other, chirps hopping like a child’s giggles until A and I submit to the vast stillness of the hills. Then: a white bird trapped in the evening gust. Stalled, he said, like a hang glider who dips too close to the ground, sailing the same speed as the breeze. I stare, concerned until the wind dies, and the bird shoots high into the fading orange, victorious. My fingertips tingle, and we exchange the secret smiles of almost-lovers.