She Laughs Like She Means It

How does one begin at the end? If he had known the outcome before he ever met her, would he have embarked on that journey? Probably. Definitely. From the moment he heard her voice, he was smitten. She was a siren to him, her every intonation catching his breath. Her slightest movement, captured his eye. He was entranced by her laughter, striving evermore to be the beneficiary of it.

She laughs, like she means it. Like happiness from roots deep within. He visualized tree roots, pushing upward through hard ground. Growing into tiny jewel-colored bubbles, her rich uninhibited joy, rang out. It was distracting on a spiritual level, of which he was not yet aware. The maturity in her voice was unsettling; it touched a physical chord in him. It tugs him in her direction, every time. Making a fool of himself, if need be, to keep her sparkling.

Her cry was equally as faceted, with sharp edges and shallow valleys. It’s a heartrending sound from other, deeper roots. When it breaks forth from her, he is drawn to her, as if life itself, depends upon it.  Her injured cry, which seldom erupts, is similar to someone else’s angry cry. So rarely does she deign to admit injury, it raises the same alarm in him, as it did the first time he ever heard it. Her sad cry, which he never wants to experience again, is kept at bay by whatever means available. Her happy cry, is accompanied by that intoxicating laughter, only she was born with.

Simply touching her skin, put a spell on him. Even a gentle brush against her, brought a sense of longing. Her fingerprints leaving a warm tingle wherever they landed. He was powerless in her presence; empowered in her absence, to see her again. Even though, he had been instructed to never go near her.

Grown now, even a faint waft of her fragrance, brings him back to that first time. That must have been a thousand lifetimes ago, he thought. Her very essence, an ageless combination of flora and fauna, unique to her. There is no understanding it; grasping is a waste of time. Let it be, they say; you’re better off. As she pulls herself up by the twisted roots, tiny bubbles burst like fireworks in his eyes. He is powerless in her presence.

She laughs like she means it.