Regina

Then I saw Regina, not really did I see her, but the idea, the shadow, the echo of who she is, a flicker in the sunlight. My mind painted her glow, created a world to hold her, but the truth was a blur around the outline of her smile. She moved like soft whispers, floating down the hall, her laughter ringing like bells, filling spaces that were once empty, filling me with something warm. Yet, when I reached to grasp, it slipped between my fingers— like sand at the beach, everything blurred, not quite real, more a wish than a sight. Regina, the girl they all knew, the girl who wore beauty like a cloak, her hair caught light like water, and in those moments, I felt the weight of wondering, of missing turns in a crowded room, of wanting to speak but finding silence pressed on my lips. There she was, wrapped up in laughter, twisting joy from the mundane, and I had to remind myself, this wasn’t a fairytale, not one I could step into with a wink and a nod. Yet my heart skipped, hoping, as I stole glances, quick and furtive, letting dreams hewn from distance dance just out of reach. I thought perhaps one day I would see her all at once—