The Black Swan Behind (Beauty of Fire)

319 Moon and Star

The woman shook her head. “This place has always been dead. I set up this shop eighteen years ago. In the past, this park was very lively and colourful. It’s nice to see a young couple like you come to a place like this for a date. It gives back good old memories,”

“O-oh… Is that so?” Emma chuckled awkwardly. She and Levi weren’t a couple – even though it looked like that. However, she didn’t feel like explaining it. If they chatted too long, Levi would throw a tantrum for waiting too long.

“Oh... You buy this bracelet?” The woman said as she was about to check the tag of the bracelet with the moon engraved.

Emma nodded doubtfully. “Yup. Is there anything special or wrong about that bracelet?”

The woman chuckled and shook her head. “There’s nothing wrong with this bracelet. I don’t sell cursed items, you know?” She winked, then continued, “It’s just that this bracelet does have a meaning. It’s been here for a quite long time and didn’t sell well because it wasn’t pretty enough. However, the craftsman said that he made this bracelet because it was inspired by his own life story.”

“Is it?” Emma seemed interested.

“Well… Actually I forgot a bit because it was a long time ago. But what I remember, it’s about the full moon emitting its light after being closed by an eclipse. Therefore, the moon carving becomes a bit weird,” The woman laughed, “He’s not a very talented craftsman. But he’s a good person despite his frightening appearance. I think he has an interesting life story,”

“I’m sure the full story will be very meaningful,” Emma said.

The woman nodded. “The winding story of life does have great meaning. You also have to have a big heart to be able to see it as a positive thing and share it with others.” She said as she put all the items into a green paper bag and handed it over, “Thank you for shopping at my shop. That bracelet – I give it free for you,”

.....

“Are you sure?” Emma asked reluctantly. She could see that the shop must be dead on other days as well. She didn’t want to burden this good woman with free stuff.

“Giving a gift to the first customer every day is a tradition since the first day this shop opened,” She winked.

Emma smiled gently. “Thank you very much. I really appreciate it. I wish that this place will be as lively as it used to be,”

After finishing paying, Emma came out of the shop. She chuckled in guilty when she found Levi’s sulking face. He must be so bored waiting for her.

“Sorry, the shop lady told me something too interesting for me to pass up,” Emma said.

Levi just stared at her flatly before letting out a long sigh. “Forget it. We’d better go home soon. It looks like it’s going to rain. If it actually rains, I’ll take you home,”

“Hey! That’s not allowed!” Emma chased after Levi’s wide strides.

“Let the sky decide. Maybe you will get a punishment from nature for making a kind-hearted man like me wait for you so long,”

“You jerk! I’m going to steal the umbrella from your car!” Emma hissed.

Levi laughed amusedly and patted Emma’s head. “You even dare to mess up my car?”

After a quick walk to the car, they immediately leave the amusement park. The trip to the bus stop where Levi usually picked up and dropped Emma off went fast enough because Levi slightly accelerated his car to avoid the rain. He knew Emma really didn’t want him to know where her house was. Perhaps, Emma kept her privacy because it was Levi who was obviously hiding things from her in the first place.

Emma laughed with small applause as their car pulled up to the bus stop before the rain had started, even though the sky was already very dark.

“Take an umbrella just in case,” Levi turned his body towards the back seat and grabbed a pink folding umbrella that belonged to his mother which she never used.

“I’ll return it soon,” Emma said while accepting the umbrella.

Levi shook his head slowly. “You can even keep it. Thank you for accompanying me today,”

“I should be the one thanking you because I’m the one who called you out,” Emma answered, about to open the car door. But she stopped because she remembered something.

“Anyway,” She muttered as she reached into her green paper bag.

Levi looked at Emma’s hands with furrowed brows.

“Give me your hand,” Emma said with one hand clenched to hide something.

“Which hand?” Levi asked.

“The one which is seldom used for rough things,” She thought.

Then Levi stretched out his right hand.

Emma looked at him with narrowed eyes. “I didn’t know you were left-handed?”

“I’m right-handed. But my left-hand does a lot of the brute work,” He replied.

Emma shrugged, then placed her hands on his wrist. When she pulled back her hand, only then appeared a black bracelet with a moon-carved pendant wrapped around Levi’s wrist.

Levi frowned while pulling his hand to see the details of the bracelet Emma gave him. “What picture is this? Is it the moon?”

Emma nodded. “That is the moon,”

Levi looked back at Emma with a questioning expression that didn’t diminish at all. He did not understand why Emma gave him the bracelet. Was it a return for the necklace he gave?

“Because you’ve given me the necklace, I’m giving you the bracelet. If I am a star, then you are the moon. We can’t be together, but we always accompany each other,” Emma explained in a low voice because it took a big heart to say it.

Just like Emma, Levi also needed an iceberg of heart to be able to nod in understanding and smile at that. It hurt, but it was the truth.

“Thank you. I will always wear it and will always be your moon,” Levi said.

Emma couldn’t help to hold her lips together tightly. Then she cleared her throat to relieve the dryness there. “Well, the sky is starting to drizzle. I’d better go home now,”

“Wait, I’ll open the door,” Levi immediately got out of the driver’s door without waiting for Emma’s approval. He knew Emma had to open the umbrella.

Levi walked quickly and opened the door for Emma. He took the umbrella from Emma’s hand and opened it. Then, Emma got out of the car with Levi who had covered her so that she wouldn’t be hit by the drizzle.

“Be careful. Don’t walk too slowly – the rain will pour down soon,” Levi said while passing the umbrella he had just opened to Emma.

Emma nodded. “Okay. Be careful on the road too,”

“See you later,” Levi said while patting Emma on the head as if she was a child.

“See you later,” Emma replied before quickly walking away. From earlier, she felt unable to look at Levi’s face. She felt like she wanted to cry.

Emma didn’t look back to see Levi. Maybe he had just left – she didn’t know. However, she raised her hand to hold the star pendant Levi had given her. She felt like she wanted to look back for a second. But if she did, she might regret it later, just like the previous events. Therefore, she would continue to step forward, away from that man.

Behind Emma’s back, Levi was still standing beside the car with drizzle raining down on his head. He could only stare sorrowfully at the star that was moving farther and farther away from him. He raised his right hand to look at the bracelet Emma had given him and touched it.

“Forever, I will be your moon. But that’s okay, Emma.”