Guest Blog! Author Toy Davis has a story for us!

Price of a Smile
Angela sat on her boulder as she stared into the river. This was her place. One day she would be in that water, but for now her place was on this boulder where the white rapids could keep her calm.

Leslie, the girl from over the hill, sat down beside her. “What are you doing?” she asked as she hugged her knees.

“Watching the water.”

“Why?”

“Because it is my job.”

Her lips tightly pinched together. She didn’t understand. “Why is it your job?”

Angela let out a heavy sigh as she eyed a dragonfly that hovered over the water. “Because it just is.”

Everyday Leslie came to this boulder and asked her numerous questions, and everyday Angela provided her with the same answers. It was very tiresome.

“Do you want to play?” She perked up. Leslie loved to play. “I will let you ride my bike.” She had a pink and white bike.

“I do not want to ride your bike.” Angela had never ridden a bike, and had no desire to. She had a job to maintain the balance and that was exactly what she was going to do.

“You never want to ride my bike,” she grumbled as she looked away. Disappointment dimmed her good humor. She laid her cheek on her arm. “Why do you never smile Angela?”

The question startled her because she wasn’t expecting it. Out of the corner of her gold eyes she looked at the young girl. Though these two appeared to be the same age, Angela was actually hundreds of years Leslie’s senior. “When I smile, it is different from when you smile,” she tried to explain.
Intrigued, the girl lifted her head. “Do your lips not curl up?”

“Of course they do.”

“Do you not feel joy when you smile?”

“Yes,” she rolled her eyes. “I feel joy.” There was an edge to her tone now.

“Then how do we smile different from one another?”
It was such an innocent question. How could Angela explain it? How could she admit what she was to a mere child?

“Oh look, a kittie,” she exclaimed when a gray feline hopped out of a bush. Its paws were white. It was a short hair cat. The topic was forgotten as she bounced off the bounced off the boulder to pet it.
The cat froze as it watched her approach it. Would he let her pet it, Angela wondered. It did. It stood still as it allowed Leslie to stoke his fur.

“Come; pet it,” she called to Angela. “Its fur is very soft.”

“I am sure it is,” she mumbled, not moving from her spot.

The child’s joy and excitement reminded Angela of times long past. A time when she was still innocent. A time when she was allowed to smile. It was before she knew of responsibilities and destiny. It was a time she missed. Sadness filled her and kept her calm. Sadness was her anchor; its what maintained the much-needed balance.

“Come on,” she beckoned to her. “Come play with me. I want to see you smile.”

“I cannot.” She looked away. “I must not.”

“You’re no fun,” Leslie pouted. The cat sensed her disappointment and decided to play some more.

The two chased each other. Leslie’s laughter reminded Angela of what she missed. She turned back to watch the two. Leslie laughed again as the cat jumped out at her. The innocence of them playing was so pure it tugged on Angela’s heartstrings.

Joy started to sing within her as a faint smile curved her lips, and crinkled her eyes.
Leslie stopped playing. She looked at her friend in awe; an unnatural glow seemed to come from Angela.

“You’re beautiful,” she whispered.

Gray storm clouds gathered in the sky as the wind brutally picked up. The cat ran for cover as he sensed what was coming. Leslie looked up. A double rainbow appeared in the sky, as if the Gods were frowning on her. “Uh oh, it looks like rain.”

The child’s native remark filled Angela with amusement. It had been decades since she allowed herself to feel this way.

“I should go home.”

Angela laughed as she rose to her feet. The wind whipped her hair around as the rain begun to pour. “You should run home child, run!” She raised her arms as she swayed side to side. She allowed her chaos of feelings to roll out of her. Excitement filled her as the elements raged around her. The river swelled as the fresh water overflowed its banks.

Frightened Leslie hopped on her bike to race home. She had to warn her parents of what was happening.
Angela laughed as she spun in a circle. The elements fed off her energy. Lightening danced in the sky as thunder boomed in the air. She was a part of the race that was the watchers of the elements. Their moods controlled the weather. Their emotional balance and calm maintained this earth, and today that balance was tilted by Angela’s smile.

The flood came swift, and was gone quickly as she danced on her boulder. The town and people were swept away as she sang with the thunder. She embraced her long forgotten dreams as the wind uprooted the surrounding trees. Today she smiled, and for that the world would pay.