Disclaimer: The characters portrayed within this work of fiction are my own. I apologize for any similarities to persons in the real world.

My Sky, So High
By: Rubedo Jr.

Once upon a time, in a land much like your own, a child stood, alone, underneath the wide, open sky. Where the child was matters little, but if it did, it might look similar to a rolling field of tall grass, blossoming flowers in the height of spring, floating butterflies and a sun hovering at noon. A good reason it matters not, for it would sidetrack the child from gazing upon the sky, so high, far away, like his dreams. The child, a lonely boy upon the cusp of adolescence, was transfixed by the sight.

And why shouldn't he be? The sky was everything - majestic, encompassing, unafraid, aloof. So high, so far away, so out of reach, like everything he wanted. Like...everyone he wanted. The boy was confused, and no small part saddened, by things beyond his understanding.

A mother, haughty, lovely even in her disdain, showing affection for her son as often as pigs fly unassisted. A father, rarely home, like a stranger. The few tender words spoken towards the boy falling short, as though robbed of substance. A community delighting in his parents' excellence, which always, not so secretly, murmurs not-so-delightful things about the boy, as though he were cursed.

Most confusing of all was the boy who, only a few years into his teens, looked at him as though he were a person, eyes warm with caring, perhaps even respect. Maybe he had answers, maybe he could explain...

Above, the sky, ominous as ever, began to dim, cloud's gathering, as clear a warning as any could expect.

'Sky so high,' the boy thought aloud, 'I wish I someone would be my sky, someone to weather my storms, someone as bright as the sun, someone I can hide within, as though they were a cloud. I wish I had someone who cared...'

Unnoticed by the child was, staring upon the wayward sky in its splendor, lying comfortably in the grass is the older boy, his concerned expression showing that he'd been there some time. As the child began walking away, he stood up quietly, brushing grass off himself.

'Hey,' the teen says, causing the boy to turn, surprised. The teen holds his hand out, smiling sadly, though his eyes show his caring and his concern. 'I'll be your sky. I'll weather your storms. I'll outshine the sun. I'll hide you away, cloud that I am.'

For a time, neither moves, the boy speechless, unsure what to think. The wind picks up, and the sky cackles, flashing with ominous glee, crying tears of laughter as the sight below it, yet still, neither moves.

Then the boy takes one cautious step towards the teen, then two, and then he's running towards him, burying his face into the older's stomach, finally letting out all the tears he's held back, letting the pain flow freely. The older boy wraps his arms around the boy, picking him up, holding him close, making soothing noises and patting the boy's back consolingly.

'There, there...I said I'd be your sky, after all.'

The boy left home that day, hand-in-hand with the teen. They haven't been seen since. The parents of the boy never seemed to notice that their son was gone, while no one was ever sure if the teen had a family to return to in the first place. Eventually, even the most interested, such that they were, had lost interest, and went about their lives.

Up high, of course, the sky knew where they were. Of course, when have you known the sky to give freely its secrets?