A broad grin etches across your face, your entire face beaming with such delight and youth. The twinkling stars reflected within your eyes shimmer brightly; the luminous orbs whisper tacit words, murmuring the soft secrets of your heart.


You feel like you're on top of the world, a sense of invincibility flooding through your veins. But with a single word from his lips, you collapse and watch the high pedestal you once stood on crumble into pile of rubble near your feet.


You draw a breath, but your throat immediately tightens; the dust-polluted airs encompass you, shrouding you in a blanket of soiled fog. Your eyes begin to dampen, and the blistering tears desperately cling onto the brink of your lower lids. The faulty dam finally disintegrates, and the waterworks stream down your face. The dagger punctures your chest and digs deeper into your skin until it pierces through the thumping organ. The dagger was of course invisible, a figment of your imagination; however, the pain of the weapon was undeniably real…


You try to prop yourself up, but your arms simply tremble and collapse. Every limb in your body seems to have gone numb, refusing to lift you up from your own pool of self-pity and misery. Tears continue to travel down your scarlet-hued cheeks; grimy streaks are plastered onto your wretched daily mask.


Moments swiftly pass, and you continue to squander your precious time. From a passing outsider's perspective, it looks as if you have all eternity; it's as if you're immortal. The outsider watches in amazement as you simply lie there…soaked in despair.


The stranger's scruffy shadow glides toward you; your eyes are soon gazing at the helping hand in front of you. There's a faint flash of hesitation in your eyes, but it quickly fades. Swallowing your pride, you warily grasp onto the stranger's hand. V e r y s lo w l y, you pull yourself up and finally meet the outsider's eyes. You furrow your eyebrows in confusion; however, you quickly come to understand.


The person is neither an outsider nor a stranger; it's you. Her eyes carry the same twinkling stars that veil a deep ocean of secrets, just like you. You even recognize the vulnerability echoed in her eyes, a weakness that only you could discern when looking into your own reflection. Brushing back a strand of hair behind your ear, a small smile etches across your face, inch by inch.


You realize you're a lot stronger than you gave yourself credit for; after all, you were the one who picked yourself back up, not anyone else.