Frivolous Fairy Tales for Modern People: A Dalliance With the Sun (Epilogue)

Part IV

~~~~~~~~

On a particularly bright day, there was a woman walking down the street. Her sneakers shuffled against the pavement rhythmically. She pushed a twin-seated stroller that held two babies peacefully lulled into slumber by their rolling carrier. 

The woman hummed a melodious tune that had passersby’s ears perking. The people turned their heads to stare at her. However, they could make nothing of her visage for it was shadowed by a worn baseball cap, and her eyes were hidden by thick sunglasses. Honestly, she was rather plain— yet despite this, she walked cheerfully and that entranced the people. Simply the sight of her and her sweet babies made them happy.

The woman finally arrived at her destination— a small storefront painted in an unflattering green with a large show window rimmed in white. The window displayed a wide array of delicate and attractive flowers. The woman pushed open the door and pulled along her stroller. The chiming bell welcoming her roused the babies awake. They softly grumbled and cooed, reluctant to open their eyes.

“Good afternoon!” The store clerk greeted cheerfully. 

The woman nodded in acknowledgment briefly and began her perusal of the store. She left the stroller by a display of sunflowers that faced the teenage girl working the register. The girl peered curiously at the stroller. 

Under their eyelids, the babies’ eyes shifted— a prelude to their awakening.

Meanwhile, the woman brushed her fingers over an arrangement of white chrysanthemums. She smiled under the cover of her cap. 

Suddenly, the teenage clerk gasped, stunned. The babies’ eyes sparkled iridescently. She couldn’t tell if they were golden or blue. Only when their mother returned with her selection did the girl cease her unabashed starring.

She coughed awkwardly as the mother approached. “Ahem— did you, uh, find your choice satisfying?”

“Yes, very.” The woman didn’t seem bothered by the girl’s embarrassment. She presented her pick of chrysanthemums.

The girl stuttered, realizing the possible reason for those flowers. “Oh, I’m sorry for your—”

The woman waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, it was an inconsequential loss.”

“Uh . . .”

“They were really—” she lowered her sunglasses to the bridge of her nose, revealing iridescent eyes, much like those of her children, that glowed surreally “ —meaningless.”

End