The day is any day.

The sidewalks are deserted.

It is the pitch black of the night.

The cold air stings like a thousand bees.

In the distance I hear cars.

I am walking next to my friends.

We are drunk with laughter and saturated with glee.

Up ahead the street lights shine like stars.

The moon stands like a beacon, a destination.

Although the sky is dark the whole world seems so bright and colorful in contrast.

The whole environment causes me to relax and sink into my thoughts

For once there are no exams, no adults present to hinder or invade our teenage joy, no drama, no obligations, and nothing weighing us down. Simply a full day of doing what we want to do with the people that matter to us.

Our wallets are laid empty after a day of expenditure

Our legs aching after our long trek

Our stomachs complacent after a small feast.

Our eyes heavy yet gleaming,

Suddenly, there is complete silence.

We hear the buzzing of some animal nearby

And our own breathing.

We friends look at each other, our eyes meeting.

No one says a word, but we all know what we’re thinking

We wish that this moment would never end.

We wish that we wouldn’t become ordinary school kids tomorrow

Going back to our dark, difficult, and lonely lives.

That we won’t go home and sleep off the feeling

This feeling of freedom

This feeling of belonging

This feeling of pure unrestricted happiness

The conversation starts again as we reach our destination.

The fork in the road.

Here is where we go our separate ways

When the magic ends

But, once again

Without words

We make a pact.

To not let the magic wear off

To cast our own spell tomorrow

And live our separate lives

In anticipation of the next time

When this group of friends meets again.

-Syed Raza