Ploy

The moon lit the surroundings up, encasing it in an enchanting glow of blue while the clouds let out a slight whimper and wept as its tears enveloped those out in the open and the fresh scent of nature made its welcome. I laid down on the grass not bothered by how drenched I would get. Today was a bit special as I finally had the time to finish up my painting. It was the first painting I ever did and I never managed to finish it as I've always found myself revising it over and over again. The painting I've made is titled "A River of White". It depicts a world filled up with darkness as a lone moon hangs itself in the upper middle of the painting and in the middle of the painting a person's hair can be found cascading down and creating a river-like scene. The person's arm then stretched towards the right side of the painting with a lantern floating right above his hand as flowers could be seen above the lantern, creating a river as it curved left and right towards the moon, gradually becoming stars as it neared it. I only named the painting after I had finished it while having the urge to name it "Moonlight over Stars and Flower of the Broken Lantern" or "Flower of the Broken Lantern" for short... As I grew more and more comfortable. I could feel myself slowly sinking into the world of dreams as my eyes slowly closed on itself and my thoughts cut short. Taking a light nap is not a problem anyway, it's not like a person would just barge in here. "Can I stay at your place?" A voice was heard beside me, startling me out of my nap. My guards were raised high up as I immediately sat up and looked for the owner of the voice. And soon enough, my gaze landed on the figure of a person a few feet away from me. His hair casually hung down to his shoulders. Eyes seemingly looking at you with affection and longing and mouth tilted upward as if looking at something that made him feel happy. His clothes hugged his body, outlining his slender figure reeking of charm. And his long legs, which are highlighted by the pants he wore. How can a person be so pretty? I found myself unconsciously nodding in approval at his words; not that I didn't understand what he said and the horrors one could end up with from inviting strangers into their home, nor was it because of his looks. It was just my guts telling me to trust this person and my guts never failed me before. As I led the person to my home, I didn't forget to ask a few questions regarding his origins and how he got to this place. You can never be too trusting, I suppose. Plus, the place I live in is not something you can just waltz into. The town, although just a couple meters away, is separated by a small hill. The only way you can get here is by crawling through a small tunnel or climbing the cliff, which I think is not possible with how clean he currently looks. It could just be that he treated his words as gold or he found me irritating, but aside from saying that he could not go back to the place he originally lived in, his mouth refused to budge even a bit. So much for being a good person, I guess. I stopped in front of a simple two-floored house and asked him to wait a bit and hurriedly opened the door, went inside, and shut the door closed before he could even react. I'm not going to let anyone see the mess of my house, much less, a stranger. I first went upstairs and gave myself a quick rinse and change before hurrying down to clean. A few minutes quickly went by as I swiftly cleaned up the mess I'd made. After assessing every nook and cranny to find if I missed any spots, I hastily opened the door and greeted the guest to come in. "Come on in." I smiled and made a gesture to the person. "It was a bit messy so please don't take my previous action to heart." "Mhm." He looked around and asked with a hint of doubt. "Is this where you live?" His head was titled to the side while his eyebrows were furrowed in confusion, pointing at the place and looking with a bit of discontent. "Is there a problem?" "Ah, I just thought you looked a bit rich so... " My mind churned as I felt my head heat up. I was honestly wondering if the guy was mocking me for only having a bunch of furniture. Well, not even a bunch, as the only thing decorating my living room is a rag and a small round table. Not exactly that inviting if you ask me and those that come to visit me once in a while. I guess it's time to buy a bunch of furniture. "I don't really have the need for those since..." Why am I even explaining myself? "-I'll lead you to the room you'll be staying in." I hurriedly changed what I was saying mid-sentence and led him towards the first room on the right. "The window is facing the front yard and I have already changed the bedding and pillow cases to new ones." I made a please gesture towards the room and waited for him to come in before I opened the wardrobe and explained. "I don't think that you have any other clothes to wear, so I took it upon myself to fill the wardrobe up with clothes. I'm not really sure if I'll fit you since I just estimated what size you're wearing. All of them are new, by the way." His brows loosened as his mouth uttered. "At least you did something right." "Then I'll leave you to yourself. The bathroom is in front of the room if you need a quick shower." I grumbled out loud and shut the door with a loud bang. Why am I even bothering to be polite? I stomped my way upstairs to show my hate towards the attitude he had. I suddenly paused when I reached the door and reflected on myself. What am I, a moody teenager? I don't have to be that affected. I huffed out in dissatisfaction as I opened the door and threw myself onto my bed. A few seconds passed by before I slowly sat up and went to close and lock the door. Maybe I should read a book? It never failed to keep my mind off some things before. I stared at the bookshelf, taking over the entirety of the left side of my wall, and quickly shook my gaze. I should just sleep.