Stone Serendipity

AKIRA’S POV

Three months gone and forty-nine towns down. One more and I can finally mark my fiftieth town before that ‘katherine_vlogs­83’. I don’t even know why she keeps that competition with me, like run your own YouTube and Instagram page and I’ll run mine. Anyway, I get dressed in a faded blue denim, matching a brown shirt with it. To complete the look, I wore my cowboy-shaped hat. I even put on some lip gloss because today I would be clicking many photos to mark the day. I then check out of the motel, get into my car I had bought a few years back, and head out for the town a few hours away.

My car is a rusty yellow colour, though it wasn’t always rusty. It gives off a vintage look as it’s really old, but I like it so I don’t sell it. I put on some loud music and drop down the windows as the car air conditioner broke long ago and I don’t have money to get it repaired. Not that I’m complaining, I like it this way.

My dream to study and vlog about every town in the continent of Europe may sound too absurd but hey, at least I can try. It’s been a year since I finished my studies, and since I really have no idea what to do in life, I decided to go further with my interest in the study of cultures. Of course, my parents didn’t like my idea of travelling every town in Europe just to study it and said things like ‘how would you survive without a job’ or ‘what would you do after your savings are over’ for which I had pretty simple answers like ‘YouTube gives you money for making videos’ and ‘I can deal with it when the situation comes’. So, I grabbed my savings from the time I worked at cafes and restaurants (which was surprisingly a lot) and set on my journey. At least I’m happy in life even though I have no job. Also, who knows, I might end up finding ‘him’.

I believe in soulmates. I believe that there is this man out there for me who completes me. Without whom, my life would be incomplete even if I get everything I wanted. Since none of my previous boyfriends were my soulmates, I guess I would just have to wait for my destiny to let me meet him.

I reach the town after two hours. As I reach the town called ‘Arcadia’, I first go to the gas station to get my car filled. Then, through some asking, I manage to find a good-looking motel and check myself in. With the help of the motel staff, I find out a lot about the town. Apparently, this town is pretty famous among tourists with many tourist places. I get a map and head out for the tourist places. I’ll be staying here for three days, so I have time to get to know this town better.

Most of the tourist places were crowded, so I quit standing in the lines and talked to the locals to know more about them. The town was one of the biggest I’ve been to and I got tired of travelling too much, therefore I return back to the motel early because I deserve a break after clicking and making all those high-quality photos and videos. Just the thought of editing those videos makes my already drained energy go down ten times more.

After two hours of editing and posting and uploading and doing all the online things, I was finally free. I make myself the fourteenth cup of coffee and lie down in my bed to look at what information the internet has about Arcadia. The town was kind of interesting, it had its own king and queen ruling over it and not under the rule of the country for quite a long time. The traditional food of Arcadia was also pretty famous over the internet, so I add the visit to the local wayside restaurants on the top of my to-do list for tomorrow. I then go through the myths and beliefs of the town. Studying about the old traditions of a place can help you know a lot about it. Most of them were the common ‘climb the mountain or dive in the lake to get this and that’, so I got a bit bored of them. However, one of the myths caught my attention. There was a statue in the middle of the central park, which is said to be the cursed princess who can only be brought back to life by the slight touch of her soulmate on her hand. I was a girl myself, so I couldn’t be the princess’s soulmate of course, but the place looked like a good vlogging spot and this statue story was sure to bring me more viewers than that Katherine. I finish my coffee and satisfied with my work of the day, I go to sleep.

The food was truly the best I’ve ever had. I feel that since I’ve tried Arcadian traditional food, I can finally die in peace now. I visited some more places after the local market and headed towards my last spot of the day- the central park, famous for its sunset view. I could see many people who came here to see the view.

Truly, it was mesmerising. The park was right next to the sea, and the setting sun shone a faded orange right above the horizon. It looked so beautiful that for a moment I forgot about the statue.

After viewing the sunset for quite a while, I set out to look for the statue. It wasn’t hard to find, as it was right in the centre of the park. The princess stood oh so gracefully, even as a statue her royalty could be clearly seen. She held her head a little low, portraying millions of emotions at once but still able to showcase one emotion clearly, loneliness. Her dress hung down her sides elegantly. She had her one hand pressed against her chest as if trying to inhale air but unable to, the other hung by her side, awaiting her soulmate. I caught myself staring at the statue and admiring how beautiful she was. I broke out of my trance and realised I had a video to make, so I approached the statue. Firstly, I explained the viewers the myth of the statue then told them I would be trying it out myself. I over-expressed my feelings because that is how you interest the viewers, by being too over excited. I slowly approached the podium and stepped onto it. I closed my eyes for effect and slowly, I kept my hand on the princess’s.

Nothing happened. Like, nothing at all. Of course, I wasn’t surprised, it couldn’t be that I am her soulmate. Afterall, I’m a girl too. I opened my eyes and just shrugged into the camera. I started to move away from the statue to head to my next destination, but the clumsy me forgot all about the podium and starts to fall down. I close my eyes for impact, but to my surprise, none came. I open my eyes slowly, only to find an extremely confused girl holding me in her arms to stop me from falling, looking directly at me. I start straightening myself to thank her but then I hear the crowd’s gasps. I look towards the girl standing next to me in confusion. Then I see where she was standing. On the podium, right beside me. I can’t see the statue anywhere. Then it hits me. The girl was the statue.

NADIA’S POV

Finally. After about a hundred years, I was free. All these years, I had been waiting for my soulmate to finally touch my hand. Oh, what all I would do to see the witch who cursed me to rot in her own spell bowl. Sadly, she had died a century ago. Over these years, millions of people have touched my hand. Most of them didn’t even wash their hands before touching me. Gross, I know. I made a mental note to take a good three-hour-long hot shower. I also wanted to buy a smartphone for myself, but firstly, I wanted to try the pizza from the shop across the road. Being a statue was hard, but the hardest part was not being able to taste the pizza whose smell is always lingering on my nose. The fact that there was a pizza shop right in front of me but I can’t eat it because I’m a statue doesn’t help.

Anyway, I inhale my first breath of freedom. It didn’t last long, as I heard a scream right beside me. I turned around and saw a girl falling off of the podium. I immediately took her hand to stop her from falling and she came right into my arms. I look at her, who’s eyes ae still shut from shock. A million emotions break inside me as my heartbeat gets faster. Something tugs in my heart as I looked at her. She looked…beautiful. I cut my stare and straighten both of us up. While she still struggles with her shock, I turned around to face my soulmate. To my surprise, I was only met with air. There was no one beside me except that girl. Is she my soulmate? A girl? Well, I guess it’s just my fate.

AKIRA’S POV

I can’t be her soulmate. I know I can’t. There are absolutely no chances that I am not straight. I’ve even had boyfriends! I stood there processing all that had happened when I saw a crowd forming around us. The ‘statue girl’ was still holding my hand and suddenly she started dragging me somewhere, breaking through the crowd. All I could do was submit to her and let her take me wherever. Low-key I was scared, what is she going to do with me. I was more scared when she took me to a quiet corner of the park and stared at me as if I had just killed her brother. I was actually scared for my life. As far as I knew, I was living as an innocent citizen of the European Union. She slowly approached me and I had to hold my hand up to stop her.

“Okay first of all, stop looking at me like that. I am scared, what are you going to do with me! Stand right there and don’t move another step forward before answering my questions,” I managed to say, although it was evident from my voice how scared I was. All she did was smile in reply and told me to go on. “What do I call you, statue girl?” I asked, to which I got a laugh as a reply. “Call me Nadia, my soulmate,” she said, smirking at the end. “I am not your soulmate! I am a girl and I am not into other girls as I am straight and why are you suddenly getting close, stay away,” I said as she had started getting closer again. “Listen here girl whatever your name is, it is our fate to be soulmates so you better accept it. I don’t like wasting my time so take me to that pizza shop like a good soulmate, you don’t want the princess of Arcadia to starve to death, do you?” she said in a husky voice that sent chills down my body. I stood there speechless as she was standing too close to me. She suddenly turned around and started walking away, and all I could do was follow her in response. Then I realised something.

NADIA’S POV

“My name is Akira.”

I smiled. Turning around, I met her gaze once again. “Very well then, Akira. Mind showing me the way?” I replied, following a very annoyed Akira. I let out a giggle looking at her cute behaviour. We managed to hide from people and she led me to her car. I was confused why she was taking me to her car when the pizza shop was in front of us, but I let it be as she knows better. I think the pizza here might not be so good and she knew a better one and is taking me there. What a caring soulmate I got!

I got into her car and gave her a disgusted look. She calls this dumpster a car? After a short fight I finally get inside it, sacrificing my perfectly clean gown. Akira then drives me somewhere far away. Now it starts getting fishy. Where was she taking me? After a while the buildings disappeared and I could only see a huge field.

“Where are you taking me?” I ask, to which she just told me to wait. After about what felt like a millennium, we finally reached an old building. She parked her car in front of it and told me to get off. I was really confused but I still decided to follow her. We got into the building and I see an old woman sitting behind a desk in a corner. We ignored her and start climbing the stairs. There were many rooms in that building. She took me to the first floor and entered a room. I hesitated a bit before following her. As soon as I entered the room, she locked the door behind us. This made the room completely dark as it was night-time outside and the lights were off.

“What are you doing?” I asked, trying hard not too get too anxious. She doesn’t reply and just starts moving around. Now I’m actually scared. As I was just about to shout out for help, she turned on the light.

I was in a room. Most probably hers.

“Chill, we’re just in the motel I’m staying at. I wasn’t going to move you around the city when you’re wearing that…gown. Just make yourself comfortable and I’ll get you some clothes,” said Akira before disappearing into the washroom.

I sat down on her bed, patiently waiting for her to come. As I was sitting, I looked around the room, observing every detail of a modern room. The rooms in my time used to be so dull, as we only used candles to light them up. I heard now days they got something known as ‘electricity’. People could run about everything from it. I felt myself tearing up for no reason at all. I had died at the age of twenty, only to be resurrected after a hundred years. I had missed out on so much, it hurt me a lot. I had tried to keep up with the world’s happenings through all the years by listening to people talking, by taking glances from the newspapers that the people read while sitting on my pedestal, but still I felt like I was never a part of it as I had never experienced it. I wanted to be a part of this world like everyone else, but it seems like I’m just a mere statue. I must be a crying mess as Akira literally ran towards me when she brought the clothes for me.

“What’s wrong Nadia? Why are you crying so much?”

She seated herself next to me and took me in an embrace. I kept crying in her arms as she kept saying sweet nothings in my ear. After sometime I calmed down and told her how I was feeling. She tried to explain me how it wasn’t my fault, but later I let it be. Once we were settled, she put the clothes in my hand and told me to go get changed quickly as the shops could get closed soon as it was getting late. I rush myself to the washroom and immediately start getting dressed.

AKIRA’S POV

No, Akira. No. You do not like her. I sat on the bed trying to deal out with my heart to stop beating so fast. When I came back from the washroom after choosing clothes, I was so shocked to see her crying that I just ran up to her and took her in my arms. At that moment it didn’t matter to me that my shirt was getting wet, I just wanted Nadia to stop crying and calm down. It broke my heart seeing her crying like this. When she finally calmed down, I asked her what was wrong. I didn’t even try to hide my concern.

“Akira, was it ever my fault that I accidentally saw the witch killing a person and told the entire town about it so they could capture her? Her last words were cursing me to turn to stone for a million years until my soulmate touched my hand. I just want to be a part of this world. Knowing about what’s going on by listening to other people is no use, I wanted to be a part of it and feel it myself. I had started believing that my part in this world is just to be a statue, nothing more. Until, you touched my hand and brought me back to life. I will forever be grateful of you for that,” she said, her tears threatening to come again. All I could do was stare at her until I took her into another embrace and held her tightly.

“Nadia why are you making me feel like this. What are you doing to me?” I say, still hugging her. “Okay enough of this crying, it really doesn’t suit you. Here, take these clothes and go get changed. The shops might close soon,” I say, handing her the clothes. She hurriedly went to the washroom to change.

Now that I think about it, it really must have hurt not being able to see the world. I could only imagine where I would be right now if not traveling. Suddenly, an idea struck me.

Nadia returns wearing a baby-pink button up shirt matching it with blue denim trousers. She really looked mesmerizing. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” she says, when I was staring at her. I find my cheeks heating up as I get up and approach her.

“Nadia, so I thought that…how would you like to come on this tour with me? I’m visiting the entire Europe and you can see it with me too,” I say. Her eyes brighten up as soon as I finished. She took me in a hug and started squealing in happiness. “Nadia…I can’t…. breathe…” I manage to say as she was choking me to death. “Oh, sorry,” she says, pulling back. I put my hand out for her to take it.

“Ready to have some pizza?”

She took my hand.

“Sure, soulmate.”