Yellow Light
A second. It only took a second for him to change his mind and turn back. Back when things were simpler.
But he was already there, at a marsh surrounded by an ominous fog. His feet hadn't heeded the warning blaring in his mind and now he knew it was too late. He couldn't go back even if he wanted to. So he kept walking, across the mushy soil and into the murky water. His eyes were fixed to the yellow light floating ahead, above the body of water. He walked in a daze, as if the light was luring him into the unknown.
And into the unknown he went.
---
"I don't get it. He could still turn back. Is he stupid?" said a teenage girl sat across him. He stopped his narration and looked at her; a dark-skinned beauty whose soft curly hair, smooth skin, and expressive eyes were what made her attractive, yet not what made his heart flutter. It was more than her appearance, more than casual flirting and a couple of dinner dates. It was everything about her. Just being next to her gave him a warm and familiar feeling like she was his home, and there could never be anyone else-
"Magnus? Hey! Is your brain short-circuiting?" the girl asked him while snapping her fingers in front of his absent-minded eyes.
Magnus blinked a few times, trying to get himself back into reality. "Ah, sorry, Summer. I-" He stopped himself as if he just realized something. He grinned and told her, "I was lost in your beauty."
Summer rolled her eyes, but her lips formed a faint smile. "I don't know how I'm not tired of you, yet."
Magnus chuckled. "Please never get tired of me." He glanced at the window of his room, his eyes reflecting the golden hue of the sunset. "I think, it's not that he couldn't go back. There's just a part of him that didn't want to, and for some reason he was clinging to it."
Leaning against the backrest of the chair, Summer found herself staring at her boyfriend's eyes. They were heterochromia; dark brown on the right and soft blue on the left. Most of the time, they looked distant, as if he was looking past the things and people in front him and into the unseen beyond the horizon. They only seemed to be in the present when he was looking at her, which made her feel special. "So, are you saying he actually wants to go despite of the warning?"
Magnus nodded and seemed lost in thought for a bit before he turned back to her. "So, what do you think?"
Summer tilted her head, thinking. "I think...the yellow light is a symbol for both opportunities and dangers. But then again, that's how it is for new things. You find something new, get curious, and next thing you know you're in a different world full of dangers and opportunities."
"Like an adventure."
"Like an adventure," she parroted. "But wait, is this story a way for you to tell me you just found this so-called yellow light of yours? Are you secretly telling me you're going to embark on an adventure?"
Magnus smiled, his eyes were profound, looking as though they were telling a thousand stories. "Not quite. I'm already on it."
Summer stared at him for a moment, confused. But then she gave up. "I can never truly understand that mind of yours."
He chuckled and suddenly the atmosphere grew slightly heavier. He looked into her eyes, a hint of longing flashed for a brief second before a look of determination replaced it. "I've found my yellow light. It took me far from home, to places I couldn't have possibly imagined before. I've made friends and enemies, fought strange creatures, got a couple of victories and many losses, before it led me to you." His expression grew more tender, and his eyes locked onto her soul, as if promising to never let go of her. "Another story is about to begin. But this time, I'm the one who's going to narrate it. And as long as I can help it, it won't end in tragedies. Not anymore."