Fairy tale

In a certain city, there lived a girl. Sensitive, not particularly popular, but with her own circle of people she could get along with. If it weren't for her high expectations of her friends, she could certainly bestow this honorable title upon a large portion of her group. However, the girl was still missing something. Furthermore, she dreamed strange dreams that she never remembered upon waking; they left her with only the knowledge that something was wrong. When she tried to recall them, she saw something yellow... and conversations in a bright light. Nothing more.

The girl fell asleep. In her dream, she walked through some kind of fog, high, high. There was light all around her, and sometimes she passed smiling figures who greeted her, and she returned the greeting. She was very calm, unafraid of anything. She continued walking, toward a radiant sphere that—as she knew perfectly well—she could never reach. Yet, she didn't turn back or stop. And someone was walking towards her. In each dream, the same person. She knew he knew her. She always talked to her, felt respect for her. She was closer to that radiant sphere. She knew more.

This time, a person—let's call her Someone—told the Girl about her friend. The Girl had only met her once or twice; they went to the same school, but they didn't know each other very well. She just recognized the face, smiled at her once or twice. Someone told the Girl that her friend was very lonely. She needed to take care of her. Help her regain her self-confidence, help her overcome at least some of her insecurities. The Girl's friend had been ill once, and as a result, she now had back problems, and others laughed at her. Poor girl, she had no one to confide in. The Girl, who in her dream knew perfectly well who she was and what her responsibilities were, agreed. Besides, she had no choice. She always agreed to such things; Someone she couldn't and couldn't resist. He was—more important than she. Wiser. Closer to that radiant sphere, and in the world of her dreams, that meant a great deal.

Upon waking, the Girl, of course, didn't remember the dream. However, in the morning, at school, she smiled at the Friend and took her first closer look. She noticed a very delicate, almost childlike face, a startled look in her eyes. For several days, they exchanged smiles, until the Girl finally decided to strike up a conversation. The conversation wasn't very easy, as the Friend was terrified to say anything, but she proved to be quite a good listener. The next week passed with increasingly longer conversations during breaks, and the Girl was pleased to note that the Friend spoke more fluently, more often—in fact, that she had a wonderful sense of humor, they could communicate, talk about a wide range of topics.

Some time passed. The friend became more and more confident, no longer afraid of loud interruptions and speaking up in class. One time, the girl suggested that the friend meet with her group, sensing that they would probably like her – she was quite similar to them, only much quieter and still incredibly anxious. The friend initially reacted with panic, covering her face and protesting vehemently – but later agreed.

One beautiful May day, the friend and the girl met in the park. The others were due in fifteen minutes. The friend was afraid, wanting to go home, hide in a corner, and listen to music, but she stayed, which delighted the girl, as she cared deeply for this person.

During their first meeting, the friend didn't say much more than "hello," but something must have struck a chord with her, as she later asked about future meetings.

A few months passed. For the girl, it was a busy time – tests, grades, summer trips to camp and family. When she returned, she was shocked. The Friend, once her closest friend, had now drifted far away from her. Instead, she found a friend among the relatives of one of the Girl's friends she had met. She was cheerful, loud, completely transformed. She wasn't afraid, but... The Girl was surprised to find she couldn't talk to her about anything. She spent the entire day wandering around resentfully, not understanding how it had happened. Finally, she fell asleep.

She walked toward the luminous ball again, as she always did. And, as always, Someone came to her. The Girl complained to him that nothing had worked out, that the Friend, who had been so close to her, had wandered away. The Someone was silent for a moment. And he replied that it was meant to be. She was an angel, supposed to take care of her, introduce her to the human world, help her overcome at least some of her many insecurities. It worked. And this, not the failed friendship with the Friend, was most important to her—the angel. The Girl understood this. That was her job, after all. She was supposed to care for people, being human. Only then could she understand them, and people needed understanding the most.

And then she woke up. And once again, she couldn't remember her dream.