The sky was black with specs of stardust all over, and a big bright moon that illuminated the Earth ever so slightly, just enough to see things at least five feet away from myself. A beautiful night I suppose I would say. Comets raced across the black velvet and disappeared, though I love thinking that they burst into many pieces of light, but that’s only in my head. Instead of sleeping the night away, I was sitting on a blanket under a tree reading A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare.

“The more I love, the more he hateth me,” I whispered softly. It was something Helena said from the play. I guess Helena and I have something in common. I put a bookmarker in my book, and clutched it tightly to my chest. I threw my head back and laughed ruefully. It’s a funny work, the word ruefully, and even funnier than my name is Rue. It’s just plain ironic.

I closed my eyes tightly and tried to imagine myself as Hermia, but I couldn’t see it at all. I’m stuck as Helena, unwanted by the person she loves most yet she wouldn’t leave him despite how much he disdained her. What a stupid character.

“Hey!” A deep voice said. I opened my eyes and saw a boy with black hair and green eyes with one of his hands was extended towards me. It felt like he expected me to take it and stand up, so I did. Slowly, cautiously we touched fingers and out hands intertwined. He pulled me up. His hands were quite larger than mine and quite cold, but they say someone with cold hands usually has a warm heart.

“Who are you?” I asked. I had no idea who this person was, and I didn’t know if I could trust him. You can’t count on hands to judge a person’s personality. It was dark, I don’t think anyone could hear me if I screamed, and you don’t have to be a sixty eight year old man to rape someone. He smirked at me like he knew what I was thinking.

“You don’t need to know,” he told me. “Just tell me what you want most.” I looked and him, and blinked twice like my brain did not compute what he said. It was, after all, a very peculiar question.

“Nothing,” I said in response as my eyes turned to my feet. That was a lie, a huge lie. I wanted to leave my school, friends who pay no attention to me and don’t care for me, and… someone who I can’t reach no matter how much I run to him.

“There must be something,” He said. Would it really matter if he knew? It isn’t as if he could grant my wish. He’s obviously not a genie.

“What would it matter?” I cried. “There’s no way you can give me what I want.” Tears streamed down my face, and he smirked in that same way of knowing yet again.

“Let’s say I can,” the boy said. It wasn’t like I had anything to lose.

“Please take me away from here,” I whispered. The boy dug out a silver key from his pocket, and walked passed me to the old tree behind me. He put the key into the tree as if it was a door, and, after turning the key, a large section of bark opened up just like a door.

“Follow me,” He said calmly and then disappeared into the tree. I followed closely behind. The tunnel in the tree was dark and damp. I couldn’t see anything and we walked for what seemed like an hour before coming to some light.

The light burned my eyes, but when my vision cleared up I say a lake. A blue, sparkling lake… in a tree… but it was beautiful. The grass looked soft and the trees were dancing in the sunny breeze. The air smelled so fresh, untouched by fumes and pollution. Then I noticed something… there were a pair of white pointe shoes under a tree.

“Come dance with me,” I heard the boy say. I stepped back a few steps. I haven’t danced for a very long time. Not since I sprained my ankle at least. It’s not that I can’t it’s more like I’m afraid to. Yet he still beckoned me to dance a pas de deux with him.

“Um….I….uh… Come capture me first!” I said and started to run into the forest of trees. The next thing I know, I’m being picked up by the boy and flung over his shoulder.

“Caught you!” He laughed as he set me beside the slippers. Hesitantly I put them on and got on my feet. The boy then took my hand and led me to the lake, but he didn’t stop at the edge of it. He continued until we were walking on water. The water was solid somehow yet droplets and splashes of water followed my footsteps. It had an icy quality yet had more friction than ice. I could hear a music box playing somewhere. It was such nostalgic tune, but I’ve never heard it before. We then started to dance. He was a powerful dancer and so full of emotion, and, when it came to it, he lifted me up effortlessly. I wasn’t afraid to dance pointe… Maybe… I can go back to ballet. I loved dancing with him, but for some reason I felt tired, too tired, and fell over. The boy caught me before I hit the water.

“You can keep the music box,” he whispered in my ear and I fell into a deep sleep.








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I woke up the next morning with a jolt. A dream…. It was all only a dream. I cried and cried. I should have known. Now where on Earth was so beautiful and no mortal could dance on water…. No boy could possibly dance with me like than…

It took ten minutes for me to realize that music was playing under my shirt. I felt around my neck for a chain and when I found it I took it off. A small music box playing the same music as the music box last night did was attached to the chain. It was distinctly like a locket, but it had a windup key, yet like a locket it had a small compartment. I opened it up and a piece of paper with a message for me was in it.

“Look on your desk,” the message read. I turned my head and saw the white pointe shoes I danced in last night. I got up off my bed, walked to them and picked them up. There was another message in the right shoe.

This one read, “My name is Eric, but, please, call me Puck.”