Featured in the 2023 Winter Issue of Rambunctious
By Rozir Kirkland, ’25
As he strolled out the door his vision went white, and his head began to ache, a good ache, though, (he hasn’t been out a while, a long while.) He began to walk forward, he limped a bit as he stepped, but his stride had improved exponentially. His eyes could stay still as he was amazed by every small detail that met his gaze. Even though he flinched at every passing car, (and sometimes let out a yelp), he kept pressing on.
He walked till he came across a small bakery on the street corner. He stopped and almost fell to his knees. His head whipped and eyes darted towards the pastels colors of the wall and abundance of cakes and pastries on the shelfs. But he ignored the, all, he looked for a particular baked good. A muffin, a chocolate chip muffin, the most marvelous chocolate chip muffin with powdered sugar on top (not too much, not too little), and a single perfectly curl shaved piece of chocolate on top. He shed a tear as he remembered a dear friend of his that would make muffins just like that at their small bakery on a particular street corner, and he almost smiled.
Until his eyes drifted to a poster. A poster that states, “in loving memory of Martin Grey”. His tear began to fall profusely, but his smile (almost a smirk) remained. Him and Marty were amazing friends, when he would into Marty’s little bakery, Marty would say to him, “Hey Sammie! Come get your muffin you pig!” Sam and Marty would both laugh and Sam would pull out this pocket knife and cut the muffin in two and they would sit and enjoy together.
Sam was startled out of his daydream as a finger tapped him on the shoulder, and he saw that the muffin was gone. He slowly turned and a hand reached out with the muffin, the hand was attached to a girl, a small girl with teary eyes and turned up frown. He accepted the muffin and turned around. The sun had gone from a bright white to vibrant shades of orange and purple, and as Sam began walking from whence he came he realized. He never finished a muffin on his own.