Gabby

There was once a girl with a fiery tempest in her soul. She didn't remember when the fire started burning, only that it had become an inferno as the years passed by. It was not an all consuming fire, it was a fire born of creativity. She just had to express herself in different media. She read voraciously, devouring books like an apostle at the sultan's banquet. Over time she took to writing too, maintaining a personal diary which knew her every secret. She called this diary Gabby and Gabby was her first friend.

Gabby taught her a lot. Gabby saw her writing evolve and become mature, from the initial baby steps to standing on its own two feet. Ink stains and endless paragraphs covered Gabby from head to toe. She remembered staying up nights, writing in Gabby, somewhat like a non evil version of Tom Riddle's diary. And like a true friend, Gabby was a good listener and didn't mind the repeated scratched out sentences written in blood red ink.

Sometimes she would draw. Small animals, a good looking boy from her class, a couple of muscular men from a series such as Supernatural. She put these drawings up around her room, decorating the four walls with numerous faces and scenes from her favourite movies.

Time passed and she grew up into a tall woman with really messy hair. Gabby had aged too, but the duo were still strong. Whenever Gabby ran out of pages, they would be replenished and over the years, Gabby had become as thick as Tolkien's masterwork The Lord of the Rings. There is something curiously comforting about a blank page and a pen. You can work wonders with them.

One day, she brought someone home and showed him Gabby. She told him Gabby's story, about how Gabby always understood, a silent knight in shining armour. He understood because he was like that too.

She was fire, He was rain. She was Yang, he was Yin. They had a lot in common, but were not lovers. They were friends and because they were friends it was easier for her to tell him the things that previously only Gabby knew. But nobody would know Gabby in its entirety. There are some things that only a diary and its owner know.

This person who had walked into her life was initially shy and aloof. He was introverted and sometimes caused her chagrin because she felt like she was leaving him out of conversations. But, time worked its magic and soon they talked daily about how their days had been, broken hearts, pizza sauce and Mentos. Needless to say, Gabby was kept up to date about their shenanigans, like that one time when she had flipped out and yelled at him for ten minutes straight, only to find a giant smirk on his face instead of anger or that one time she had frozen French fries which had to be  blow dried before frying at a hangout with friends. Gabby heard it all and sometimes she would look at the words with a smile on her face. That insatiable fire of expression burnt brighter than ever, and he recognized her need for timber, supplying her with music to further hone her skills.

The first time he had given her a song, he was nervous. He didn't know if she would like it. But she did. It was as if a new door had opened and their friendship evolved. You see music was to him what Gabby was to her. Music always understood him, motivating him, supporting him. Whenever he needed a hug, music spread its arms wide. He could lose himself in music, for days on end.

Look at me, rambling on seemingly without a point. But there is a point. This is the tale of two people, who are alike. It is the tale of a girl with fire and a boy with serenity. But, more than that, it is a tale of two friends whose paths just happened to cross in a spider's web. These two children have the world spread out before them. They will grow, live, love and laugh. He will always  find a text from her, and she one from him. Maybe one day, she will become an aunt or he an uncle and the story shall live on, to be told by even more children. As for her fire, it will continue to burn and maybe one day this teller of tales will spin a story about her for you to read.

Remember reader, a boy and a girl can be friends. It just takes common sense.       

The Bilge Master