Wishing Star

He stares up at the dark starry night, his gaze shifting from one light of hope to another. They bring comfort to his broken soul. They give him the freedom that he loathed for so long, but never had. Not even the chains around his feet and wrists made him feel imprisoned, for the feeling and thoughts rushing through his mind made him feel as though his soul left his body, as he was one with the silence.

The smooth wind against his face, the cold comfort of the air makes him smile as he gently closes his eyes. For once the darkness felt comforting. The stars brought him hope, they calmed his soul and covered away his fear for a second.

He was never supposed to be in a place in which reflected your fears behind bars. They say a truthful man will seek hope for the truth but a wrongdoing man will fear for the truth. In this case Leo was a dead man that carried specks of hope in his heart from the comfort of the stars.

The buzzing sound of a bell breaks the silence between him and the stars as a door opens from behind and a guard steps outside.

Leo feels his lungs tighten against his chest, his heart picks up pace and the anxiety within the back of his mind blurs his vision.

"Time is up Leo" the guard mentions to him as he steps beside the prisoner.

Leo does not reply as his gaze moves from one star to another as emotions and thoughts rush through his mind.

"Leo I know It is hard for-" the guard begins but he is interrupted.

"Do you believe in wishing stars?" Leo quietly asks him as he blinks up at the sky. "They say wishing stars only come true when you really need something" he adds in.

The guard does not comment but instead slowly answers the question.

"Not all wishes come true, instead we dream of them to come true" the guard replies as he moves closer to him.

Leo lets out a little hurt snicker.

"Maybe that is the problem with me, I dream of my wishes to come true" his thick voice smooths out against his emotions trying to break free. "I wished for freedom, I wished for an escape...I never lost hope but maybe my wish is yet to come true" he says as he stares at the guard. "Or maybe I am dreaming"

The guard realizes the tears slipping down his cheeks, he gently holds onto Leo's arm.

"Am I a bad man Arthur?" Leo blinks at him. "I didn't do it-"

"Son, I am not the one to judge" Arthur stares at Leo with pity and regret. "We all judge each other but no one knows you as well as yourself, if you're a truthful man and believe that you are innocent- you shouldn't be worried about what other people think about you" Arthur strokes the young mans back. "We create systems that have consequences my boy, I watched you throughout these years- you're like a son to me and I saw the truth in you, but we know words can do nothing against actions"

"I am not scared about what other people think about me" Leo lets the tears fall, he cries out the pain...he cries out the anger. "I don't want to leave, I don't want to feel scared" he sniffs.

Arthur hugs the young man and comforts him, he feels Leo's chest lifting up and down against him as he takes deep breaths in and out.

"You're not a bad man Leo" the guard whispers into his ear.

Leo cries out even more.

"I had a future ahead of me" he mutters. "Now all I will leave behind is a burden to my parents, I am taking the truth to my grave" he cries out as he gently pulls away from the guard.

Arthur wipes away his tears and gives him a small sad smile.

"Maybe...maybe my wish is coming true" Leo breaks the silence as he glances up at the sky. "Maybe this is my way of escaping the lies of which I have tangled into" the young man says.

"Would you like to write a letter one last time?" Arthur asks him.

Leo looks at him and shakes his head with a small smile.

"I sent my last letter to my parents" he smiles sadly. "It may be my last but at least I will now be able to see them from far away" he wipes away his tears with the back of hands.

The chains rattle against his movement.

"I will be one with the stars, maybe in a few years- I'll see you there" Leo smiles at Arthur.

The old guard who was about sixty smiles at him.

"Anywhere but here is better" Arthur responds as he lets out a small sigh.

The familiar sound of a buzzer comes again from the main back door.

They're waiting for him.

Leo realizes this and just smiles as he looks away from the sky and back at Arthur.

"We shouldn't keep them waiting" Leo mutters as he slowly steps away, taking steps backwards as he looks at the beautiful dark sky one last time.

Arthur looks at him sadly but doesn't ruin the last moments of happiness in the young man's eyes. He smiles as though he has been gifted his escape.

"I'll be up there Arthur" he says pointing at the space which was furthest away from other stars. "That space is for me" he adds in.

Arthur pats him in the back and comforts him as they step into the dark hallway.

He is guided down the hallway in which he will take his last steps. He will enter a room where a chair awaits him with straps and syringes. He will feel pain for the last time.

He will feel sad and imprisoned for the last time.

The door closes behind them and once again silence takes over.

Maybe this was his way of escaping, Leo was right, maybe his wish was yet to be accepted...maybe it was sooner than he thought.

The young boy who was peering down at Leo moments ago through the barred window from the top level, reaches his hand out through the space and feels the air in between his fingers.

Although none of them could change their destiny maybe this was their way of escaping their sad reality. Escaping their lies and mistakes.

The young boy stares at the sky and tries to calm the nerves down as he relives the last moment of his cellmate, moments like this he wishes the hallway wouldn't be so silent.

His gaze lingers on the empty point where Leo had pointed at.

He doesn't move as he waits.

He waits for the star to appear in the empty space.