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Time-Locked: A Journal of Irony & the 11th Soul

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Simply a Miracle

A flower is a flower.

A strawberry is a strawberry.

And waiting? It takes FOREVER...

But what if... a little bit of a miracle hurry things up?

...~•~...

The moment I step through the kindergarten gates, a little girl with midnight blue hair and blue bell eyes bursts out.

"Melody!"

Miracle's voice rings across the playground, her tiny feet pattering as she sprints towards me. Her pink cardigan flaps behind her like a cape, her glittery sneakers and unicorn headband catch the sunlight.

She crashes a hug into me.

I laugh, ruffling her hair. "Were you waiting for me, Mimi?"

She tilts her head up, beaming. "Of course! You're almost late!"

Before I can defend myself, two more kids appear behind her, her friends—Marvin and Milani.

Marv, the observant one. He has the energy of an old man stuck in a four-year-old's body. Lani, on the other hand, is a sweet kid, always hiding behind her friends when she's uncertain about something.

I look at the three of them. "Why are you outside? Shouldn't you be inside with the others?"

Mira grabs my hand. "Because I have something important to show you, Melody! Come on!"

She tugs me toward the side of the school, where a small garden patch sits behind a low wooden fence. It's part of their class project—each child got to plant something and take care of it.

...~•~...

...Mira planted a strawberry plant because she said,...

..."Strawberries are just like you, Melody!"...

...Wait Mimi, what was that supposed to mean?...

...~•~...

Mira stops in front of a cluster of green leaves and points dramatically. "Look!"

Her strawberry plant she planted last month is finally budding. Tiny white flowers peek from the greenery. "They're growing," I smile.

Mira nods enthusiastically.

"I told them! But they don't believe me when I say these flowers will turn into strawberries!"

Lani: "But Mira, a flower is a flower..."

Marv: "And a strawberry, is a strawberry."

Mira groans. "But a strawberry comes from a flower first!"

Marv: "Aren't strawberries supposed to come from strawberry plants? Not flowers?"

Mira: "This IS a strawberry plant, Marv..."

Marv: "But I see a flower, no strawberry."

Mira: "I told you it's a flower first, then a strawberry."

Lani frowns. "I've never seen a flower turn into a strawberry before..."

I kneel beside them. "Alright, let's clear this up. You know how apples grow on trees, right?"

They nod.

Melody: "Well, before an apple grows to an apple, there's a flower first. The same thing happens with strawberries. The flower... of a fruit plant... will turn into a fruit over time."

Marv and Lani exchange looks, their little brains working through this new information.

Lani leans closer. "So... the flowers aren't just flowers, Melody?"

I nod. "They're baby strawberries in disguise."

Her eyes widen. "Ohhh..."

Marv still seems skeptical, but after a moment, he sighs and nods. "Okay... I think I can understand."

Mira crosses her arms smugly. "Told you."

I chuckle. "Now we have to take care of it and wait for the flowers to turn into strawberries."

Mira: "Then... we can share my strawberries and eat it with chocolate!"

Lani: "That sounds delicious, count me in!"

Mira: "Always!"

Marv: "Waiting takes too long..." — "What if we grow old before it turns to strawberries?"

Mira: "No worries, Marv. The strawberries will appear before we know it."

Marv: "Mira, it can take forever."

Lani: "What if they don't grow?"

Mira: "They will."

Marv: "How do you know that?"

Mira: "I just know things, remember?" — "And I'm miraculously always right!"

Marv: "You think..." he mumbles.

Lani: "Miracul... what?"

Mira: "Miraculous! It's something super amazing, like magic!"

Lani: "You seriously believe in magic?"

Mira nods. "More than I ever believe in myself!" — "And you know how much I believe in myself."

I smile, standing up. "Well, why don't we go inside? Everyone's waiting for us."

They took each other's hands, and together, we head towards their classroom.

And as we walk, Mira whispers to herself, "I just know they'll turn into strawberries soon. I can feel it."

Will they? ✨🍓

...~•~...

As soon as we step inside, the room fills with excited chatter. Tiny hands wave, feet kick happily beneath little chairs. I set my guitar down. "Who's ready to hit some notes?"

🧩 "Me!!" the kids chorus, bouncing in their seats.

I clap my hands twice. Clap! Clap!

🌷 "Hello, hello, it's time to sing,"

🧩 "Hello, hello, the music rings!"

🌷 "We sing, we clap!" I clapped once again.

🧩 "We stomp, we snap!" they chant, stomping their feet once and trying to snap their fingers.

With that, our class begins 🎶

...~•~...

[✨Miracle's POV✨]

I knew it. I knew it!

Lady Lyn was worried, but I told her not to be.

When she first said she'd have to take a break because of her baby, my classmates were upset. Who was going to teach us how to perform? Who was going to help us prepare for the annual fundraising event this November?

But I wasn't worried at all.

"Lady Lyn, don't be sad!" I had told her with a big, confident smile. "I already know the perfect person to coach us while you took your maternity leave!"

(Yes, I know what a maternity leave is. I mean... I'm four—Not stupid...)

She had smiled back at me, but it was the kind of smile grown-ups give when they don't believe you but don't want to hurt your feelings. "That's sweet of you, Mira, but—"

Mira: "She sings like a fairy, Lady Lyn." — "She has this thing that grown ups call a perfect pitch."

Mira: "She also plays guitar, violin, flute, piano, a little bit of a trombone... and many other stuff. Though she likes her classic guitar best." — "And... she's the best girl ever! All my friends will love her, so you don't have to worry about a thing!"

"And who is this magical person?" Lady Lyn asked me.

I puffed up my chest proudly. "Melody Ashwood!" — "My favorite person in the world!"

That's when she gave me the look.

The one that says, Oh, sweetie, you don't understand how the world works yet.

Lady Lyn: "She's a high school student, Mira. That means she's very busy. I can't ask her to—"

Mira: "You don't have to ask her, m'lady." — "Melody will say yes... Trust me." — "I'll take care of it!"

She laughed softly and patted my head. "That's very kind of you, but I'll speak to the headteacher about it, okay?"

But I knew Lady Lyn already had so much on her plate. Being a performance art teacher and being pregnant was never easy! And I also knew that the headteacher wouldn't refuse once she heard the idea.

So, obviously, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

Genius, am I not? ✨✨

I marched straight to the headteacher's office and presented my case like a true professional. I told her everything—about Lady Lyn needing to rest assure, and most importantly, about how my favorite person in the whole world was literally her own niece! I mean, who could say no to that?

...~•~...

Well, actually... Our headteacher, Ms. Noemi Dawson, is Melody's→ Dad's→ Big brother's→ Wife.

When I asked Melody, "Why is Ms. Noemi... a Dawson? Not an Ashwood like her?" Melody told me that, Ms. Noemi didn't took her husband's surename (Ashwood) and kept her maiden name (Dawson). So, Melody is actually the niece of Ms. Noemi's husband—but same thing.

...~•~...

Anyways, just like I predicted, my plan worked.

Performance Art class got moved to the weekends, and Melody became our temporary coach.

And, of course, she never disappoints.

She wrote a special song for us to perform at the annual fund raising event. She sings and plays her guitar like magic. And it actually feels like there is magic in the air, no joke.

I love her.

And I knew my friends would love her too.

See? this 'Mira-Miracle' was right again.

...~•~...

I strummed the first chord. The kids clapped along, their voices chiming in.

"Alright, everyone," I said with a warm smile, tapping the guitar's body for rhythm. "Let's have fun and give it our best!" — "Are you ready?"

They cheered, excitement bubbling in the air.

🎼 🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶

🌷: Close your eyes and take my hand; Let's go walking through dreamland.

🌷: Clouds can dance and trees can sing; If you just believe in things

...~•~...

And as I sang the first verse, something inside me slipped out... Magic.

The melodies I played, wrapping around us like a golden embrace. The rhythm settled into their tiny hearts, their claps growing perfectly in sync.

To them, it was just the music. Just a moment where the world felt brighter. I let it linger for a moment before pulling it back, reigning it in before it could slip too far.

Because this wasn't my world. And here on earth, magic was only a feeling. But—

...~•~...

🎶: If you believe, then you will see; Magic lives in you and me

🎶: Dreams can grow like flowers do; If you believe, they might come true!

🌷: Make a wish and let it fly,

🧩: Like a kite up in the sky,

🎶: Wish it loud, wish it bright; Hold it close, hold it tight

🧩: Raindrops sparkle, the flowers grow; Whisper wishes, watch them go

🧩: Close your eyes, count to three; And see the wonders you can see

🧩: Take a step, count to three; Believe in you, believe in me

🎶: If you believe, then you will see; Magic lives in you and me

🎶: Dreams can grow like flowers do; If you believe, they might come true

🧩: Make a wish and let it fly; Like a kite up in the sky

🧩: Wish it loud, wish it bright; Hold it close, hold it tight

🌷: Raindrops sparkle, the flowers grow; Whisper wishes, watch them go

🌷: Close your eyes, count to three; And see the wonders you can see

🌷: Take a step, count to three; Believe in you, believe in me

🎶: If you believe, then you will see; Magic lives in you and me

🎶: Dreams can grow like flowers do; If you believe, they might come true

🧩: Make a wish and let it fly

🌷: Like a kite up in the sky

🎶: Wish it loud, wish it bright; Hold it close, hold it tight

🌷: Wish it loud, wish it bright; Hold it close, hold it tight

...~•~...

"That was amazing, everyone! You're all getting better and better."

The kids cheer and beam.

I chuckled. "Next week, we'll announce who gets to lead the song for the performance. And after that, we'll start practicing the movements, so make sure to keep practicing at home! And most importantly... Have fun!"

I clapped once. "Let's wrap this class up!" —

🌷 "Voices high, Voices low..."

🧩 "We sing it happy, we'll steal the show!"

Laughter rippled through them as they jumped and line up. Some ran for high-fives, others ran for a quick hug before skipping out of the door.

...~•~...

I slung my guitar over my back. I had barely taken two steps out of the door when I spotted little miss Miracle, standing in the middle of her friends, arms crossed with humble smugness.

With a sigh and a small smile, I made my way over. "Alright, what's all the excitement about?"

Marv and Lani turned to me at once, their words tumbling over each other.

"Mira was right, miss Melody!"

"The strawberry grew so fast!"

"She said it would happen soon, and look!"

I followed their pointing fingers—there's a perfectly ripe strawberry.

Ah. So that's what happened.

Another tiny slip of magic. Nothing big—just a nudge, enough to speed up what was already meant to happen. But, of course, the kids didn't know that.

I kneeled beside them, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

Melody: "Maybe it was already growing, and you just didn't see it before?"

Marv squinted. "But we did see it before! It was just a flower!"

"And now it's a strawberry," Lani whispered dramatically.