Paper Hearts | A children's story. Allegedly.

There was once a girl who lived in a calm and cool world, and one summer morning she is sitting at her window looking out into the clear blue sky. She focuses on an object far away in the distance, at first thinking it is a bird, but as it comes closer she sees that it is in fact a piece of paper, of the brightest pink she has ever seen. If there were ever a sweeter colour, she had never seen it. It dances through the air and lands flat and dead on the ledge, lifeless. Tears begin to cloud her eyes: something so beautiful should never die. She holds the paper close to her heart, and feels it beating stronger than before. Feeeling she can give the paper life, she cuts four little hearts from the sheet, and folds them into her pocket.

Months pass and she forgets about the hearts, until one day she is out walking and sees her sister in the street. The life has gone from her eyes, but the girl believes there is still hope. She places the paper heart on her sister's chest, and watches as she slowly sits up, and breathes again. The girl smiles, and carries on her journey.

She comes across an old friend. He starts to scream at her, and says she is killing him. The girl once again reaches into her pocket and produces and crumpled paper heart. She smoothes it against his chest, and watches as the old friend is once again calm. They embrace each other, and the girl carries on her journey, althugh weaker than before.

The girl then comes across a woman, who stands in front of her and will not let her pass. She gives the girl a blank notebook of one thousand pages, and demands that every page is filled with a poem by the time the sun has set. The girl breaks down, saying that she cannot do the task. Until she remembers - and she reaches into her pocket, and places the third paper heart inside the book and makes a wish. Upon opening it, she finds every page inscribed with a poem more beautiful than the last. The woman moves aside and allows the girl to continue her journey, although by now she is almost too weak to move.

She reaches her house, but it is already dark. It seems so far away, and hours seem to pass before she reaches the door. The people in the house are calling to her. She searches all her pockets, but cannot find a key. She begs for someone to open the door, but they say that they cannot move: she is the only person who can move them. She reaches for the last paper heart, and is about to place it on the door. There are screams from inside the house and the flickering of flames: "we will burn your house down if you don't help us." The girl stops. She turns away from the house, and looks up to the sky. "You can burn my house down," she whispers, "but I can build my soul back up." She presses the last remaining heart to her chest, and feels herself become as light as a feather.

A gust of wind soars across the porch, and sweeps a million pink paper hearts up into the night sky. A single salty raindrop falls onto the girl's house, dousing the flames and screams from inside.