Dragonstone Tablet

A Story :: More than Meets the Eye

Windell clutched the ornately carved wand, its surface surprisingly warm against his clammy palm. It had appeared on his doorstep that morning, a note in a delicate script promising untold beauty in exchange for a whispered wish. Windell, a boy perpetually shrouded in self-doubt, knew exactly what to wish for. Zeph.

Zeph, with his sun-kissed hair and eyes that held the sparkle of a summer sea, was everything Windell wasn't. In a world painted in vibrant hues, Windell felt like a faded sketch. Yet, his heart ached with a fondness so deep it felt like an open wound.

With a trembling voice, he spoke his wish, picturing Zeph's smile. A tingling sensation rushed through him, and when he looked in the chipped mirror on his wall, a gasp escaped his lips. Staring back was a stranger, a boy with features as sharp as the mountain peaks that ringed their town. His dull brown eyes now shimmered with a captivating emerald green.

Emboldened by his temporary handsomeness, Windell marched to school, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm against his ribs. Zeph, amidst a group of giggling girls, looked up, his smile faltering for a moment before blooming into full wattage.

"Windell? Is that you?" Zeph's voice, usually a carefree melody, held a hint of surprise.

Windell, his throat suddenly dry, managed a sheepish grin. "Hey, Zeph."

The day unfolded in a blur of stolen glances and whispered conversations. Zeph, for the first time, seemed to truly see him. They dissected frogs in biology, the pungent formaldehyde a distant hum compared to the thrill of their hushed jokes. Windell helped Zeph with a particularly tricky math problem, the shared triumph erasing the self-consciousness that usually gnawed at him. They walked home together, the setting sun painting the sky in fiery hues as comfortable silences turned into easy laughter. Windell, for those stolen hours, felt a happiness he never thought possible.

As the last sliver of sun dipped below the horizon, a cold dread coiled in Windell's stomach. He glanced at his hand, the magic fading, the emerald flecks in his eyes dulling. Panic seized him. He pictured his reflection morphing back into the familiar, unremarkable face, a stark contrast to the vibrant world around him.

"Zeph, I—" he stammered, but the words wouldn't come.

Zeph, frowning slightly, stopped walking. "Windell, what's wrong?"

The magic faded completely, and Windell's familiar reflection stared back at him from the puddle at his feet. Tears pricked his eyes, blurring Zeph's concerned face.

"I... I wished to look different," he confessed, his voice barely a whisper. Shame burned in his throat. "To be someone you might notice."

Silence stretched, heavy and suffocating. Windell braced himself for rejection, for the inevitable disappointment in Zeph's eyes.

Then, a laugh, soft and genuine, bubbled out of Zeph. Windell's head snapped up in surprise.

"Windell," Zeph said, his eyes twinkling, "you dolt. I liked you before, you know."

He reached out, his touch lingering on Windell's arm. "Maybe not for your looks, but for your kindness, your funny stories, the way your eyes light up when you talk about the stars. You spend so much time buried in those astronomy books, you forget how much you actually see."

Windell stared, speechless. The magic wand, forgotten in his pocket, felt insignificant suddenly. In that moment, under the twilight sky, he understood that true beauty wasn't something bestowed by magic, but something recognized by the heart.

Their love story, though born from a wish fueled by insecurity, blossomed into something far more real. Zeph helped Windell see his own worth, the unique qualities that made him special. The magic may have faded, but the warmth in Zeph's eyes remained, a constant reminder that love sees beyond appearances.

The sunrise the next day painted the sky not in fiery hues, but in the warm glow of a love that defied appearances. Windell tossed the wand into a hidden corner of his drawer, a forgotten relic of a brief moment of doubt. He had something far more valuable now: Zeph's hand clasped in his, their fingers intertwined as they walked to school, ready to face the world together.

GENRES: Fantasy | LGBTQ | Love/Romance
WORD COUNT: 693 Words
PROMPT: Fantasy & Fairy Tale Prompts
1. You have a magic wand. What do you do with it?
THE RAVEN TASK: "Raven Task #3"