Six figures sit amongst themselves in a coffee shop that holds only seven chairs at a round table. This place can bend at the will of these figures, the windows showing no knowledge or repetition of worldly patterns, the furniture never showing a speck of dust or decay despite the decades that pass. There is a wooden bar and dated television that sits in the corner of the wall where these figures, these protectors, watch over their young girl.
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She sits with a white transparent figure beside her on the couch as one of her favorite Disney movies finishes on the screen, chocolate wrappers and popcorn scattering the table in front of them.
“They never do anything productive when they're in charge,” Blue complains.
“We can’t all force her to be productive, she needs some resting time too,” Yellow replies, heading to the counter to pour themselves a coffee to pass the time and prepare themselves for the next shift.
“I wouldn’t get that if I were you,” Red warns, propping their feet on the table, a lollipop in their mouth.
“Why not? I need it to stay up with her until she falls asleep,” Yellow notes, still pouring the coffee into a bright yellow mug with a sunflower on it.
“She’s probably going to have a midnight crisis after the movie, her dad isn’t in the best mood right now, that bastard.” They grimace at the mention of her father. “Honestly, that man causes too much trouble for our girl.”
“I mess with him sometimes. It’s fun,” Green smirks, thinking back to the times her father had ‘lost his footing’ or ‘misplaced’ something. Though his favorite thing to do was jolt the man from his sleep, watching his face fill with fear as he catches a fading shadow in his dim bedroom.
“You know not to interfere,” Blue says in a warning tone.
“Oh please, if I give the guy a few restless nights what's it gonna do? He’ll probably just think it’s his demons coming to haunt him.”
They have all had their share of monitoring her breakdowns in an attempt to soothe and assure her she wasn’t alone, regardless of whether she could see them or not. The lights above them began to flicker, dimming and radiating as if a wire were short circuiting in their eternal cafe.
“Told you. She just spoke to him. You might want to switch that for something a bit...stronger.”
“I got it,” Yellow responded grumpily as they reached below the counter to grab a bottle of vodka and orange juice from the mini fridge next to it. “I wish we could share a drink together. I would make her a mean skrewdriver.”
“You would also knock her out for a few days with the amount of alcohol you pour,” Violet points out with a mocking tone.
“I don’t recall you complaining when you were giving us a show, dancing on top of this table and singing those god awful songs. I’m glad she didn’t get her rhythm from you.”
They all laughed at the remark, recalling when they had one of their celebrations when she was at a stable point in her life, not relying on them as much as she does now. As she grew, she developed skills each one of them had gifted her when they became her guides. The laughter then turned sad, all giving a somber smile, staring at the book that was forever at the center of the table.
It was the story of her life. The only thing in the empty room when they had all arrived here in the first place. They knew what to expect, what obstacles were coming her way, but it didn’t make the long tearful nights any less painful.
“I wish we could go back to those days. She wasn’t hurting so much and things weren’t as messy as they are now,” Violet said as they were given their own mix of some spiked drink Yellow had prepared.
“This is why we chose her though, remember that. She’s a mess, but she’s our mess, in all her cracks and craziness. She’s strong, but we make her stronger and remind her that she is not alone in this tragic journey of discovery,” Yellow said as they took a drink from their mug. They took a deep breath, “And at the end of her story, we get to see her happy. That’s the greatest reward we could ever ask for.”
Yellow was like the reassuring force of the group, the optimist even in the darkest moments for both the guardians and their girl.
“The pain she endures now, regardless of how bad it is, is necessary for her growth,” Blue says looking at the television where she sat hugging a stuffed animal on her bed as the figure kisses her head and departs. The lights begin flickering again.
They always had to remind themselves that pain was a catalyst for change, and it made the good moments in her life that much brighter.
“She must be dulled before she can truly shine,” Red recited from the book's prologue, “And when she shines, a new sun rises from the horizon.”
“She’s gonna be great. She’s the brightest soul I’ve seen in a long time,” Green beams. They all smile at the remark because they all knew it to be true. She was different from the other’s they had monitored in their lifetime.
Just then the door chimed and White, the figure that was previously in the television, was pulling up a chair to join the group. They looked at the television where she still laid, and then at Yellow standing at the counter, downing the rest of their drink before saying, “I know, I know. I’m going.”
They made their way to the door and shortly after it was shut, appeared in the television shortly after, leaning at the edge of her bed. She sat up, sensing that someone was with her again, reaching out to them and whispering a quiet greeting. The lights began to return to normal as they sat on the bed together, her guide whispering quiet blessings and soothing her spiking aura.
“We should visit her tonight. It’s been a while. I miss her,” Green sighed.
“Yeah, me too,” Violet agreed.
“Dibs on going to an amusement park,” Red chimed.
“You only ever want to go to the amusement park,” Blue scoffed.
“That’s just because I know she enjoys it.”
“Because you enjoy it, you mean.”
As she lay in bed, attempting to reach a state of peace, her guardians were planning their next visit into her unconscious, her brief escape from reality, arguing over what would make her the happiest. This was just the usual banter that could be found in this small coffee shop bearing the name ‘Gwen’s Guardians.’