The Pink Room

By Cynthia Li

“Shirley, are you ready? I’m coming to get you!” Giselle yelled as she launched into the ocean ball pool. A splash echoed through the room.

“Hold on, I’m on my way!” Shirley exclaimed. She bounced off the trampoline. With another wild whoop, she landed beside Giselle in the pool. 

The two girls erupted into giggles. “We’re definitely not getting any sleep tonight!” 

A mysterious bubblegum-colored room emerged in the sky every night. Inside was a giant pool with millions of ocean balls, and a giant trampoline with the highest bounce power in the world. Shirley discovered this magical room one night, when she was walking in the park after supper. She told her friend at once—soon, they began sneaking out nightly to meet there.

Shirley and Giselle would adorn themselves with the most beautiful jewels and shimmery dresses, twirling, dancing, and sharing girl’s secrets in the room. They always kept heart-shaped stickers in their pockets, tossing them into the air while bouncing on the trampoline. Before dawn, they would tiptoe back to their homes, squeezing in three hours of sleep. Neither parents nor classmates noticed their secret. The adventure lasted a surprisingly smooth month, and they hoped it would never end.

But one day, Giselle didn’t jump into the ocean ball pool immediately as she arrived at the room. She stood beside the pool for a long time, her eyes fixed on the balls. 

“Giselle, what’s wrong?” Shirley asked, stopping her bounce. Worry lingered in her eyes.

Giselle took a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking a lot about us lately. I’m not sure if sneaking out every night is worth it.”

Suddenly, the room trembled. Ocean balls spilled from the pool, splattering across the floor. Shirley frowned at Giselle, as she spread her arms to steady herself, “What do you mean?” 

“I mean, we shine like bright stars in our pink room at night, but during the day, no one at school notices us.” Giselle looked sad. “We’re not popular cheerleaders or straight-A students. Sometimes I feel like that’s not enough.”

This morning at school, Giselle lost the class presidential election. She had started preparing her speech a month earlier, confident she would win. But when she saw the few votes her classmates cast, her eyes filled with tears.

Shirley climbed out of the pool and sat beside Giselle. “Believe it or not, everyone feels like that sometimes, Giselle. We might not seem special on the surface, but deep down, we all have our own sparks.”

“Like what?” Giselle asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“When you text me, you always add a kissy-face emoji. It makes me feel special.”

“Thanks, Shirley. But here’s what’s confusing me: at school, I’m quiet and introverted, but with you, I’m wild and carefree. I can’t tell which is the real me.”

Shirley placed her hand on Giselle’s shoulder, “Sweetie, the world is so complicated that most of the time we can’t show our true colors. That’s why we need best friends.”

Giselle thought of their ordinary school days. She looked at Shirley: “This morning, I was so disappointed, and you listened to me ramble for hours. You’re a good friend, Shirley.”

Shirley smiled, “Maybe one day, people will see who we really are—in here. This room will always be ours because you will always be my best friend.” The two girls never wondered why the room floated in the sky each night. They didn’t need to—It is the creation of true friendship. 

A sudden gust of wind blew through the window, scattering heart-shaped stickers from Shirley’s pocket. Shirley reached down to pick one up. “Come on, let’s have some more fun!”

“Maybe you’re the gift life gave me,” Giselle thought. She jumped back onto the trampoline, and the two girls burst into laughter.

We all have moments when we lose faith in life. But sometimes, a single small spark is enough to rekindle the wonder within us.

Cynthia Li is an emerging writer living in China. Her short stories often explore the magic hidden in everyday life. She’s drawn to grotesque kinds of writing, especially Gothic and Surrealistic aesthetics. Besides creative writing, she is also a founder of Western Culture Studies club and an organizer of her school art fair. Cynthia hopes to bring novel perspectives to the world.