Oh, my stars and garters!

Every night at midnight, the purple clouds would come out to dance with the blushing sky. They would swirl and twirl, forming shapes and patterns that only they could understand. Sometimes they would whisper secrets to each other, or laugh at jokes that only they could appreciate. They were the only ones who knew the true magic of the night.

Lila was fascinated by the purple clouds. She would sneak out of her bedroom every night and climb up to the roof of her apartment building, where she had a clear view of the sky. She would watch them with wonder and awe, wishing she could join them in their dance. A connection to them, as if they were calling her name.

She was not the only one who watched the clouds. There was a boy who lived in the building across from hers, who also climbed up to his roof every night. His name was Kai, and he had dark hair and bright eyes that sparkled like stars. He always wore a leather jacket and a silver pendant around his neck. He never spoke to Lila, but he always smiled at her when their eyes met.

One night, Lila decided to break the silence. She waved at him and shouted across the gap between their buildings.

“Hey! What's your name?”

He looked surprised but pleased. He waved back and shouted his name.

“Kai! Nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you too! I'm Lila!”

They exchanged some small talk about their lives and interests. They both loved music and books and art, but hated school, homework, and chores. They both dreamed of traveling the world and seeing new places.

They also talked about the clouds.

“They're amazing, aren't they?” Lila said.

“They're beautiful,” Kai agreed.

“Do you ever wonder what they're saying?” Lila asked.

“Sometimes,” Kai said.

“Do you ever wish you could join them?” Lila asked.

“Sometimes,” Kai said again.

They smiled at each other, feeling a bond that went beyond words.

Lila and Kai continued to talk every night for weeks. They learned more about each other's hopes and fears, likes and dislikes, joys and sorrows. Jokes, stories, secrets, and confessions were shared. They became friends.

But they never met in person.

They always stayed on their roofs, separated by distance and height. They never exchanged phone numbers or social media accounts or email addresses. Neither asked the other why they watched the clouds every night or what they did during the day or who else they knew in their lives.

They just enjoyed each other's company under the purple sky.

Until one night, when everything changed.

It was stormy, with thunder and lightning flashing across the sky. The wind howled like a wild beast, shaking windows and doors. The rain poured down like bullets from a gun, soaking everything in sight.

Lila was worried about Kai. She wondered if he was safe on his roof or if he had gone inside like any sensible person would do in such weather conditions. She hoped he was okay.

Restless, she decided to check on him anyway. She put on her raincoat and boots and grabbed an umbrella from her closet. Lila ran down the stairs of her building and crossed the street towards his building.

She hoped no one saw her or stopped her or asked her where she was going or what she was doing.

She just wanted to see him.

Lila reached his building's entrance door, which was locked with a keypad code.

She didn't know it and cursed under her breath. She looked around for another way in and saw a fire escape ladder hanging from one of the windows on the first floor. She ran towards it and climbed up it as fast as she could , ignoring the rain and the wind and the thunder and the lightning.

She reached his window, which was open slightly. Hesitant at first, her worry overpowered her. She peeked inside, hoping to see him sleeping peacefully on his bed or reading quietly on his couch, or listening intently on his headphones.

But what she saw made her gasp in shock.

There was no bed.

There was no couch.

There were no headphones.

There was nothing.

Nothing but empty space.

And purple clouds. Lots of purple clouds.

Floating inside his room.

Dancing with each other.

Whispering secrets to each other.

Laughing at jokes that only they could appreciate.

And among them there he was, Kai, or rather what used to be Kai.

He had turned into one of them.

A purple cloud.

A magical cloud.

A cloud that knew the true magic of the night.

He saw her looking at him through the window.

He smiled at her with sadness and love in.