Prologue
A cool, autumn wind blew through the remains of summer. The whole environment was quiet and still except for the slight stirs of grass from the chilly breezes. Even the children who were once running around the secret meadow were calmly settled under a tree on their backs.
Two smiles stained the faces of a boy and girl. They must have been no older than six and they were enjoying every minute of it. At least, together they enjoyed it.
The young girl's hand was clasped in the boy's but even so, her smile slowly faded. She knew something he did not yet know. Soon, all this happiness and fun would have to end. She was to leave their small village in just a few days.
"W-...will we be friends forever?" she shyly asked. The male furrowed his eyebrows and turned his head to the brown-haired girl.
"What do you mean? Of course we will," he responded with a smile. The girl turned her head to him to look at his face gor just a second. The smile was absent from her face as if it never were there. She bit her lip and looked up at the sky. The sky was mostly clear except for the occasional cloud and the leaves and branches above them disabled her sight of the sky a little.
Either way, her eyes were troubled. They contained hints of sorrow and even the promise of tears. A sigh escaped the girl's chest. "Ya' promise?"
"Pinky promise," he said locking his pinky with hers. The male was stumped though. Why was she acting so strange? He always reminded her that they'd be friends forever and now she was asking. "Why?" he finally broke the silence.
"I'm sorry..." she paused,"I'm leaving."
"What? Why? It's still early," he replied quickly sitting up. She remained in the same position but now her hands lied on top of her stomach. Her head was slightly tilted to look at the boy.
"No, I'm leaving... this town. My mommy and daddy wanna go live somewhere else. I'm leaving soon."
Silence. The male's blue eyes stared at the sky, but to him it was emptiness. He couldn't respond. He didn't know how to. Was he supposed to be happy or was he supposed to cry? Was he supposed to comfort her when he needed comforting?
Finally, he reached out for her hands and pulled on the brunette's arms to bring her in the same position that he was in. He kneeled closer to her and hugged her. "Don't worry. We'll always be friends. Someday I will find you again and maybe be more than friends. May everything in the world help me do that. But you need to do me a favor too. Don't you forget me..."