I am perfectly aware that I change the tense slightly. It's supposed to add something to it…I'm not sure what but there you go. I'm not impressed with this story myself but there you go. Learning experience bla bla bla.
Bitter Changes
He found her hunched up under the Willow tree in the park, knees clasped protectively to her chest and face red from shed tears.
The air was warm and fragrant from the newly opened blossoms.
Layla hadn't been at home when he'd called. Her parents hadn't realised she'd gone. The tree that grew up by her window was in a different position. She must've used it to climb down. Like the other trees it was blooming but mixed in with the whites and pale pinks was lush green. Most of the others he'd noticed weren't sprouting leaves.
He tried the usual places she might have gone. The Paper Lantern was particularly crowded. He'd felt a particular spurt of poisonous jealousy as he'd entered. He was glad she hadn't been in there. That would've implied that she'd gone to see Warren.
Eventually he found her hiding underneath the shelter of the Weeping Willow next to the lake.
"Layla?" he whispered, parting the flowering branches aside with one hand and stepping inside the comforting security that cut off the outside world.
"Will!" Layla whipped her head around in surprise, eyes wide and swollen from tears.
"Hey," he knelt down next to her and put an arm around her. "What's up?"
Layla looked away and a cold feeling settled in the pit of Will's stomach. She shook her head. "I can't," he rvoice cracked.
"Please tell me!" Will begged, every horrific possibility jumping to mind.
Layla sighed and bit her lip. "It's…the trees."
The feeling of relief was so immense he almost collapsed. "Oh."
She looked at him again and he could see the tears threatening to spill. "It sounds so stupid!" she snapped. "I knew you wouldn't understand." She tried to shrug off his arm.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Will protested, refusing to let her shake off his grip. "If it's upset you then it's certainly not stupid! Tell me. What's made you cry?"
She refused to look at him. He could tell she was feeling embarrassed about crying over something he might think trivial.
"My power let's me communicate with plants," she mumbled, brushing her hands over the loose soil.
"Hmmm…" Will prompted.
"They've been talking to me Will," she burst out suddenly, "whispering things to me." Layla stopped as she fought back threatening tears. "They're dying Will. They're all dying." A sob escaped her throat. "Have you noticed how the flowers are blossoming but there are no leaves? The frost killed them. The frost that came after the warm spell. Twenty five degrees in February. No wonder they got confused. They thought it was spring. They started to wake up. Then there was that week of cold. You can't imagine Will," she turned to him, eyes swimming, "you can't imagine how they've cried to me. The pain they've passed on. To feel themselves freezing. The baby leaves dying as buds.
The night of the worst frost I woke up screaming. They were in agony. Crying, crying, crying. They wouldn't stop." She broke down into great heaving sobs, covering her face with her hands. Will sat there and stared at her in shocked silence at her impassioned speech.
"I can't help them all. My powers can only do so much." She looked at him with a pained expression. "No one can understand how helpless I feel about it because no one else can hear them…not even my boyfriend."
Will put his arms around her and drew her to his chest, letting her cry into his shirt.
"It'll be all right," he soothed meaninglessly.
"No it won't!" she screamed unexpectedly, wrenching herself away from him and getting to her feet. "No one understands! None of you!"
She placed a hand on the trunk of the tree, running her palm over its rough bark in a caress. The tears were flowing freely down her cheeks.
"It's telling me its life Will," she whispered, quiet again, and pressed her forehead into the trunk. "It's telling me that it's dying."
Will stayed on the ground, unsure whether to go to her or keep away from her.
Layla finally shook herself and wiped the tears from her eyes. She could see from Will's expression that he wanted to help her but he just didn't get why she was so upset because a few trees were dying. That's what she'd been afraid of. That's why she hadn't gone to him to cry but hidden herself away.
"C'mon," she whispered despondently. "Let's go somewhere else."
Will leapt to his feet almost joyfully and started babbling about where they could go, filling in her silences with talk.
She knew she'd go back later.
This is just an idea I got when my mum pointed out that the trees are in blossom but very few have any leaves on them. It's a bit of an environment rant I'm afraid because the reason for the obscure weather is Global Warming.