NEVER LEAVE ME
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"The Avatar's coming to the Southern Water Tribe!"
The phrase had drifted about our snowy village nonstop since a messenger had arrived three days ago with the news.
It was an exciting time for my people; to be granted with the presence of such an important person. Everyone was busy getting ready for the great celebration to be held for him. And for such an occasion, time was scarce. The Avatar would be arriving that day, and there were still mountains of cooking, chores, and decorating to be done. Not one person—not even some of the smallest children—were allowed to rest till everything was ready. We all had something to do.
My husband had been one of the honored four sent out in canoes to pick up the Avatar where he was stationed on Miosti, third in the small chain of islands branching out from the mainland.
My eight-year-old daughter Talula was hard at work with the other younger girls of our tribe cleaning freshly caught fish for the feast.
I, myself, started out on working with the other Waterbenders to create beautiful ice sculptures as decorations. It was no easy task; getting the small details right required full concentration and fine, intricate finger movements. Even the tiniest wrong flick of your hand could create a huge flaw in your art. That's probably the reason I was asked to leave so quickly. I kept failing to get the design right and was forced to change my block of ice into water and start over again and again only to repeat my mistake over and over.
My mind was just too troubled to allow me to water-bend well.
The ice sculpture supervisor resignedly sent me to mix sushi salads instead. I sighed, but left without complaint. It was one of the last jobs I would have chosen. Tossing together bits of fish was too easy. It allowed my mind to stray off, deep in thought, and travel back to past painful memories. Memories only the coming visit of the current Avatar could bring forward so clearly to the front of my ponderings.
I still missed him so much…
I couldn't help but remember those calm afternoons we'd sailed through the skies on his flying bison, chatting like the best friends we were. A small smile played at the corners of my lips as I recalled his bright grins and happy voice, his playful laugh and lighthearted spirit.
Why did he have to be so brutally torn away from me?
His last, sweet words were still engraved in my heart: "I'll see you again…someday…"
Peace had been won at such a terrible price. My best friend had been lost to me that day, the day that we should have been celebrating our victory, many years ago. I thought my last tears had been shed, and the healing had begun. It seemed that I was wrong.
As his lovable face blazed forth in my memory, I felt a warm tear slide down my cheek. Probably the first since his death and those few depressing years that had followed.
What I wouldn't give to be able to believe his final spoken sentence.
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I stood at the front of the anxious group of villagers with Talula beside me. She was gibbering excitedly, tugging at my sleeve, and pointing her finger as the four long awaited canoes pulled into the harbor.
The crowd was alive with enthusiasm. The women were whispering animatedly, the children were all jumping up and down as my daughter was, and even the men who had been trained from youth to hide emotion had eyes wide with anticipation and restlessness.
It had always amazed me the effect the Avatar had on people.
I watched as the young Avatar walked the length of the foremost canoe and stepped off onto the ice. Being a Water Avatar and raised in the Northern Water Tribe, he was dressed for cold weather. He wore heavy boots with baggy trousers tucked into them. His dark blue parka was trimmed with polar bear fur and his bush of brown hair was kept out of his eyes with the help of an azure headband. On his right russet cheek, the sign of the Water Tribes had been painted in white.
The village leader rushed forth to greet him and they exchanged small bows. By comparing the Avatar's height to that of our leader, I figured he was no more than ten years old. So the tradition of waiting till they were sixteen to tell them of their identity had not been heeded…again. I wasn't sure if that was a wise move or not.
The boy traded a few comments with our village leader then began making his way through the crowd; waving, nodding, and…
Smiling.
There was something about his smile that unexpectedly made my heart tingle. His big, lopsided grin seemed so familiar…
The young Avatar continued onward, and began to approach us, and when he was only about five feet away, he suddenly froze.
It took me a minute to realize that his puzzled stare was directed at me. I returned the look, and he cocked his head slightly. We gazed into each other's eyes; him into my sapphire pools and I into his confused grey orbs. Everything around us—the people, the noises—seemed to melt into nothing. It was just the Avatar and me, as it had been so long ago. Somehow, it seemed that this child and I had been through so much together…so many adventures…
Aang?
It felt like hours that we simply stared at each other, not the measly few seconds it was in reality. Finally, he asked me hesitantly, "Have we met?"
Not in his lifetime.
I slowly shook my head.
"Well, um…hi," the Avatar offered his hand and a small smile to me, "I'm Nen."
"Katara." I shook his hand lightly.
"My name's Talula!" My daughter's voice broke into our secluded world and we phased back to the packed icy shore.
Nen grinned at her warmly. "Nice to meet you, Talula."
My little girl gave him a giddy laugh before lurching forwards and clasping onto his hand with hers. "Will you go penguin sledding with me?"
I felt my heart jolt at the familiarity of this situation.
"Sounds fun! Sure!"
Talula beamed and began pulling him away, but before they disappeared over a dip in the land with a few people wandering after them, Nen looked back at me and waved his hand slightly.
I waved back and then they faded away into the distance. That's when, for the first time since my best friend had left me; my soul took wing and was lifted up into the sky on the breeze.
Aang may be gone, but his spirit would live on forever…
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Okay, yeah, I was really bored…I just got the idea into my head and felt like writing it…it's really corny and my writing could use some help; I know…
Please review.
Name Meanings
Talula: Leaping water – It's Native American
Nen: Ancient waters – It's Arabic