–Prologue–
"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, dear Chloe! Happy Birthday to you! Yay!"
Cheers and applause filled our little house when I blew off all the candles at once.
"I hope you didn't forget to make a wish, ma chérie," Granny said with a smile.
"Of course not," I assured her and smiled back.
"What did you wish, Chloe?" Janette asked curiously and nudged my shoulder with her finger teasingly.
I shook my head. "Top secret."
She pouted playfully. "Oh, come on, Chloe," she urged. "Tell us, s'il te plait."
Chantal, who was sitting next to me, started to laugh. "Don't force our birthday princess, Janette. You know she mustn't tell you, or the wish won't come true."
Granny nodded, still smiling. "C'est correct," she approved in French.
Janette made an "Hmpf"- sound and folded her arms in front of her chest. Her pout wasn't just acted anymore.
"I'm sorry, Janette," I apologized and hugged her.
"No long faces on a birthday, mes enfants," Mom said smiling and handed each one of us a plate with a piece of her handmade chocolate-cake.
Janette's face lightened up when she saw the wonderful smelling cake in front of her. I was relieved. Granny told me that I had always been like a flower – closing and opening its petals according to the atmosphere around.
"When will Daddy be home, Mommy?" I asked between two bites. The cake was delicious. It was like eating a cloud with chocolate aroma.
"In the evening perhaps," she answered. Then her expression became more serous. "And don't talk while you are eating, young lady."
I nodded sheepishly, "closing my petals" again.
"Don't be like that," Granny appeased her daughter. "It's her birthday. I can't remember being so strict on your sixth birthday, my petite fille."
"Oui, oui, maman," Mom laughed and we kids laughed with her.
When our stomachs were all filled with cake, cookies and other delicious sweets Mom had made, I went out with my friends to play hide-and-seek. It was one of my favourite games, especially when we went in the forest at which's border our village was located. We played all afternoon. It was one of my happiest memories. We ran around under the beautiful August sun which's heat was a little covered by the trees emerald leaves, and laughed absolutely satisfied with the moment.
Much too soon time ran away and the sun started to wander to the West horizon.
"One last round," Antoine suggested. The rest of us nodded in agreement. "Who's the seeker?"
"Always the one who asks," his little sister Chantal replied with a smug grin. She had always had a very fast tongue. We laughed.
"Bien," Antoine obeyed, turned around to cover his eyes at a tree and started counting. "One… two… three… four…"
We giggled and tried to run as silently and fast as possible to find a good hideout. Antoine's voice became quieter with each step I took. I didn't know how far I went. But I didn't feel exhausted so I assumed that I wasn't that far away from the others. After a while of running I stepped into a little meadow that I had never seen before.
Sunlight shied through the endless high trees and dived each single blade of grass and flower into a warm gold gleam. There was a fallen tree trunk which looked in the late sunlight more amber than brown.
I stepped closer and discovered that it was empty. I smiled satisfied. – The perfect hideout. I climbed in and pressed my hands to my mouth like I always did, so my giggle wouldn't betray me. I sat in the trunk like that for a while and waited.
Nobody came.
Good job, Chloe. I praised myself silently and pressed my hands harder to my mouth.
Another ten minutes passed. It was still quiet around me. Only my racing heartbeat and my choked giggles could be heard. I kept waiting patiently.
After a while I started to wonder where my friends where so I looked out and I noticed that the sun had almost vanished. I stopped giggling.
What if my hideout was too good?
I listened closely. It was perfectly silent.
What if I had run too far?
I peaked our of the tree trunk. No movements around me; not even the slightest breeze.
What if they couldn't find me?
Panic hit me like a bolt. I jumped to my feet and started to run back. But somehow the trees looked all the same in the dim light. My head spun from one direction to another, so the girdle of flowers Chantal had made me before fell from my long blonde hair. But I was too panicked to pick it up.
Where was I? Where were my friends? Where was the way home?
I espied a dim light in the distance and smiled relieved. That must be the light from my village. I ran towards that direction.
But the smile on my face disappeared when I saw where the light was coming from. It was the meadow that was enlighten by the last sun rays. I bit my lip.
I had been running in a circle.
I fell to my knees and started crying. I lost my way. I didn't know how to go home. I would die here!
No! I didn't want to die now! Daddy had promised to come home on my birthday. I had waited so long… but what should I do? I was lost… I would never see Mommy, Daddy or Granny again…
When I came to this thought the sobbing became stronger and my body started to shake.
"Help…" I managed to whimper although I knew that nobody would be able to hear me. "H-help…"
"Did you get lost?"
My head snapped up and I espied a tall figure at the other side of the meadow. Because of the distance I could only see that he had black messy hair and that he was dressed in a white shirt and a pair of dark trousers. I could also see that his skin was very pale, almost as white as his shirt. I had never seen him before.
"Wh-who are you?" I asked shyly.
"Did you get lost?" he repeated. I guessed he hadn't heard my question.
I nodded slowly, my body was still shaking.
"Follow me," he told me and turned around to go.
I got up and tripped behind him. Although I didn't know who he was I had the strange feeling that I could trust him.
He didn't slow down to wait for me. It was more the other way around. I had the feeling that he sped up when I tried to catch up with him. During the whole process he didn't turn back to face me once neither did he spoke a single word. I didn't know how long we walked "together" like this, but suddenly I heard a well-known voice calling me.
"Chloe!"
"Daddy!" I shouted back and started to run towards the voice to land directly in my father's arms.
"Here you are, my petite fée," he said and kneed down to me to his chest. I felt his breath on my head when he sighed in relief.
"Chloe!" Antoine called. He, too, looked very worried. "Where were you? We had looked for you tout le monde!"
His father and other men from my village appeared behind him. They all looked worried. Some of them sighed –like my father– in relief.
"I'm sorry," I apologized sheepishly and looked down at my feet guilty.
"It's fine, ma chérie. As long as you're not hurt then it's fine," Daddy assured me and lifted me in his arms. "Let's go home to calm your mother. She was completely messed up when I came home." He laughed to comfort me, but I still felt very bad for making them all worry.
And I had believed that I would die… How fortunate I was that I was founded by that kind man.
I turned around to thank him. But when I looked back he wasn't standing there where I had left him anymore, neither could I find him among the others who had looked for me.
It was as if he had simply vanished. Like the sun, to free the sky for a clear moonless night.