You were sitting in your room, bored as heck. Your eyes drifted along the off-white walls and rested on a worn photograph of a boy you very well remembered.
-Flashback five years ago-
"Mattie, hurry up!" you giggled, running through a grassy field, clutching a pink wool scarf.
"C-coming!" the small boy panted as he tried to keep up.
You ran up a small grass-covered hill and stopped, waiting for your best friend.
Matthew finally arrived, cheeks red from running.
"You're so slow!" you teased playfully, poking him softly in the arm.
"S-Sorry... -pant- I can't -pant- run very fast..." he apologized.
"A-Anyways, -pant- why'd you bring me here to this tree?" he asked, gesturing towards the tree behind you two.
The tree was an oak tree that was covered in big green leaves. Its trunk was smooth and light brown.
"We're going to make this tree our wishing tree!" you exclaimed eagerly.
"W-what's that?" Matthew asked.
"It's a special tree that's used for wishing! You tie a scarf around the trunk and come to it to make wishes!" you explained, holding out your pink scarf.
Matthew nodded.
"That sounds like a great idea," he said, smiling.
"Great!" you exclaimed.
You lovingly tied your pink scarf around the tree.
"There! Now we can wish on it!" you exclaimed proudly.
The seasons passed, and the leaves came and went, but the scarf was always there. You and Matthew constantly visited it.
Two years later, Matthew told you his family was moving far, far away. You both cried and said your farewells. You became miserable and stopped visiting the Wishing Tree. After all, what was there to wish for if he was gone?
-End of Flashback-
Tears threatened to fall as you remembered, and you suddenly got an urge to visit the Wishing Tree.
You walked down the grassy field and up the hill, and there stood the Wishing Tree, tall and strong. Your pink scarf was faded, but still hanging, a beacon for your friendship.
You put your cheek against the soft fuzz and inhaled the scents of nature, you, and Matthew. As you snuggled further into the scarf, you felt something cool and smooth poking your cheek. You stepped back a little, looking for what you had felt. A faded piece of folded paper was tucked between the trunk and the scarf. You plucked it out and unfolded it. In a familiar scrawled handwriting, it read:
Dear [Name]:
I saw a tree by the riverside one day as I walked along.
Straight as an arrow and pointing to the sky growing tall and strong.
"How do you grow so tall and strong?" I said to the riverside tree.
This is the song my tree friend sang to me:
I've got roots growing down to the water,
I've got leaves growing up to the sunshine,
and the fruit that I bear is a sign of the life in me.
I am shade for the hot summer sunshine,
I am nest for the birds of the heaven, I'm becoming what the Lord of Trees has meant me to be:
A strong young tree.
Thank you for helping me become what I'm meant to be.
Love,
Matthew
PS: I love you and I always will.
PSS: please call me: 226-348-0327
You clutched the yellowed piece of paper against your chest, crying tears of joy. When you first met Matthew you had a crush on him. Over the years, it had developed into something more- love.
You quickly fumbled around your small bag for your cell phone and dialed the number.
It rang once, twice, three times, and then someone picked up.
"H-Hello?" a voice asked quietly.
"M-Matthew?" you asked breathlessly.
"Y-Yeah, that's me..."
"H-Hey... it's me, [Name]."
Silence.
"[Name]? Is that really... you?"
"Y-Yeah... I um, just read your note..."
"Oh... well... if you don't return my feelings, I understand, it's just-"
"Matthew!"
"H-Huh?"
"I... I love you."
"Wha-What?"
"I. love. you."
"[Name]... I-I love you too."