Written for The Word Limit Competition - Round Two. For those who are curious, in Italian 'Spontaneamente' means spontaneously. Enjoy :)
Spontaneamente
Rose's turquoise bridesmaid dress flapped in the cool breeze as she ran, hand-in-hand with Teddy, pass the broad lawns that widened in front of the empty Burrow. They both could not help but laugh, shocked by the unexpected turn this day had taken. They had been waiting too long for this to happen for them to waste the time paying attention to consequences. Too long for them to feel regrets or doubts.
"Where is this Muggle telephone Arthur once used to hold here?" Teddy asked as they rushed through the old wooden door.
"It's upstairs," Rose said, panting excitedly. "In the study room."
"You're good," he grinned at her with a look of admiration, ripping the white carnation that was still swinging poorly from the lapel of his groom suit and throwing it lukewarmly into the fireplace.
The minute they entered the long-forgotten empty room, memories from the last time she had paid this place a visit struck her head all at once.
She could almost see herself lying on this very floor, ten years ago, her head resting on a red pillow of rich flaring hair.
"I'm bored," she announced grumpily staring at the ceiling that seemed so far and tall back then. "There is nothing to do in this house."
"That's nonsense," said Teddy who was lying next to her on the old rug. His hair was ivory blonde at the time, and his face still had this childish roundness in it. "There are plenty of fun things to do around here, you just don't know where to look for them."
"Like what?" she asked indifferently.
"Like..." Teddy straightened his back and settled in a sitting position. "Oh! there you go. You see that globe, right there?" he pointed at an ancient looking wooden globe that looked like it hadn't been touched in decades. "I used to play it with Uncle Harry all the time when I was your age."
"That sounds lame..." She answered, trying to sound cool as she raised herself to sit next to him. "What could you possibly do with this antique piece?"
"Come watch." He rose to his feet and approached the heavy oak desk excitedly.
Once they both stood in front of the ragged object, Teddy slid his fingers on the dusty surface and started explaining. "I am going to spin this globe now. When I yell 'Stop the World', you need to touch the globe as quickly as you can with your finger and stop its rotation."
"That's it? That's the big game?"
"You never let me finish. After you stop it, we check where your finger dropped, and each one has to tell an interesting fact he knows regarding this city, country or whatever. Got it?"
"Umm, I'm actually not-" Rose started saying, but Teddy interrupted her grumble intentionally.
"Okay then," he proclaimed and twirled the large wooden globe with his palm. "Here we go!"
Rose rolled her eyes at him, and could not help but smile lightly at his oh-so childish ecstasy. It was as if they had swapped their ages in a minute – He was now the overly excited ten-year-old and she was the responsible youngster.
They had watched the drawn globe rotate for a few moments before Teddy roared with all his throat, "Stop the World!" making the young red-head to jump in surprise. She immediately shot her arm and poked the spinning ball with her little forefinger.
"Bravo!" he called in an exaggerated stir. "Now let's see where you flew us too... Ooh, wow! Florence, Italy. What do you know about Florence, Italy, kiddo?"
"Umm... They probably have great pizza, don't they?" She said with a grin on her face, swept away by Teddy's irresistible charm.
He let out a light laugh at her comment, and continued. "They sure do. Now It's my turn, isn't it?"
"Uh-huh," she nodded in anticipation.
"Umm," he wondered for a moment and continued. "Okay then. Did you know that the meaning of the name 'Florence' in latin is 'I blossom'?"
"Really?" She asked curiously.
"Yeah, Florence is the city of flowers, Rosie."
"City of flowers? That sounds pretty."
"You bet it is. In fact, correct me if I'm mistaking, but the last time I checked – roses were flowers..."
"They are!" she said and her mouth widened in shock as her young mind was processing the unbelievable information she had just received. "Florence is my city, isn't it, Teddy?"
"It sure is. Perhaps you should go there one day."
"No," she said and a broad grin spread on her freckled face. "Perhaps we should go there one day... After all, every flower needs its gardener."
"Hello? Hello?" Teddy's loud calls into the phone in his hand pulled Rose back to the present. "Yes, did I reach Airways? Oh good, one second, please." He blocked the receiver with his palm and whispered nervously, "Rosie, stop the world!"
With no second thoughts or hesitation, her hand slid smoothly on the yellowing globe, causing it to spin noisily. Her finger shot in a blast, and pinned the rotating ball, making it stop immediately. They both looked curiously at the point on which her finger had landed, and then smiled to each other mischievously.
"Yeah," Teddy talked joyfully into the dusty phone in his fingers. "We're gonna need one-way tickets to Florence, Italy, please. Two of them."