Lost without you
Almanzo left the house slowly, carrying a box with beautiful dishes. Carefully he placed it next to the other boxes and glanced over the fully loaded wagon. Today was his last day in Walnut Grove and tomorrow morning he would start into a new future, an unknown future which frightened him. Just a few days ago his sister Eliza Jane had lost the battle against Bart Slater. Usually she got along with her students very well, but this boy had misbehaved every day. His family was wealthy and prestigious, and so he didn't care about his manners. He had used every chance to start trouble at school, and he had humiliated Eliza Jane as often as he could. The teacher felt ashamed about her failure and all she wanted was leaving Walnut Grove as soon as possible. She had asked Almanzo to go with her, and he had agreed reluctantly. She was his sister, and he felt he had to stand by her side. He couldn't leave her all alone.
It was June and at that time of the year the weather was usually warm and sunny, but today huge clouds darkened the sky. Almanzo glanced over the land wistfully, not ready to leave the place he had called home during the last ten months. After buying the farm, he had started with big ambitions. He loved working in the fields, and raising his own crops was one of his biggest dreams. He wanted to breed his own horses. Being a farmer was all he ever wanted to be, but now he had to give up all his plans. All the work he had invested was for nothing.
Of course, Eliza Jane had realized that Almanzo felt awfully bad, and so she tried to cheer him up every day. She reassured him that he was still very young and that he had plenty of time to start over again. She tried to convince him that moving away would be a great adventure, a chance to gain new experiences and an interesting change in his life, but deep in his heart he wished he could stay. There was a strange feeling inside him. Like an inner voice which told him that moving away was wrong. That it was a mistake. That for some reason Walnut Grove was the place where he belonged to, but he couldn't figure out why. Almanzo shook his head and glanced over the land again. He knew it was too late to worry. He had made a promise to his sister, and he would keep it.
At the same time, in the little house at Plum Creek, Laura was busy with packing some oatmeal cookies into a paper bag. Her hands were shaking slightly, and she was fighting against the tears in her eyes. During the last days Laura had avoided Almanzo. She had dreaded to say goodbye to him, because she was still hoping that something unpredictable would happen and let him stay. She wished so much that he would change his opinion, but it seemed that all her prayers hadn't helped. She had to face the truth. Almanzo would leave Walnut Grove and it wasn't sure if they would ever meet again.
The pain in Laura's heart was almost unbearable. During the last days she had cried more than during her whole childhood. She couldn't sleep and eat anymore. She wished so much she could tell Almanzo how much she loved him, but she knew this was impossible. It would be inappropriate, and she was too afraid of his reaction, but one thing was for sure: She couldn't let him go without a word. Today was her last chance to say goodbye to the man she loved more than anyone else in this world, and she would brace up for bringing him the cookies and wishing him all the best for his future.
Laura grabbed the bag with the cookies and left the house, heading towards Almanzo's home. All she could do was thinking about him, but she had no idea how to say goodbye. She felt empty and lost. With every step she took, she became more insecure and when the Wilder's place finally came into sight, her heart started racing, and she was on the verge of fainting.
Almanzo was still loading the wagon, when he suddenly caught sight of a person walking down the hill and heading towards him. He needed a moment to realize, but when he noticed the red dress and the long brown hair, he knew who wanted to pay him a visit. "Beth," he whispered to himself. Almanzo could feel sweat forming on his forehead. Somehow he had expected to see her today, but he wasn't ready to say goodbye to his favorite girl. Even after all these months, he still wasn't sure what to think about her. Or what she meant to him. Every time they met, he enjoyed her company. She shared his dreams and made him smile, but she also scared him. Whenever he looked into her eyes, something happened to him, but he couldn't explain. He didn't understand himself. All he knew was that she was special. The nearer Laura came, the more nervous Almanzo got. When she finally stood in front of him, he swallowed hard.
"Hi Manly," Laura greeted him silently.
"Hi Beth," Almanzo replied.
" You're still busy, huh?" she glanced over the fully loaded wagon.
"Yeah, but I'm almost finished," he answered.
Laura stared to the ground, fumbling with her fingers. All she wanted was looking into Almanzo's sparkling blue eyes and pleading him to stay, but she couldn't do that. She was too afraid.
Almanzo felt strange. Talking to Laura had never been a problem, but today he was searching for the right words.
"Have you sold the farm?" she broke the silence and raised her head to look at him.
"No, not yet," he stared into the sky to avoid her gaze. "Mr. Oleson will keep an eye on this place, and he will help to find a new owner."
"And where will you go?" Laura blurted out. Although she was afraid of his answer, she had still hope that he would stay somewhere nearby.
"To tell you the truth, I don't know," Almanzo admitted. "Eliza Jane and I will stay with our folks in Spring Valley for a while, but we have no further plans so far."
"Oh," was all Laura could answer and then there was silence again.
"What's that?" Almanzo suddenly pointed at the paper bag in Laura's hand to change the topic.
"Oh," Laura almost forgot about the cookies. "I thought you might like some cookies for your trip."
"That's really nice," Almanzo thanked her.
Laura offered Almanzo the paper bag with the cookies. When he tried to grab it, their hands touched. The cookies fell to the ground, but they both didn't care. He looked into her eyes, knowing that she was as sad as he was. Laura couldn't hide her feelings any longer. She fell into his arms and tears started running down her cheeks. She feared his reaction, but there was no need to be afraid. He put his arms around her, holding her close and for a moment it wasn't important that she was still a young girl, and he a grown up man. All they wished was staying like this forever.
"I will miss you, Manly," Laura whispered.
"I will miss you too, Beth," Almanzo placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Goodbye," he whispered and swallowed down the lump in his throat.
"Goodbye," Laura replied with a tearful voice, before she left his arms, turned around and started running away. She sprinted up the hill as fast as she could, her long hair blowing in the wind and tears streaming down her face. Her lungs started aching, and she could barely breathe anymore, but she continued running until she stumbled over a root and fell into the grass, crying her eyes out for hours.
Almanzo felt like numbed. He watched Laura running up the hill and gazed after her until he couldn't see her anymore. He bent down and picked up the paper bag with the cookies. While glancing over the hill again, the sun started breaking through the clouds. Almanzo wiped the moisture out of his eyes, reassuring himself that it was just the glaring sunlight which caused the tears...
