The Boy from Sakuragoaka - Chapter 2

Sally opened her eyes and blinked a couple of times. As she saw what lay before them, her face lit up with astonishment. She exhaled a loud gasp beaming a huge, wondrous smile.
"It's... beautiful!" she gasped.
They stood, elevated, on the edge of a sloped, circular clearing in the forest. Nestled on the forest floor below them was a small lagoon, its emerald-tinted water sparkling in the sunlight. On the far side of the lagoon was a sheer cliff-face that towered high above them down which cascaded one of the most beautiful natural waterfalls she had ever seen.
Colourful, tropical-looking plants and lush green, wild vegetation dominated the entire scene. Blossom seemed to grow everywhere in abundance, particularly in deep reds, yellows, and whites, with the sweet smell of nectar being carried throughout the entire area by the subtlest breeze.
"It's a paradise!" she gasped, her jaw agape, still struggling to find the words.
"We used to call it the secret lagoon," said Quatre quietly smiling, still looking out across this heavenly place.
Suddenly a movement caught his eye. He quickly pointed to a large flowering bush growing out of the sloping ground below them.
"Look, there!" he whispered excitedly, his face beaming in wonder.
A small, fantastically colourful bird with a long bill skilfully hovered around the foliage, delicately poking its head into each of the trumpet-like flowers for a few seconds, before moving on to the next.
Sally looked back at Quatre, her face radiating joy, "A humming bird," she beamed excitedly, "I've never seen one in the wild before."
Quatre began to feel a warm glow inside as the memories from the better days of his childhood continued to come flooding back. Seeing Sally's reaction was a bonus. He was so happy that she could see why this place was so special to him, and even more happy she was so touched by its beauty and mystique.
They could have stood there all day, continuing to be awe-struck by its beauty, but Quatre was keen to explore further, curious about what other memories he could stir up. He scooped his arm under hers and pulled close to her side.
"Come on Sal, let's go down there."

They negotiated their way down the sometimes, precarious slope until they stepped from the shadows into the warm sunlight that filled the clearing. The whole place was glowing with radiance and life.
They wandered over and stood at the edge of the small lagoon shore, staring in awe at the cascading waterfall towering above them.
"The water looks so inviting." She tugged at Quatre's arm, "Come on Cat, Let's go for a paddle."

Minutes later after discarding their rucksacks, boots and socks, they were stood barefoot in the crystal clear, warm water. Sally began exploring off to the left, following the shoreline to see how near she could get to the waterfall before it got too deep. Quatre stayed put, just standing near to where they had first entered the water.
He stared down at his submerged toes as memories of his childhood came flooding back to him again. He recollected himself being about six or seven years old and standing in almost the very same spot, looking curiously down at his small feet being magnified and distorted by the clear water, his first practical lesson in the laws of light refraction.
As he drifted further into his memories he could subconsciously hear the laughter of some of his sisters playfully swimming and splashing around in the water. On the bank sat his father, relaxing, and watching over his children as they played in this paradise without a care in the world.
Quatre remembered how he used to swim out about halfway to the waterfall and dive down into the depths of the lagoon trying to pick up pebbles from the bottom.
Back then, the lagoon seemed so much larger. Just to swim out to its centre seemed like an expedition in itself, yet now, stood ankle-deep in the water, Quatre felt like he could almost reach out and touch the waterfall. The thought stayed with him for a while. He pondered on why his memories recalled the lagoon being so much larger, until he remembered that he was very small as a child. At seven years old, he was barely four feet tall, so the world would have seemed much bigger to such a pint-sized person. Only when he hit his teens did Quatre begin to sprout into the normal sized teenager he had become today.
He took a few steps sideways and quietly perched on a large waist-high boulder that protruded from the water. The abundance of the memories flashing back in his mind was beginning to make him feel a little melancholy. The last time he set eyes on this place, he was just an innocent child, without a care in the world. Now, some eight years on, he was practically an adult, forced to grow up too quickly because of war.
The same eyes that once looked upon this place as an untouchable, safe haven where only magical and wondrous things could happen, now looked upon this place knowing that it could all so easily be destroyed.
From all the terrible things he had witnessed during the war, his childhood memories seemed tainted somehow. Despite the place being untouched and unspoiled by time, in a sense, it no longer felt like the magical place that his memories were so keen to hold on to.
He felt a slight sinking in his heart, a strange, deep, inner-sadness he could not easily explain. It was a bit like going to visit an old friend, only to discover that when you got there, they had passed away a long time ago.
As he sat, eyes half-closed, contemplating his feelings further, he pulled his wet feet up onto the boulder and wrapped his arms around his drawn-up legs, pressing his chin onto his knees, trying to find comfort from the pangs of sadness he was starting to feel.
A few moments later he felt a pair of arms tenderly wrap themselves around his shoulders, waking him from his daydream state. He glanced sideways to see Sally perched beside him on the boulder, leaning toward him, looking at him with compassion.
"Quatre, what's wrong?" she asked in a mellow voice. She could see the sadness in his eyes.
Quatre sighed gently. "Oh, just memories," he replied equally as quietly, "so many memories."
Sally didn't push for answers, she could see he was in a deeply contemplative place. Still with her arms around him, she tenderly laid her head on his shoulder and joined him, quietly looking out across the water.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Quatre put his feet back down into the water. With renewed enthusiasm, he smiled at her.
"What?" she asked.
"Come on," he said standing up in the water and offering her his hand. She took it and he led them back to the pebbled shore, then up to the open grass where they had left their rucksacks and shoes.
"There's something else I want to show you," he said.
Sally smiled at him again, "You mean there's more?" she asked in a surprised tone.
Quatre beamed a knowing smile at her, "You'll like this I promise," he replied.
He gently led her, still both barefoot, along a dry track until they came to a tall rock-face and what looked like a cave entrance. It was quite dark, but they could see light just a short way inside.
"It gets a little narrow here," commented Quatre, "so watch your head."
They cautiously shuffled through the narrow cave-like entrance and then followed a series of narrow channels between tall rock-faces with blue sky above them.
Eventually, they came to one final narrowing.
"After you," gestured Quatre.
Without hesitation, Sally, keen to see whatever was on the other side, shuffled through the opening.
Moments later, she was stood on a large, tropical-cove beach. Sally looked at it in wonder. Quatre came through and stood beside her.
"Yes!" he exclaimed excitedly, "it hasn't changed one bit!"
The sand beneath their feet was pure white. It lay unspoiled, right out to the clear, turquoise-blue ocean some fifty-or-so paces ahead of them. The large unspoiled beach stretched for about a quarter of a mile in each direction. Plant and vegetation-rich rock-faces capped the cove at either end, with dense, palm-tree vegetation sweeping around the back of the entire cove, completing the wondrous picture.
The place was completely deserted, devoid of even the slightest signs of Humanity.
"Very few people know of this place," said Quatre.
"Oh Cat, this whole place is amazing, so beautiful."
Quatre grinned with a playful look in his eye. "C'mon, I'll race you." He called as he began running off toward the sea.
Sally grinned and quickly took off after him. Moments later they were jumping about on the shore, splashing water at each other as they laughed and giggled like two playful little kids.
Quatre was the first to fall over. After stumbling on a submerged pebble, he wound up sitting on his butt in a few inches of water. The shocked, but still grinning look on his face sent Sally into fits of laughter.
He got up in time to miss the next incoming wave, but the damage had been done and he knew he would have to endure soggy shorts until they dried out.
Still grinning, Sally helped Quatre brush the wet sand off before gently taking hold of his arm and placing it in hers. Then they began a slow stroll along the shoreline, taking time to just talk, and to be with each other while relaxing in the wondrous natural beauty and warmth of their surroundings.

After walking the entire length of the cove, they arrived back at the Lagoon, both a little tired from all the fresh air.
"You hungry?" asked Quatre.
"Starving."
Sally sat down on the lush soft grass beneath one of the trees and leaned back against its trunk, whilst Quatre opened the larger of the two backpacks and peered in. Moments later he looked up at Sally with a grin.
"You like Champagne?" he asked, pulling from the bag a half-sized bottle and two crystal glasses.
"Wow, Champagne," commented Sally "I love it, that is, whenever I get the chance to drink it."
Quatre scrutinised the label on the bottle for a moment then laughed out. "James, bless him!" he smiled, "its alcohol-free Champagne!"

A few minutes later they were sat next to each other, both leaning against the same tree, enjoying a variety of gastronomic treats, like smoked salmon and cucumber sandwiches followed by some rather rich chocolate fudge cake. Quatre picked up his Champagne glass and held it out in front of them; he looked at Sally with a caring smile.
"A toast," he said quietly.
Sally reached down and picked up her own glass, reaching it out to join his.
"To friends, to comrades, to this wonderful place, and to us," he said.

Sally smiled, nodding in agreement, "And to many more wonderful experiences just like this one."
Quatre nodded, "absolutely, and to lots more reasons to eat cake, drink champagne and propose toasts," he grinned, jokingly.
"Most definitely," chuckled Sally, gently tapping their glasses together.

It was late afternoon when Sally stirred from a wonderfully peaceful doze. Quatre was still sleeping peacefully, laying on his back, stretched out on the soft warm grass with his head resting in her lap. She remained leaning back against the tree trunk.
She couldn't remember another time when she had felt so deeply and wonderfully relaxed. The Sun was still beating its warmth down upon them both, although she could sense that the evening was not too far away. She looked down at the blonde youth's head she was cradling on her lap and smiled. His hands were clasped loosely together resting lightly against his stomach, elbows propped on the soft grass beneath him. She watched the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, his breath slow, relaxed, unflustered.
Smiling, she reached down and affectionately smoothed the hair gently across his forehead with her fingers. He seemed to purr quietly with contentment as she then slowly traced her fingertip down the length of his nose to the tip.
Taking a deep breath, Quatre slowly opened his eyes and looked up dreamily into hers.
"Hey sleepy," she whispered calmly, continuing to caress his hair. Quatre closed his eyes in a slow-motion blink and gave a contented hum, followed by a long, deep sigh. He didn't want this moment to end.

"We absolutely have to do that again," said Sally as they strolled back along the forest path. Quatre nodded agreeing enthusiastically, "I've had such a great time today Sally," he replied, "I couldn't have wished for better company, thank you for allowing me to share this place with you," his tone was genuinely appreciative.
"No Quatre, thank you!" She replied, beaming an appreciative smile, "The memories I have of today, I will cherish forever."

A short while later they were back in the Rolls Royce heading for home.
It was perfect timing, James arrived just a few moments before they reached the gate where they had first embarked on their memorable visit to the secret lagoon.
They said very little in the car on the way home, mostly through tiredness. They looked out of the windows, watching the world go by and the sun slowly disappearing below the horizon. Occasionally, they would glance toward each other, smiling as they both contemplated and digested the simple, yet wondrous day they had shared together.

Quatre, however, kept periodically glancing at his watch. He had one more surprise tucked up his sleeve for Sally, but getting the timing right was crucial.