It was a lot more.stiff, that was the first thought, the second was, gods
the trees would hate it here. The air was filled with, ulgh, something
gross that stuck to my skin and got in my eyes and nose and I could taste
it too. It was awful. Besides that there were a lot more roads running
about, black ones, white ones, striped ones, and ones with pictures
scrawled across the surface or being scrawled across the surface.
A little boy was busy decorating the nearest one, and seemed to know what he was doing. I went over to ask directions; after all I wasn't a guy and had no problem with it.
"Hey there!"
He looked up, and didn't seem in the slightest surprised to see a barefoot girl with waist long hair striding across the park with a peach in her hand. I liked the kid already; he had potential to be a grove owner.
"Yeah." He asked innocently.
"I'm looking for someone." I told him. "About yeay tall, brown hair, blue eyes, around eighteen years old wished her brother away when she was fifteen. Do you know where she is?"
"Are you from the underground?"
What a smart little guy, I think if I ever have a kid, I want him to be like this. "Yep, so you know who I'm talking about then right?"
"Yeah, my sister."
"Grand!" I don't think things could have gone better if planned. "Well, where is she?"
"I don't think she'll want to see you."
"Why?"
"She'll be suspicious."
"Why?"
"She doesn't like the Goblin King."
"Wh-oh wait, you don't have to explain that." I thought for a moment, the kid seemed pretty intelligent, and logical. I could understand his sister's biases, after all she wasn't a citizen and his majesty is the biggest flirt. Anything to make people uncomfortable so he can get the upper hand, I've heard this includes flirting with guys, but that's probably just rumor.
"Do you dislike the Goblin King?" I asked hesitantly. If he didn't this would cue him in that I didn't exactly detest his royal haughtiness. Otherwise I might have an ally.
"Not really." He replied nonchalantly.
"No?" On second thought, if someone didn't like the goblin king in their own opinion their sanity defiantly had to be questioned.
"He was nice."
Damn good memory for a four-year-old I lost my shoes because they weren't where I remembered I put them. Then again, in the Labyrinth it's a different story. "You remember?" I asked slowly.
"Yes."
"Wow. Everything?"
"Yes."
"What color is his hair?"
"Yellow."
Well, white-gold was the usual terminology. "Close enough." I congratulated him. "So what's your name?"
"Toby Williams."
"Toby Williams huh? Wow that's a very..a very..who named you?"
"My Dad."
"Mr. Williams right?"
"Yeah."
"Right. Very.unique.um that means special." Okay, found the boy, now for the girl, I'd find her, confront her and.
"So anyway, Toby, if I wanted to change your sister's mind about the Goblin King how would I go about it."
He twisted around so he was sitting Indian style. "Well first, you'd have like tea."
Wow, mortals are complicated. "Okay, tea. Now what?"
"Then you have to hate peaches."
I stared at the one in my hand. I was screwed over already and I hadn't even met the girl. I stuffed it in a pocket. "Hate peaches, like tea. Got it."
"Well."
After three hours of chatter to a four year old I was officially educated in the art of romanticizing Sarah Williams with the sovereign of my country. A sovereign that I currently loathed and normally thought was related to the bog toads. But I had a very good informant. Toby went back to his sidewalk drawing, of which turned out to be startlingly realistic abstracts of goblins. It felt good to walk all over them though; Toby and I marched back and forth across seven squares of their stupid little heads. I've never felt more satisfied.
The plan went that I waited for Sarah Williams to appear from behind a tree. Where I would walk up and greet her in a 'nice and innocent with no mention of goblins or kings or undergrounds' manner but with plenty 'magic and fairies and fantasy'. Somewhere during the entire thing I was supposed to mention my absolute detest for peaches and my love for tea.
What was tea?
We waited.and waited..and waited. And for a change of pace we stamped on the goblins again and made up some creative insults and then went back to waiting. After a while it got dark and the air began to get a little bit colder, so Toby came over and sat on my lap because I don't feel cold that well and he did. When it was completely dark and torches began lighting themselves like they do in the Labyrinth at night I woke him up and asked where he lived. We'd have to wait for her tomorrow.
I picked him up, because he was sleepy, after getting directions and began walking across the park, through the second back yard, and up the steps of the white house. It wasn't that hard for a Labyrinth citizen. Luckily, Sarah was there, and her parents weren't.
I was at a loss once I'd gone up the steps to the white house. There was a door there but I didn't know what to do to open it, and after a while since it failed to talk to me I decided to knock. Often enough the door spirit fell asleep or visited a friend.
To my infinite surprise, Sarah Williams herself opened it. She seemed to see Toby first, I don't know why, since I'm a lot bigger. But she threw open the door. "Toby! Where have you been?" she was in near hysterics.
He didn't wake up but murmured something and drooled a little to my dismay.
"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed. "Come in, what happened?"
She held the door open wider and I took the hint stepping through the threshold. "He was in the park, and when it got dark I figured I'd take him home since it was beginning to get chilly." I explained.
"Oh, I should have known." She muttered. "I take him to the park on Tuesdays and Thursdays, he probably got the days mixed up."
I nodded. What in the world were Tuesdays and Thursdays? "That must have been it."
She walked me over to a more comfortable looking sitting room and arranged some blankets and pillows in an oddball sort of nest. "Put him there." She told me.
I tucked him down into the layers and watched as she tucked in the corners, propped the pillows, and checked his temperature. She would make a good mother.
"Thank you so much for bringing him home. I really, had no idea where he had gone I was about to call the Police." She told me somewhat embarrassed.
I put an arm around her shoulder and led her back towards the kitchen pantry combination all in one. "Don't worry, he's fine. I'm Alyia by the way.why don't we have some tea." I gave her a small pat on the shoulder (something I do to calm my trees).
It worked She nodded, brushing some tears from her eyes. "That's such a good idea, I'll make some. Thank you again."
I nodded warmly and sat at the small square table. "That's alright, everything's fine."
She began pulling open cabinets and put a pot on the big white thing, which burst into flames at the turn of a dial. Well it didn't look like there was much magic here but it didn't look like they needed it. "I know, I know but I was so worried, he was lost and I didn't know where he was."
But wait, if she didn't know where she was that would mean that he was lost. She was getting hysterical and I still had the truth peach in my pocket.
"I was so worried, what would happen if someone stole him? Or if he got hurt there and couldn't get home? What if he got lost?" she was sobbing and the water began to steam as she tossed a pinch of dried leaves in an ornate porcelain pitcher placing the cap on the counter.
I glanced at her shaking hands and then at the boiling water and then at her tear streaked face. Leaping from my seat I walked quickly to where she was, pulling a handkerchief out of my sleeve and drying her tears as I led her to the table.
"It's alright, Toby's safe and sound. It's all over, and now you have a good idea what to do if it happens again." I consoled her. "Here have a seat, I'll make the tea."
I left her with my handkerchief at the table and walked over to the boiling water. The handle was of a funny black material and sort of hot, so I used a dishtowel on the counter as I poured it into the porcelain pitcher. Then as an afterthought I pulled out my peach and digging my nails into it a few times squeezed the juice into the water. It would have the exact same effect, my peaches were potent like that. I would have to be careful of what I said though because I would be drinking it too.
Only now I had a messy peach and nowhere to put it. I sure as anything wasn't going to put it back into my pocket at this rate. I glanced at her to check that she was still preoccupied before quickly eating the rest of the peach. Oh yeah, gotta definitely watch my words. I wrapped the pit in another handkerchief and stuffed it back in my pocket before sucking the juice off my fingers. Finally I grasped the porcelain pitcher, the top now settled neatly in place, and the two cups before walking steadily back to the table.
I poured her a cup first and watched carefully as she pulled a small crock aside which turned out to have sugar in it, and added two spoonfuls. After I poured myself a cupful I repeated her gesture before pushing it back to the center of the table.
"Thank you." She murmured.
I smiled. "You're welcome. I've had trouble, loosing things too." I admitted thinking heavily about Pear.
She looked up from her cup abruptly. "I forgot to introduce myself didn't I, I'm sorry. I'm Sarah Williams. You can call me Sarah"
She extended her hand and grasped mine giving both a firm shake. I stored the ritual for later use. "I'm Alyia."
She looked at me somewhat suspiciously. "Do you have a last name?"
I wanted to lie so badly. "If I do I don't know what it is."
"Why not?"
I really really wanted to lie. "I never really knew my parents I suppose you could call me an orphan."
She reached across and took my hand, a gesture that would be otherwise inappropriate in the underground but here was oddly comforting. "I understand, my mother left us when I was little, and I don't really know my father anymore." She told me somberly.
I smiled halfheartedly. "It must be nice to have known them though, to at least know what they looked like. I've no idea, I might have known as an infant but the memories have long faded." Like over three hundred years. Did I hold a grudge? Oh yes.
"Yeah, I used to know exactly what my mother looked like, now I have to look at pictures to remember."
I nodded. I had no pictures, but I understood and it wasn't lying. "At least your father takes care of you, I had to fend for myself. It was so difficult! I was young inexperienced in the ways of the world (Whoa what an understatement) I didn't know what to do so I ended up doing something a lot of people did."
She leaned forward. "Really what was that?"
I licked my lips and sipped the tea(not too bad, for boiled water). "Well where I am it was a big thing to own an orchard, so that's not what I wanted to do but that's what I did."
She nodded distantly. "Me too. I've wanted to be an actress all my life, but the chances are slim and it's.difficult, a lot more difficult that I thought. Instead I'm working towards becoming a writer, not my first choice but it's better than the others."
"Exactly." She knew what I meant. Time to nudge her in the right direction. "When I was really young, I always wished for a prince or something to come and whisk me away, or that someone would come and find me, just me for something that only I could do. Wasn't going to happen." I sipped some more. "Have you ever had decision like that? Where you have to do what you know is right even though it's not what you really wanted?"
"Yeah." Her voice sounded really hollow. Like she was in denial! Like me. Ohh, kill that train of thought. "Yeah."
"What was it?" I pressed, hoping I didn't sound to eager.
She took a long drink and poured herself another cup, adding more sugar. "Once, someone took..something special to me." She paused, I knew she was fighting the truth peach. If she spoke she'd have to answer the question just like I would. "And when I had the chance to get it back.they offered me something else instead. something I wanted so much.."
There were shadows in her eyes, and wistfulness. Perhaps it wouldn't be that hard to change her mind, if it had never changed in the first place.
"Like something you had responsibility to, and something you wanted?" I asked delicately. Like following royal orders or running off and trying to get the king changed so he would change his answer.
"Yeah, just like that." She took another long gulp. "I of course, took the first." She admitted before her voice fell down to a shaky whisper. "But ever since then I've always wondered what would have happened if I had taken the second. What would have happened if I had said yes, instead of.."
You have no power over me!
".the other choice."
I sipped my own tea, I could feel it seep warmth right down into my stomach. "I know, and you always wonder if you chose right, or if something had been different the other one would have turned out better."
"You understand." She was on the verge of crying again, so was I. Gods above I missed my trees.
I just nodded, I was getting so upset. This wasn't like me at all. Then again, I had never been refused when asking Pear to be returned to me. It was just so.
The tears started to come. "And then you wonder sometimes if you could just undo the whole lot of it, right from the beginning." I covered my eyes, I hadn't cried for so long. It was so embarrassing, I felt so exposed and weak, getting emotional over a decision I already made. I couldn't even undo it now after talking to her.
It was her turn to pat my back now. "It's okay, I understand."
I wiped away the tears. My eyes felt hot, dammit all. "I can't even change it now. You can't change the past, people never change even if circumstance does." I sobbed. In my mind I was already mourning Pear, my tree, my poor pear. I'd miss her so much.
She nodded and sniffed, wiping her nose on my handkerchief to my dismay. I didn't want it back now. "Do you think so? Sometimes I wonder, if.if I could.if he would feel the same. Even after all this time."
That was my cue, and I saw it even though I was half lost in visions of summer days without the smooth branches and comforting presence of Pear. "Sarah, promise me that you'll try to get back what you lost."
She sat bolt upright. "But.!"
I was all act now even though I spoke the truth. "The things you regret in life are always what you don't do, if you wait too long you'll miss the chance forever. If it's about a guy, I can tell you, he probably is feeling just the same way, only too.."
What's a good word to describe his magesty? Pigheaded? Headstrong, stubborn as a mule? What if it gets back to me.damn.
.". prideful to take action. Guys are like that you know." I sniffed again, for effect. "If you do love him.do you love him?"
She nodded morosely.
"If you love him you'll be doing both of you a favor by taking action. Late is better than never."
She nodded, again, this time hopeful. "I promise. Promise me you'll do what you can too."
I smiled weakly. "I promise. And Sarah."
She looked up from her cup, trust glimmering in her eyes. "If you ever need help just call for me okay?"
It was a bit more than I should have given her, already making a promise and all that but I really could relate to this girl. She was in a sense just like me. Only she had a prince charming to go to. Pear I might never get back.
She nodded. "Alright, I promise."
I glanced at a clock. Woah 12 hours only? Weird, did that mean their sunset and sunrise times rotated with the twenty-six hour day? Either way it had the desired effect.
"Oh my gosh! It's already eleven o'clock! I'm sorry, do you want me to walk you home?" she asked worriedly.
I flapped a hand. "It's okay, it's pretty cold out and you really should get Toby into bed."
She giggled a bit. "Yeah, thank goodness my dad and step mom aren't home. They'd totally flip out." She looked me in the eye. "Can we keep this a secret?"
I nodded. "A secret between friends." I glanced at the couch. "and Toby.
She seemed to glow at the words. "A secret between friends. And Toby."
We both burst into giggles for a moment before she led me to the door. Before I left I managed to schedule another meeting at the park where I liked to 'hangout' and we could watch Toby so her parents weren't annoyed.
The walk back to the park was chilly and I ran part of the way under the funny torches that sputtered and glowed with cold light. As soon as I reached the rock a unicorn popped into my mind and I was with my trees again.
After all that had taken place I gave them both teary hugs and then climbed up into Apples branches to sleep as they walked back down to the warmer areas. Even though I didn't feel the cold I still became sick from it. Made no sense at all.
A little boy was busy decorating the nearest one, and seemed to know what he was doing. I went over to ask directions; after all I wasn't a guy and had no problem with it.
"Hey there!"
He looked up, and didn't seem in the slightest surprised to see a barefoot girl with waist long hair striding across the park with a peach in her hand. I liked the kid already; he had potential to be a grove owner.
"Yeah." He asked innocently.
"I'm looking for someone." I told him. "About yeay tall, brown hair, blue eyes, around eighteen years old wished her brother away when she was fifteen. Do you know where she is?"
"Are you from the underground?"
What a smart little guy, I think if I ever have a kid, I want him to be like this. "Yep, so you know who I'm talking about then right?"
"Yeah, my sister."
"Grand!" I don't think things could have gone better if planned. "Well, where is she?"
"I don't think she'll want to see you."
"Why?"
"She'll be suspicious."
"Why?"
"She doesn't like the Goblin King."
"Wh-oh wait, you don't have to explain that." I thought for a moment, the kid seemed pretty intelligent, and logical. I could understand his sister's biases, after all she wasn't a citizen and his majesty is the biggest flirt. Anything to make people uncomfortable so he can get the upper hand, I've heard this includes flirting with guys, but that's probably just rumor.
"Do you dislike the Goblin King?" I asked hesitantly. If he didn't this would cue him in that I didn't exactly detest his royal haughtiness. Otherwise I might have an ally.
"Not really." He replied nonchalantly.
"No?" On second thought, if someone didn't like the goblin king in their own opinion their sanity defiantly had to be questioned.
"He was nice."
Damn good memory for a four-year-old I lost my shoes because they weren't where I remembered I put them. Then again, in the Labyrinth it's a different story. "You remember?" I asked slowly.
"Yes."
"Wow. Everything?"
"Yes."
"What color is his hair?"
"Yellow."
Well, white-gold was the usual terminology. "Close enough." I congratulated him. "So what's your name?"
"Toby Williams."
"Toby Williams huh? Wow that's a very..a very..who named you?"
"My Dad."
"Mr. Williams right?"
"Yeah."
"Right. Very.unique.um that means special." Okay, found the boy, now for the girl, I'd find her, confront her and.
"So anyway, Toby, if I wanted to change your sister's mind about the Goblin King how would I go about it."
He twisted around so he was sitting Indian style. "Well first, you'd have like tea."
Wow, mortals are complicated. "Okay, tea. Now what?"
"Then you have to hate peaches."
I stared at the one in my hand. I was screwed over already and I hadn't even met the girl. I stuffed it in a pocket. "Hate peaches, like tea. Got it."
"Well."
After three hours of chatter to a four year old I was officially educated in the art of romanticizing Sarah Williams with the sovereign of my country. A sovereign that I currently loathed and normally thought was related to the bog toads. But I had a very good informant. Toby went back to his sidewalk drawing, of which turned out to be startlingly realistic abstracts of goblins. It felt good to walk all over them though; Toby and I marched back and forth across seven squares of their stupid little heads. I've never felt more satisfied.
The plan went that I waited for Sarah Williams to appear from behind a tree. Where I would walk up and greet her in a 'nice and innocent with no mention of goblins or kings or undergrounds' manner but with plenty 'magic and fairies and fantasy'. Somewhere during the entire thing I was supposed to mention my absolute detest for peaches and my love for tea.
What was tea?
We waited.and waited..and waited. And for a change of pace we stamped on the goblins again and made up some creative insults and then went back to waiting. After a while it got dark and the air began to get a little bit colder, so Toby came over and sat on my lap because I don't feel cold that well and he did. When it was completely dark and torches began lighting themselves like they do in the Labyrinth at night I woke him up and asked where he lived. We'd have to wait for her tomorrow.
I picked him up, because he was sleepy, after getting directions and began walking across the park, through the second back yard, and up the steps of the white house. It wasn't that hard for a Labyrinth citizen. Luckily, Sarah was there, and her parents weren't.
I was at a loss once I'd gone up the steps to the white house. There was a door there but I didn't know what to do to open it, and after a while since it failed to talk to me I decided to knock. Often enough the door spirit fell asleep or visited a friend.
To my infinite surprise, Sarah Williams herself opened it. She seemed to see Toby first, I don't know why, since I'm a lot bigger. But she threw open the door. "Toby! Where have you been?" she was in near hysterics.
He didn't wake up but murmured something and drooled a little to my dismay.
"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed. "Come in, what happened?"
She held the door open wider and I took the hint stepping through the threshold. "He was in the park, and when it got dark I figured I'd take him home since it was beginning to get chilly." I explained.
"Oh, I should have known." She muttered. "I take him to the park on Tuesdays and Thursdays, he probably got the days mixed up."
I nodded. What in the world were Tuesdays and Thursdays? "That must have been it."
She walked me over to a more comfortable looking sitting room and arranged some blankets and pillows in an oddball sort of nest. "Put him there." She told me.
I tucked him down into the layers and watched as she tucked in the corners, propped the pillows, and checked his temperature. She would make a good mother.
"Thank you so much for bringing him home. I really, had no idea where he had gone I was about to call the Police." She told me somewhat embarrassed.
I put an arm around her shoulder and led her back towards the kitchen pantry combination all in one. "Don't worry, he's fine. I'm Alyia by the way.why don't we have some tea." I gave her a small pat on the shoulder (something I do to calm my trees).
It worked She nodded, brushing some tears from her eyes. "That's such a good idea, I'll make some. Thank you again."
I nodded warmly and sat at the small square table. "That's alright, everything's fine."
She began pulling open cabinets and put a pot on the big white thing, which burst into flames at the turn of a dial. Well it didn't look like there was much magic here but it didn't look like they needed it. "I know, I know but I was so worried, he was lost and I didn't know where he was."
But wait, if she didn't know where she was that would mean that he was lost. She was getting hysterical and I still had the truth peach in my pocket.
"I was so worried, what would happen if someone stole him? Or if he got hurt there and couldn't get home? What if he got lost?" she was sobbing and the water began to steam as she tossed a pinch of dried leaves in an ornate porcelain pitcher placing the cap on the counter.
I glanced at her shaking hands and then at the boiling water and then at her tear streaked face. Leaping from my seat I walked quickly to where she was, pulling a handkerchief out of my sleeve and drying her tears as I led her to the table.
"It's alright, Toby's safe and sound. It's all over, and now you have a good idea what to do if it happens again." I consoled her. "Here have a seat, I'll make the tea."
I left her with my handkerchief at the table and walked over to the boiling water. The handle was of a funny black material and sort of hot, so I used a dishtowel on the counter as I poured it into the porcelain pitcher. Then as an afterthought I pulled out my peach and digging my nails into it a few times squeezed the juice into the water. It would have the exact same effect, my peaches were potent like that. I would have to be careful of what I said though because I would be drinking it too.
Only now I had a messy peach and nowhere to put it. I sure as anything wasn't going to put it back into my pocket at this rate. I glanced at her to check that she was still preoccupied before quickly eating the rest of the peach. Oh yeah, gotta definitely watch my words. I wrapped the pit in another handkerchief and stuffed it back in my pocket before sucking the juice off my fingers. Finally I grasped the porcelain pitcher, the top now settled neatly in place, and the two cups before walking steadily back to the table.
I poured her a cup first and watched carefully as she pulled a small crock aside which turned out to have sugar in it, and added two spoonfuls. After I poured myself a cupful I repeated her gesture before pushing it back to the center of the table.
"Thank you." She murmured.
I smiled. "You're welcome. I've had trouble, loosing things too." I admitted thinking heavily about Pear.
She looked up from her cup abruptly. "I forgot to introduce myself didn't I, I'm sorry. I'm Sarah Williams. You can call me Sarah"
She extended her hand and grasped mine giving both a firm shake. I stored the ritual for later use. "I'm Alyia."
She looked at me somewhat suspiciously. "Do you have a last name?"
I wanted to lie so badly. "If I do I don't know what it is."
"Why not?"
I really really wanted to lie. "I never really knew my parents I suppose you could call me an orphan."
She reached across and took my hand, a gesture that would be otherwise inappropriate in the underground but here was oddly comforting. "I understand, my mother left us when I was little, and I don't really know my father anymore." She told me somberly.
I smiled halfheartedly. "It must be nice to have known them though, to at least know what they looked like. I've no idea, I might have known as an infant but the memories have long faded." Like over three hundred years. Did I hold a grudge? Oh yes.
"Yeah, I used to know exactly what my mother looked like, now I have to look at pictures to remember."
I nodded. I had no pictures, but I understood and it wasn't lying. "At least your father takes care of you, I had to fend for myself. It was so difficult! I was young inexperienced in the ways of the world (Whoa what an understatement) I didn't know what to do so I ended up doing something a lot of people did."
She leaned forward. "Really what was that?"
I licked my lips and sipped the tea(not too bad, for boiled water). "Well where I am it was a big thing to own an orchard, so that's not what I wanted to do but that's what I did."
She nodded distantly. "Me too. I've wanted to be an actress all my life, but the chances are slim and it's.difficult, a lot more difficult that I thought. Instead I'm working towards becoming a writer, not my first choice but it's better than the others."
"Exactly." She knew what I meant. Time to nudge her in the right direction. "When I was really young, I always wished for a prince or something to come and whisk me away, or that someone would come and find me, just me for something that only I could do. Wasn't going to happen." I sipped some more. "Have you ever had decision like that? Where you have to do what you know is right even though it's not what you really wanted?"
"Yeah." Her voice sounded really hollow. Like she was in denial! Like me. Ohh, kill that train of thought. "Yeah."
"What was it?" I pressed, hoping I didn't sound to eager.
She took a long drink and poured herself another cup, adding more sugar. "Once, someone took..something special to me." She paused, I knew she was fighting the truth peach. If she spoke she'd have to answer the question just like I would. "And when I had the chance to get it back.they offered me something else instead. something I wanted so much.."
There were shadows in her eyes, and wistfulness. Perhaps it wouldn't be that hard to change her mind, if it had never changed in the first place.
"Like something you had responsibility to, and something you wanted?" I asked delicately. Like following royal orders or running off and trying to get the king changed so he would change his answer.
"Yeah, just like that." She took another long gulp. "I of course, took the first." She admitted before her voice fell down to a shaky whisper. "But ever since then I've always wondered what would have happened if I had taken the second. What would have happened if I had said yes, instead of.."
You have no power over me!
".the other choice."
I sipped my own tea, I could feel it seep warmth right down into my stomach. "I know, and you always wonder if you chose right, or if something had been different the other one would have turned out better."
"You understand." She was on the verge of crying again, so was I. Gods above I missed my trees.
I just nodded, I was getting so upset. This wasn't like me at all. Then again, I had never been refused when asking Pear to be returned to me. It was just so.
The tears started to come. "And then you wonder sometimes if you could just undo the whole lot of it, right from the beginning." I covered my eyes, I hadn't cried for so long. It was so embarrassing, I felt so exposed and weak, getting emotional over a decision I already made. I couldn't even undo it now after talking to her.
It was her turn to pat my back now. "It's okay, I understand."
I wiped away the tears. My eyes felt hot, dammit all. "I can't even change it now. You can't change the past, people never change even if circumstance does." I sobbed. In my mind I was already mourning Pear, my tree, my poor pear. I'd miss her so much.
She nodded and sniffed, wiping her nose on my handkerchief to my dismay. I didn't want it back now. "Do you think so? Sometimes I wonder, if.if I could.if he would feel the same. Even after all this time."
That was my cue, and I saw it even though I was half lost in visions of summer days without the smooth branches and comforting presence of Pear. "Sarah, promise me that you'll try to get back what you lost."
She sat bolt upright. "But.!"
I was all act now even though I spoke the truth. "The things you regret in life are always what you don't do, if you wait too long you'll miss the chance forever. If it's about a guy, I can tell you, he probably is feeling just the same way, only too.."
What's a good word to describe his magesty? Pigheaded? Headstrong, stubborn as a mule? What if it gets back to me.damn.
.". prideful to take action. Guys are like that you know." I sniffed again, for effect. "If you do love him.do you love him?"
She nodded morosely.
"If you love him you'll be doing both of you a favor by taking action. Late is better than never."
She nodded, again, this time hopeful. "I promise. Promise me you'll do what you can too."
I smiled weakly. "I promise. And Sarah."
She looked up from her cup, trust glimmering in her eyes. "If you ever need help just call for me okay?"
It was a bit more than I should have given her, already making a promise and all that but I really could relate to this girl. She was in a sense just like me. Only she had a prince charming to go to. Pear I might never get back.
She nodded. "Alright, I promise."
I glanced at a clock. Woah 12 hours only? Weird, did that mean their sunset and sunrise times rotated with the twenty-six hour day? Either way it had the desired effect.
"Oh my gosh! It's already eleven o'clock! I'm sorry, do you want me to walk you home?" she asked worriedly.
I flapped a hand. "It's okay, it's pretty cold out and you really should get Toby into bed."
She giggled a bit. "Yeah, thank goodness my dad and step mom aren't home. They'd totally flip out." She looked me in the eye. "Can we keep this a secret?"
I nodded. "A secret between friends." I glanced at the couch. "and Toby.
She seemed to glow at the words. "A secret between friends. And Toby."
We both burst into giggles for a moment before she led me to the door. Before I left I managed to schedule another meeting at the park where I liked to 'hangout' and we could watch Toby so her parents weren't annoyed.
The walk back to the park was chilly and I ran part of the way under the funny torches that sputtered and glowed with cold light. As soon as I reached the rock a unicorn popped into my mind and I was with my trees again.
After all that had taken place I gave them both teary hugs and then climbed up into Apples branches to sleep as they walked back down to the warmer areas. Even though I didn't feel the cold I still became sick from it. Made no sense at all.