Book Club, Tala: safe, smiling, burn
Character Appreciation: Ernie MacMillan
Shannon's Showcase, Macedonia: Lost and Sound, swing
Buttons: feather, chime
Word Count: 385
He finds her in the park where they used to play as children. Susan sits on the swing, her long, slender legs kicking back and forth, though she isn't putting much effort into going high. A smile tugs at Ernie's lips as he makes his way closer. "Some things never change," he comments.
Susan skids to a stop, kicking up a cloud of dust. A soft pink creeps into her cheeks. "Lots of things change," she mutters.
Ernie shrugs, bending down and plucking a feather from the ground. "Remember when we were kids?" he laughs, stepping closer and tucking the feather in Susan's auburn hair, just behind her ear. "This was always our safe place. No bad things could happen to us here. We had our little games."
His cheeks burn as he as thinks about it. He and Susan would always come here, and they'd make a game out of escaping the real world. First one to find a feather, rock, flower, and mushroom would win. It seems silly now, but it had made things so much simpler back then. Maybe it won't fix everything, but he hopes it will make things a little brighter for her, if only for a moment.
Susan laughs, the sound like a delicate chime. She pulls the feather from her hair, tracing a finger over the downy fluff at the bottom. "Thank you," she says quietly. "You're the only who hasn't tried to…"
She trails off, clearing her throat. But Ernie understands. She's just lost her aunt, and he knows everyone is looking at her with pity in their eyes, like their condolences mean a thing.
Without really thinking about it, he leans in, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. Susan touches her fingers to her lips, brows raised and eyes wide. Ernie swallows dryly, looking pointedly at his feet. "Sorry," he mumbles. "I shouldn't have done that."
She takes his hand, sliding off the swing. Her arms wrap around him, and she rests her head against his chest. "I liked it," she assures him. "Do it again?"
And he does. And maybe it doesn't take away the pain of loss and fear of the upcoming war, but it's enough to take them back to better days when the world wasn't so dark, and everything was okay.