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"You are Johnny, aren't you?"
Mark blinked and swallowed hard. "Umm, no?"
The boy was clearly extremely confused. "You're not..." he looked at the floor in bemusement. "You aren't...Johnny Seo?"
Mark shook his head but felt guilty for some reason. He felt bad. He obviously wasn't the one who the warm welcome was directed at and it made him feel embarrassed that he had been mistaken for someone else. For all Mark knew, this could've been a romantic blind date for this mysterious guy. "Sorry. I shouldn't have come into the field. I'm sorry for trespassing-"
The boy reached out again and held Mark's shoulder. "What were you doing when you found your way here?" He seemed more worried and concerned than angry, so Mark answered unsurely.
"I was just getting some fresh air." He couldn't stop himself from blushing. He just felt so bad for crashing whatever it was that this boy had been expecting. "I-I guess I missed the signs about this place."
The boy shook his head and removed his hands from Mark's shoulders. He nibbled at the corner of his nail and turned away, pacing the little circle of flattened flowers where he usually stayed. He then lifted his eyes back up to the awkward older and looked him up and down. "Then what's your name?" He paused and began to speak lowly, "and why isn't Johnny here? He could be late..."
"I'm Mark," he answered. Of course, he didn't need to tell this boy his name, but somehow it slipped out under compulsion.
"Mark." His eyes widened for a moment as if he realised something really important. "Mark, you have to leave. Now." The urgency made the older confused and the hands pushing on his back towards where he had come from were gentle but determined. He stumbled through the field before the pretty boy stopped pushing him and breathed deeply. "Be careful on your way home."
As Mark stepped forward a few steps, well, more like tumbled a few steps, he turned back around, rubbing his arms from the sudden chill of the covered forest. But...there was nothing behind him but the forest. It was just trees and shrubbery. There was no warm, yellow sunlight peaking through and certainly no golden field of flowers. In fact, the sweet smell of the gathering of different flowers was completely gone. It was as though Mark had had a momentary daydream and had woken up so suddenly that it seemed real.
But it was real and Mark knew it.
The birdsong was as though it had always been there. It was light and carried across the forest, but without the sight of the little creatures, Mark felt like they were watching and surveying him from the treetops which he couldn't see.
•・•・•
The buzz of life around Mark continued as he wandered through the town and back home. Despite his prior worries, he had managed to find his way out of the forest by walking straight. It was a miracle he hadn't gotten lost in the process, but the view of those around him enjoying the ever-present sun and heat proved he had made it out.
"Lemonade!" A lady called vibrantly, and Mark realised it was the same stand which he had initially bought lemonade at. The sign was still as clear as day - 'When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!'
He once again cringed, but also once again fished the dregs of some change out of his pocket. It was then that he realised he had left his cup and straw somewhere in the forest. He had never been a litterbug before and he hoped he never would be. "Excuse me," he asked the lady when he approached. "Are the cups and straws biodegradable?"
"Of course!" She exclaimed and lifted one of each from the stack. "Can I get you some lemonade?"
"Yes please." He felt less guilty now. "Have you been on the recreational forest walk recently?"
The lady nodded her head. "It's beautiful at this time of year, isn't it?"
He smiled and watched as she filled up his cup with the lemonade from the cooler. "Did you ever see a clearing in there? With flowers?"
The cup was slid across the counter to him and she poked a straw in. "I haven't. Why?"
Mark accepted the drink and passed the coins to her. "Never mind. Thank you," he smiled and wandered off, taking desperate sips from the cup. It was still so hot, but according to Mark's watch, it was two o'clock. He parked himself down on a little wooden seat facing a sculpture of a man and a woman hugging. He thought back on his meeting with the beautiful boy in the forest. It was so bizarre yet so entrancing. He wanted to go back and see him again...see the field again and the flowers with all their gorgeous scents.
An idea formulated as he lay back against the seat. Maybe he could go back tomorrow, but he'd bring something to apologise with. What would the guy like? He thought deeply for a moment as his eyes locked on the sculpture. "He'd probably appreciate a plant..." he trailed off and shook his head. "He's surrounded by them. Maybe he'd like something else." The sun pierced through the cloud-streaked sky and he lifted his hand up to cover his eyes, looking through it at the giant star. "Perhaps he'd appreciate fruit?"
That settled it. He'd bring some fruit next time. He did have an apple tree in his garden that produced the most flavoursome apples he'd ever tasted. He felt he had to apologise for intruding, so maybe some fruit could be used as an offering. There was no guarantee that the boy would even be there tomorrow, but if he was, then at least the stigmatic feeling of unease in Mark's chest would disappear.
"Love has the gentlest song," he muttered under his breath, but frowned when he recognised the familiar words that had dropped into his mind just then. Where had he heard those words before? It felt recent. It clicked when he realised that they were the lyrics that the mysterious boy had been singing in the field. He began to hum, probably not accurately, but what he remembered of the lilting tune.
