Short Stories Archive

seasons

It still doesn't make sense as to what Max and I were doing in the forest last night. In fact, I didn't seem to snap out of the vision I kept having until I felt a forceful squeeze in my hand. When I came to, Max was pulling me through the clearing of trees further into the unknow night.

"You're so annoying!" I winced. Max held my hand tighter as we journeyed onwards, the uneasiness on my face more visible than the moon shining overhead.

"If I'm really hurting you," the boy answered, "then let go of my hand." I had told Max briefly about the strange things I had been seeing in my sleep lately, but he seemed less focused on my panic and more focused on remaining unseen. As teenagers nowadays tend to do, he made a decision that now would be a good time for us to run for the forest and not look back.

"Are you crazy?" I hissed. "In the middle of the night?! I cant let go now." My worry had nearly gotten the best of me, but his satisfied grin brought me back to earth, as it always does.

"Fine," he replied, casually wrapping his pinky finger around mine. "But if anyone sees us, promise me it won't be my fault." After looking around suspiciously, he slowly removed his hoodie to reveal his face. He took my silence as my willing agreement as he led me to a river just beyond the tall trees. "Remember what I told you? No one can know we're out here."

As we reached the edge of the water, I was surprised to see a dark angel sitting over on the other side. Her wings drooped downward as she softly hummed a rather solemn and ominous tune. I feared the song, for it sounded all too familiar yet strangely calming. As I put the pieces together, I felt another urgent tug at my hand.

"We have to do this," Max beckoned. I followed him over to where the angel continued to sing, her feet moving back and forth in the flowing water.

The angel sensed our presence almost immediately, ending her song and looking up at us with cold, piercing eyes. Although she was an angel, a blank, neutral expression rested on her face. "What do you want here?' she spat.

"That's a good question," I retorted, dropping my hand from Max's for a moment. "Why do you keep invading my dreams?"

The angel continued to stare at us, clearly unenthused by my remarks. "What's wrong, sugar?" she sneered. "Don't like my song?" She raised a hand to her dainty locks of hair and ran her fingers through them lightly.

"So this is what we 'have to do?'" I whispered over to Max. "This isn't how dreams are supposed to go, you know."

With his free hand, Max held up a stern finger to my lips. "All in good time, my friend. If I were you, I would be nicer to Winter in the meantime."

"Max, this isn't right! What are kids like us useful for in the forest, anyway?"

In my exasperated state, I failed to notice the angel- Winter- looming above us. Despite her previous temperament, she appeared more sympathetic towards my friend and l. I called to the flying angel: "What do you want?"

Winter stopped where she was and slowly floated down in front of us. She grabbed my free arm urgently and, with a wink of her eye, started to haul me through the forest. "I want you," she told me. Max followed promptly behind us, never dropping my hand from his. "l figured you would arrive soon enough, and I have something special in store for you."

The angel took us to a tall, colorful tree just beyond the river. In my dream, the tree was merely a tree, but I was utterly amazed at how ethereal it looked in real life. Max, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by the tree.

"This tree hasn't changed," he said. I wondered what it was that had brought him to the tree before, and why he would wait until now for me to see it.

"It isn't supposed to, smart one." The angel laughed at Max and released me from her grip, moving to stroke the leaves shining so brightly on their branches. "A million years have come and gone, but time means nothing when this tree means so much."

"Sorry," I interrupted. "What does that have to do with my dream?"

Max sighed, moving to look me in the eye. "Angela, we all have had visions like yours at some point. We walk along an unclear and distant path, we stop by the river, and somehow, we end up at this tree. It calls to us, for whatever reason."

Winter rolled her eyes at him. "Don't forget about the angels!"

Max waved her off playfully. "That, too. Masters of manipulation, I'd say." His smile flickered for a moment, his voice becoming more uncertain. "Point is, you are here now, with Winter. The time has come for you to find the reason for yourself." Then, he let go.

Winter prompted me to close my eyes, gently taking my shaky hand in hers. "This tree knows what is right and wrong," she whispered, placing my hand on a branch. "Now, so do you."

"Does it hurt, Angela?"

I could recognize Max's worried voice from just about anywhere. I didn't even realize he had come directly behind me until the sound of his footsteps came to a stop. "No," I murmured. "It doesn't hurt."

Winter began to sing her song once more. Before, it sounded magical and gentle, but now it scared me just a little. I couldn't help but think that I was headed someplace uncertain and cold. "If you want to know what it all means," Max whispered, "you must follow her instructions carefully."

"Just don't let me go now." I could feel his pinky softly weaving its way into mine once again, his smile radiating into me. It made me feel a little more at home while my head started to spin. "What's happening to me, Max?"

"All in good time, my friend. For now, it's time for you to go."