On Our Side of the Forest (Short Story Compilation)

November

November

It was a cold day in November, so I waited patiently at the airport. The snow had delayed my plane, but I couldn't think of anything better to do for a few hours! I adjusted the cropped hoodie and pulled my shorts down over my thighs. They were tiny shorts to compliment the outfit and show off my fishnets, but I tugged at them the best I could. My phone had begun to get dull, and the conversations on Twitter were dying out. Faces came and went! I watched as a family of cheetahs hugged and reunited! It seemed their daughter had been abroad for a long time, and she was coming home for the holidays!

I had nothing of the sort going on. In fact, I was using the holiday season to travel for once! I always wanted to see Japan in the fall, so it was now or never!

"This seat taken?" I stirred from my thoughts as a large bear motioned to the seat next to me with a kind smile.

"No Sir! Please!" He didn't seem much older than me, closer to my age than anything I would think! He had fun green markings on his cheeks and these long ears. I had never seen long ears on a bear, but I had also never seen many things in my life!

"Thank you! I had been roaming around this airport this whole time trying to kill time! I should have known it would've snowed!" He didn't seem to have much luggage with him, and he had a husky voice that made me want to hear more when he spoke.

"Where are you going? My plane got delayed too!" I caught myself as my voice raised in excitement. I enjoyed meeting new people, so even talking to someone was refreshing!

"Tokyo! I had to come back to see my sister in the states! I've been traveling and trying to see as much as I can!" I smiled over at him and turned my phone off.

"Fun! I'm going there too! I wanted to do some traveling as well!" He let out this chuckle that enchanted me, I was hanging on to everything he was about to say!

"A little dragon in Tokyo sounds like a movie! Have any plans when you get there?" I laughed too at the thought! I guess it did sound like a movie if you thought of it! The airport buzzed around us as we seemed to talk about Japan for a while! He told me about the countless adventures he had gone on! I was envious of everything he could talk about! I wanted to have the stories he could tell, and I guess this was my start, "Do you drink?"

"Yes!" He looked around at the signs a bit before turning back to me.

"Seems like they have a bar! We can go there for a while while we wait for the plane! The universe brought us together for a reason!" I gathered my things and we made our way through the airport to their bar. He was much taller than me and burly! The heavy, woven hoodie hid away most of him, but his height difference to me was clear. I found myself lost in fantasies about how far this encounter could go. Was I the boy lucky enough to pick up the handsome stranger in the airport? He was full of mystery and I still hadn't gotten his name!

We got to the bar with another hour left before our flight took off, he found us a seat and ordered a round of drinks. It was strong when I sipped it, warming my body as it went down! I drank wine coolers in my free time, he was comfortable in his drinking.

"What's your name? I guess you've followed me all the way to a bar and we haven't made a proper introduction! My bad!" He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck with a large paw. I was feeling flush and warm with the drinks.

"Sound! And no worries, I should have asked!" He finished his drink and looked at me. I say "looked at me" but he was looking into me.

"Sound...I like that name! I'm Torbin!" Torbin...it was a unique name. He would leave a stain everywhere he went.

"Well Torbin, you should show me around Japan some time, since you know so much about the area!" He smiled, his green eyes were still piercing into my soul. We sat in silence for a brief moment while he seemed to contemplate his next move.