[IN PROGRESS]
Martha and James are soulmates trapped together in a never-ending reincarnation loop. Not a bad way to spend eternity, but they wanted more. They wanted a child. Serafina is born and Martha and James are elated to love and raise her a...
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June 24, 2002 |31|
Serafina clicked the helmet strap beneath their chin. Did they need it? Probably not. But brain injuries are no joke. Also, they hadn't done this in almost seventy years.
Atop the second story of the treehouse James had built around a thick and sprawling camphor tree in their backyard, Serafina took hold of the zipline's handlebars. Technically, they were years from being allowed to do this on their own. No... Technically, that rule was for Classic Serafina. And this is too damn fun to pass up.
James stepped out from the house and onto the back porch with a glass of lemonade in each hand. He took a sip from one, saw Serafina, and barely avoided the spit take. "What are you doing?" he whisper-yelled up to them as he set the glasses down.
"Exactly what it looks like," they answered.
"Are you crazy?" he said, turning his head back for a moment to look into the house. "Your mother would have a heart attack."
"That's an exaggeration." But yeah, Mom would freak. "Guess I should just take the fastest way down before she comes out," they said, then stepped to the edge of the platform.
James hurried to the end of the line across the yard and whisper-yelled again, "Young lady, you come down from there this instant!" Serafina cocked their head and smiled at their father, then kicked their feet up and held on tight. James waved his hands in the air frantically. "I got you! I'll catch you!"
"Move out of the way!" Serafina called as they plummeted down the line, feeling the familiar exhilaration. "Move, Dad! Trust me!" At the last moment, James ducked. The zipline trolley collided with the stop block and Serafina's momentum swung them forward and up. When they reached the correct angle, they let go of the handles and allowed their rotation to continue backward as they flew forward, spotting the ground as they fell. At last, they brought their feet together and landed, cushioning the impact with their knees. Arms wide for balance and flair, Serafina turned to their father and stood up straight.
James' mouth gaped in shock as his chest heaved frenzied breaths.
"You okay?" Serafina asked, lowering their arms.
"First of all," he said, then looked to the house and back. "She cannot see you do that anytime soon. Second, holy crap. That was amazing."
"First on beam, third all-around, 2017 Pac-12 championships," Serafina bragged, then dropped their voice an octave. "Go Bears!"
"UC Berkeley?"
"Mm-hmm. Just like Mom and Dad. Well... one version of them."
"Yeah? That's great, sweetie," he said, then chuckled weakly, sat down on the grass, ran a hand through his hair, and exhaled.
