The Girl With the Icy Hair

4

Waking early in the morning before the sun had risen above the horizon, Aura quickly got out of bed and brushed all the tangles out of her hair from sleep. I have to do this, she thought silently. I owe it to myself to try to find my purpose. All those years ago, that butterfly chose me, and there had to have been a reason. Crossing her room lightly, Aura opened her closet listening carefully for the sounds of footsteps as the closet door squealed loudly, and groped around for her backpack in the darkness. Finally pulling it free of her clothes, she unzipped all the pockets and emptied it of its contents. Her homework, notes, pencils, and binder tumbled out and onto the hard wooden floor. Hastily, Aura grabbed several changes of clothes, the pocketknife Drew had given her for her 10th birthday, and shoved them all into the backpack. Picking up the bag, she swung it onto her shoulders and stalked as silently as possible into the large kitchen. The windows to the outside were just beginning to let in the first rays of sunlight. Nothing stirred in the house. Aura cast out her thoughts to her parents. Emma was dreaming about being in a car accident, and Drew’s thoughts were some kind of jumbled up soup as he slowly changed dreams. She pictured herself saying goodbye, and she sent each of them the thought. Aura walked into the kitchen quickly, and grabbed a few fruits and a large can of peanuts. As quietly as possible, she stuffed them into the backpack. She searched though the drawers in the kitchen for her map and compass. Aura placed them into the outside pocket of the bag, and then she left her home.

Outside, all was silent except for a few cicadas and birds, their calls intermingling in the early dawn light. The air was chilly, and it smelled of damp earth and fresh dew. Walking on the side of their lonely country road, Aura headed for the nearest tree line. The last thing she wanted now was to be seen. Her backpack was already beginning to weigh heavily on her. The straps were pulled nearly taut by the weight of the contents. As the trees neared, Aura felt even more strongly now that she had made the right choice. She looked up at the pale blue, early morning sky. For a few moments, she stopped on the side of the road and just gazed up at the heavens. I know I’m making the right choice, Aura thought. I just hope my parents don’t think I left because of them.

Righting her head once more, she continued with her heavy, yet even steps. The trees were nearly upon her now, and she stepped off the road and into the long grass. A light breeze that smelled like sunshine on wet leaves wreathed around her, twisting her hair and waving in the grass. Aura had barely begun her journey, and she already understood how solitary this trek would be. Suddenly the silence of the morning was broken by the loud whine of a siren. Aura threw herself to the ground, hidden by the tall grass. Lifting her head, just high enough that she could see over the vegetation, Aura searched for the source of the sound. She spotted a police car in front of her house. The lights were on, and Aura could make out the figures of her parents talking to the officer. This time, though, she felt no remorse about all the trouble she was causing.

Reinvigorated by the fear of being caught so early in her journey, Aura quickly got up and dashed into the trees. At the very least, I need to get a head start, She thought to herself. The sun was beginning to rise; it’s rays burning off mist that lingered near the ground. Aura walked on for many hours through the trees, picking her way through dense undergrowth and weeds. It had barely even gotten to be midafternoon and Aura was already beginning to grow tired. Her feet ached from walking for so long, and hot droplets of sweat pursed on her brows. Panting, Aura cleared away some dense vegetation and smashed a patch of grass big enough to rest in flat. Carefully, she lowered herself down. 

For a few solid minutes, Aura sat still trying to slow her breathing. She was hot and thirsty. Just as she went to pull her backpack over to look for her cantina, Aura realized she’d left her cantina at home. She had no water. Her blood ran cold. Aura threw down her backpack and shot into the sky. Scanning the ground for signs of water, she spotted a small stream about a mile ahead of her. Landing safely back on the ground, Aura picked up the backpack. When it was correctly situated, she struggled to get herself into the air. Her bag was heavy and weighed her down. After a long, hard fight with the bag, she finally got into the air and moved toward the stream. From the sky, a strong breeze blew into Aura’s face, carrying with it the scent of pine needles and leaf mold. The late afternoon sun shone onto her back, warming her skin and giving a beautiful golden glow to the late summer landscape. The green color of the big oak leaves shone magnificently in the sunlight. Aura saw the refraction of the sunlight through her blue strands glitter against the greens and yellows of the trees like the sparkle of ice on a chilly winter morning. As she finally reached the sky above the stream, Aura began to descend into the trees. Birdsong gradually gave way to the chirps of nearby cicadas as the sun sank lower and lower into the sky. After taking several large gulps of water from the stream, Aura slowly stood up, and began to clear a space for herself next to the water.

         As Aura’s stomach began to growl, she pulled the jar of peanuts out of her backpack. Opening the large jar, she stuffed several handfuls into her mouth, chewed, and swallowed the painful shards of nuts. The world seemed to disappear when the sun finally sank below the horizon, far in the distance. The trees around Aura were engulfed in shadow and the deafening silence of night filled her ears, as the sky became speckled with the tiny pricks of starlight. Crickets called out a loud harmony amongst themselves. With nothing left to do, Aura fixed her gaze upon the stars. I wonder if someone up there knows who I’m supposed to be, she wondered silently. I would hope that if they did, they would help me understand my true purpose. I don’t think I was chosen to be useless. There has to be a reason I have these gifts. As she looked upon the pinpricks of light among the suffocating blackness, Aura laid herself back into the long grass along the bank of the stream. She stared at the sky and ran her eyes along the branches of the trees overhead. The trees stood strong and tall, as if they’d known their purpose in life was to provide the strength and protection for all the smaller and more defenseless creatures. Soon enough I’ll know my true purpose, she thought. Maybe then everything will begin to make sense.