The Truffula Gardeners

Chpt 13. Among Stars

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"Come on! It's just down this way." I shuffle quickly out of my seat and stride down the path. Once ler follows suit, stumbling close behind me.
"We'll be right back, Mel."
He patted the nonchalant mule and returned to catching up with me. "Hold up! Don't I get to know where we're going? Or why it has to be in such a creepy part of the forest?"
Admittedly, the trees were tall and abundant around here, making for quite the claustrophobic scene. It's something I'd never noticed before, but had no worries of it.

"Just trust me, okay! I gotta keep it a surprise...we're almost there."
Finally I find an important landmark telling me we've arrived, and begin to make my way.
"You're not going to kill me are you? Because I just lost a bet with the Lorax and I still owe him money so he'll be-"
"Oncie."
I say firmly, standing next to a dirt wall. He pauses in front of me as I carefully pull back a curtain of vines, revealing an entrance to a cave. My cave.
"Just get in."

He hesitates, probably still wrestling with the possibility of a murder occurring. But of course, he comes around; He cautiously enters the cave. As I approach behind, I catch a change of expression in him. From confusion and worry to shock and awe. Just the reaction I was hoping for.
It was a perfectly sized cave, and despite slight the dampness of its walls, the air remained clear. There was one thing about this cave though, that made it so special in my eyes. And that it was decorated head to toe.
Strings of orbed blue light of my own crafting hung from the ceiling, the walls strung up with blue ivy plants, and at the caves end was a set of carefully places metal prongs. For just above them was a consistent leak in the ceiling, and the drips would form a random pattern that would sound a music note as they fell onto the metal keys (inspired by the beautiful kalimba, one of my favorite instruments). This was something that was truly mine, something I could take pride in. Now...it was also his. As content as I was to see my creation again, I worry at the possible criticism. But my concerns were quickly subsided.
"Wow..."
He breathed.
"You...made this?"
He turned to me, completely captivated. I smile gently, as I take out and unfold a thin cloth sheet, one that I had found lying in the wagon. I set it onto the ground and take my seat, patting the empty spot next to me without a word. Luckily he takes his seat without much thought.
"I know...it's nothing really special. Well, 'functional', I guess. Just some pretty decor, really."
"Is that...music?"
He turns his eyes to my little contraption.
"Oh it's...basically a makeshift music box. It sounds best when its raining."
Strangely, almost as if on que, a loud thunderous rumble was heard from outside followed promptly by the pattering sounds of rain. We looked at each other for a moment, unsure of weather to laugh or to be concerned.
I try to break the tension.
"...looks like we're gonna be here a while." I say as another thunderous roar sounds from outside the cave.
"So...why did you want to show me this? Looking back you were kinda secret about it for so long."
He leans back and rests his arm just behind me, waiting eagerly for me to speak. Geez even just the way he looks at me, I...it's a wonder how I'm able to speak at all. Its like how a little kid looks at their favorite super hero. Maybe he's just like that, but...it feels nice to be noticed.
"Remember what I said earlier...about space? Well I thought, instead of reaching for stars I could never touch, I would just make my own stars. And this time, they'd look a little bigger, just so you knew you were among them. Not below them." For some reason, I was able to speak as if no one was there. All the time I feel like I have to follow scripts to get by, but now...I could just talk.
"...and I figured, if there were ever a time where you couldn't find any stars in the sky, you could come here." The music grew louder with the rain pushing more drops from those little holes in the ceiling. Each one escaping through a small dent in the dirt below.
"Thats...pretty poetic, actually."
I chuckled.
"Thanks."
His arm grazed mine, and I felt a distinct shiver.
"Oh! Here-"
I grab a good handful of the loose pine and dry grass lying about the ground, then pull a matchbox from my bag.
"Let's make a fire. Just for a little bit."
I strike a match and let the pile catch a blaze, sitting back and watching the little flame crackle about.

"I mean it, y'know."
I start as he smiles at me.
"You can come here whenever you like. After all the things you did for me, I- ah!"
I was swiftly interrupted by a tight, encapsulating hug. Still recovering from the initial shock, I carefully hold my arms to his back. He begins to let go, but halfway I appear to catch his eye and he keeps hold of my torso as we look into each other's eyes. It finally felt like...we had a deeper understanding of each other. Like we could connect. We both blush, but felt it hard to pull away.
"Sorry, I just...thank you. That's all."

I huff quietly, a small smile lye on my face. We pull away...just barely. Together, we sit very close, gazing longingly at the fire and listening to the ever changing song of the cave. And through it all we kept quiet, completely taking in the beauty of the stars.
This...this was truly peace.

"SHIT-"
He jolted, preparing to run straight into the rain.
"I FORGOT MELVIN"
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Thank you all so much for reading! I apologize for the late release of this last chapter. The praise I have gotten for this series continues to make me so very grateful! I plan to make more chapters sometime in the future, but for now this will be the last chunk I make. I truly hope you found it was worth it!

~sincerely, your fellow gardener❤️