All the Pains of Loving

Chapter Four: A Phone Call Bet

I feel like a monkey.
I feel like one of those monkeys that hang upside down from their tails. Do monkeys do that? Wait... how does Rafeeki sleep?
I feel like an animal that hangs upside down, a mammoth? Wait... how does Manny sleep?
It has been almost three minutes in this upside world, my legs tightly round from a blanch of the maple tree, holding on for dear life.
Strong calf muscles.

"Emma, I can't feel my arms, and I think my legs are dead," my voice calls out with the wind ruffling the maple leaves.
"You can just come down, y'know? It was a bet, not a death sentence," she chuckles, before I see her white and cherry rain boots and feel her tying my hair into a ponytail, it being a few inches from touching the earth. Thank you, Em.
"I don't know if I can. I think I might be stuck. I might be part of the tree now.... Mhm. Maple and I are one now," I've been feeling lightheaded since around minute one and five seconds, and it's getting worse, my words are slurring.

"Yeah, you need to get down. All the blood's gone to your brain," I hear rustling around.
"No, it's fine. Go make some pancakes, would ya? Come back and Maple and I will give you some syrup, mmm," I giggle, imaging being part of the tree and actually being able to produce maple syrup. We'd never run out. I gasp at an idea, "That could be my very own super power. Maple Syrup Lilly, to the rescue. No pancake too fluffy, no waffle too... what are waffles? Crunchy? Hmm..." To be honest, I don't eat them regularly. I like chocolate chip pancakes instead. When you get that perfect bite of fluffy pancake, warm chocolate, and maple syrup. Oh yum! My deep thoughts are interrupted by a bark of laughter that is distinct to Emma.
"Okay, Maple Solaris, down you get, let's go," Em huffs and lifts my upper body over the branch, moving me to sit on a opposite perch, while she maneuvers me upright. Oh my head! "So this is the world upside right... upside up? If it's upside down when I was feeling all loopy and I was down then now that I am this way, this side is upside up...Right, because I'm upright... wait, I'm confused..." I trail off in contemplation of the intricacies of English. Oh my head!

"Lillylove, please check on Mully and the kittens," Mum calls from the kitchen window that over looks the maple tree. I smile at her and give her a grin and two thumbs up... that is until I realized, I was balancing on Emma who sits on the branch holding me steady and now that I've let go, well... here we go. It's a short fall to the earth that is covered in beautiful, fiery oranges, sun-kissed tans, and vibrant green leaves. Emma and I land with an "oomph" and an "aaagh", and we sit up slowly, me rubbing my calves, and her rubbing her head.
It takes a few seconds before we turn to look at each other for any injuries and then howling laughter erupts from both our chests. "Oh my god, you are something else Lil, I can't believe you made us fall!" She chuckles as the laughter simmers down, "actually no, I do believe it, You are so clumsy sometimes," she breathes out as I contain myself and point to my chest in question to her statement. I am not clumsy, okay? Things just happen when I just happen to be around them.
"Yes, you! Remember that time, Al set up the tents for the camp out we had for his birthday? You somehow managed to have yours collapse on you that night. Out of six tents, your's flopped. What are the odds?"she asks and I give it some thought.
"Then on that same trip, eleven s'mores caught on fire and you burned your finger thrice!" She chuckles. "Oh, Al was panicking looking for the aloe vera," she sighs. Well then, if having a bit of bad luck, makes me clumsy... then Emma might be right... huh.

"Well, if I'm clumsy... then you are..." I stutter, trying to finish my comeback. Em smiles, trying to hide her smirk and raises an eyebrow for me to continue. "You are... just so..." why can't I think of anything? "You are... uhm..." I sigh in defeat. She's perfect. Don't blame me, just look at her! "You're Emma... I can't think of one flaw," I open my arms for a hug that she greedily returns and I fall back onto the pile of leaves we landed on.
"And you are Solaris Lilly, there are no flaws, just your 'isms'. They're what makes you, you. My sister, and bestest friend, and I love you for it, even it gets me knocked onto my bum," she laughs out and squeezes me tightly before standing up and reaching her hand out to pull me with her.
"Aww, I love you too Emma Emily," I say with a smirk, teasing her with middle name, since she used mine. She gasps and turns to me with a mischievous grin that has been regretting my teasing.
"Oh, you better hope the blood is back in your legs so you can run Solaris!" Em says and I scream a very unladylike yelp and jump away from her fingers that are intent on committing the worst of sins possible, the terrible torture of existence, the act I wish was never known to mankind; tickling.