Decay of Desire

Section 3

   The next morning came far too soon. One second we were talking about ourselves and telling stories in the midst of the dark and next thing I know hazy sunlight pierces the veil of leaves above us. Had we really stayed awake the whole night, just talking? I recalled some of our conversation the previous night, her explaining her younger years. She said she had grown up in a small town North of where we were, called Ridgevale. Apparently, it was pretty isolated, being surrounded by steep mountains on all sides. Also, she had told me, the thick carpet of snow permanent outside usually kept outsiders away. I had suggested we should go there, and she seemed reluctant to talk about why she left. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I wasn't even the slightest bit tired. I broke myself out of my thought daydream, and glanced over where Aina sat a few feet away. She was absorbed in brushing her hair out, and I couldn't help but be mesmerized by her. Everything was so smooth, the manner in which she gently tugged her comb through the rippling waves, I found myself absorbed in her as well. She cocked her head to look at me, and said, "Hey, I know I must be nice to look at and all, but why don't you check and make sure everything is in the packs? We need to get moving soon." I looked away from her hair long enough to catch a smile tugging at the edge of her lips, so I shot one back and told her I could do that. She finished with her hair and cleaned up our temporary campsite while I assured we still had everything. "It's all here," I called once I had closed both packs. She walked over and slung one over her shoulders, while I took the other. "Well, where to? Do you know a way out of the forest?" I asked her. "Of course I do," she replied, "Just follow my lead." And so we set off, making steady progress through the forest with the sun behind us and exploration ahead.

The sun had reached its peak in the sky by the time we left the sparsely scattered trees behind us and began our voyage across an open grassy plain. I had no idea at all where we were going, but Aina seemed confident so I was content to let her lead. In the distance, a lone tree stood out, a beacon of the prairie. "Hey, how about when we reach that tree up there, we take a little break and have some lunch," I asked. "Sure, that sounds nice," she said, and flashed me another smile. God, I couldn't help but feel giddy inside when she looked at me like that. I felt so fluttery and light, like we weren't traveling through a barren wasteland or anything. I don't know what it was about her, but she just kept me at ease. I pondered whether or not I should tell her this, and too late heard her calling my name from behind me. Turning around, I realized I had been so lost in thought that I had walked past the tree we were going to stop at entirely. "Hey, if you want to go on without me, that's fine!" She called. "I thought it was your idea to stop and eat though. But hey, more food for me." I jogged my way back to where she rested against one of the roots and sat down across from her. She tossed me a rosy red apple and a half full bottle of water she had been drinking from (half full, because I'm an optimistic guy). As I chewed my way through the delicious fruit, Aina explained to the best of her knowledge which way we were heading. "So, here's what I'm thinking; we can head slightly Northeast of here until we hit the river, and then follow it North until we reach the path to Ridgevale." "Sounds good," I answered, "But wait. I thought you didn't want to go back there." She looked at me, and I knew there was about to be an explanation. "Okay," she began, pausing to take a breath and gather her thoughts. "I know you recall the talk last night about my living in Ridgevale. I never told you how I came to leave though. You see, as I grew older, I wanted to have more responsibilities and freedom. However, my parents didn't see it that way. They thought I was too young to be charged with any real duties, and eventually it came to a head one day. I was offered to take a letter to the small camp right across the river from us. I wanted so badly to do it, not even for the pay that came upon the delivery. I just wanted to have that sense of freedom, to not be trapped in that cramped town, even if it was only for an hour or so. But my parents said no, there was no way they would let me go. Nothing would sway their minds. Eventually, it grew into a heated argument, from delivering a simple letter to me not having any freedom. All I wanted was to just roam a little, not like I was going to hurt anything. They refused to even listen to what I had to say. So I-" She broke off, her voice faltering to nothing. I looked expectantly at her, waiting for her to continue. After a moment's pause, she seemed to steady herself before she resumed. "So that night, I gathered anything I thought I might need and left. Without a trace you might say. I didn't leave a note, or even tell them goodbye. I decided that if they were determined to hold me down, I wouldn't deal with them anymore. I'm old enough to handle myself. And thinking about it now, I..........I miss them. I want to see how they are. I have to make sure they're okay. I hope you don't mind." I told her of course I didn't mind, that was perfectly reasonable. A look of pure relief spread across her face, and she stood me up and hugged me. "Thanks. It means a lot to me," she whispered to me. Only then did I realize how much I must mean to her. And I couldn't help but smile.