The Patient, The Prisoner, & Their Paper Planes

New Tradition

The next day, Rin pretended to swallow the pill, and when no one was looking, she spit it out and secretly discarded it in the trash. She made sure to ask for extra paper this time. At the stroke of noon, when her regular doctor and nurses tend to other patients or other businesses, she slipped on her slippers, put on her hat, and ventured to the outside with a handful of papers and two pens. The air wasn't too hot, the clouds were out, and barely any wind. A perfect day for a perfect visit.

When she arrived at the top of the hill, she saw him waiting for her again. She couldn't let him wait any longer. She skipped down that hill as fast as she was able to. Rin was just so excited to spend the whole day with him. When Len saw her coming, he smiled and stood up.

"Hi again!" Rin greeted. As Len waved to her, she slid the files of paper through the fence, including the pens. "These are for you." Len happily accepted the papers, but only took one of the pens. Len sat back down and started writing something on the first blank page.

Thanks, Rin! This is a lot better than writing in the dirt.

That was what the message said when he faced it toward her, plus a drawing of happy face.

"It's no problem. Now you don't have to get your hands dirty when we talk."

In response, Len quickly scribbled more words on his paper. This time, instead of immediately showing her his writing, he folded the sides and corners of the paper into a plane. He got up to take a few steps back, and with one strong hurl, the paper soared gracefully across the top of the fence. As the paper prepared to land, Rin ran after it and caught it in her hands. She unraveled the letter and read it.

My hands are dirty anyways. The staff don't even let us use bar soup.

Rin gasped when she finished reading. She was about to speak out how outrageous that sounded until she had an idea. She decided to write back. In a way, it was like talking to him in his own language. Good thing he let her keep the other pen, otherwise she wouldn't be able to return her response in the same manner.

She came up to Len and asked for some paper. He did not mind at all, giving her half of the pile. She sat down and spread the sheet on her lap, writing down what she wanted to say.

No soap?! How on earth do you wash your hands after using the bathroom?

It has been a while since she made one, but Rin tried the best to her ability to make a paper airplane too. It came out pretty decent, but it's flight ability was all that would matter. She took a few steps back, and with all her might, she threw it over the fence, and it landed safely into Len's hands.

When Len looked up after reading her letter, he grinned and shook his head. Rin immediately felt repulsive, dropping the pen and wiping her hands on her dress, remembering that the boy has touched those papers which he gave back to her. "Ew ew!" Rin whined. At her reaction, Len laughed. Rin's face turned cherubim. "What's so funny about being gross? Wait... were you just messing with me?" Len nodded his head.

Rin never felt so humiliated before. Without thinking, she crumpled one of her blank sheets into a ball and threw it at Len in her rage. "For someone who can't talk, you can be a real jerk!"

Len's laughter died down. Although he was still partially smiling, he sat back down with crossed legs, staring at the ground. After a brief moment of silence, Rin realized that that was the first time she heard the mute laugh. She didn't even know that he could laugh, and she took that moment away.

She took another blank page and started writing in it.

I'm sorry. I overreacted. I didn't mean to make you sad.

She formed the page into another plane, more sharp this time, then threw it over the fence. Len probably didn't notice because the tip of the plane poked him on the head, which caught his attention. He wrote a reply as soon as he read it. In the same way, he sent the message to her as a paper plane.

Rin unfolded it and read,

It's fine. I should be sorry. I didn't mean to treat you that way. It's been a while since I had a friend to talk to. I wouldn't want to lose that friend so quickly.

Rin immediately stood up and looked at Len face to face. "I can't remember the last time I had a friend too." She said this with a smile. She lifted her hand and moved it close to the fence. Len did the same, and their hands got closer until they closed the gap between them, locking fingers. Although Rin could feel the dust and dirt rubbing between their palms, his hands were also warm, and they fitted hers like a glove. "You'll always be my friend."

Rin thought that would cheer him up, but for some reason, it made him look even more sad. He let go and resumed writing another letter to her. Instead of making a plane, he handed it to her flat between the wires of the fence.

How long will that last, though? How long until we get caught? How long can you keep sneaking out of the hospital for us to keep meeting up like this?

Rin didn't like thinking about that, especially since she knew her life was on an actual time limit. She rolled up the paper into a cylinder and bumped Len's head with it. Len retracted in surprise.

"I have an idea," Rin said. "How about every day we write a letter to each other. We can write replies as if we're actually sending mail. That way, we can still communicate, and we don't have to stay here long. I can get back to the hospital as soon as possible, and you don't have to worry about getting caught talking to me. Sounds good?"

Len took a brief moment to think it over before nodding. He was still scared and unsure about this, but the plan still made him happy. It would still be a shame that he would see her face for a shorter time, but seeing her everyday and reading her words would be worth it.

"All right, then. Tomorrow, you write me a full length letter for me to read, and then the next day I'll send a reply. Deal?" Rin stuck out her pinky.

Len giggled at this. She seemed to not know the proper way of sealing a deal, but he liked it anyway. He hooked his pinky with hers and shook on it.

From that day forward, they would write letters to each other every day.