Two Seasons

The Sadness Remains

Two Seasons - Chapter 1 By Glen Villar

Chapter 1

The Sadness Remains

"Brenan! Brenan!" cried out by a girl who at that time was hastily trying to make it to the hills on her bike.

The guy she was after was walking a hundred pace ahead of her and was almost on top of the slope. He seemed to have not heard her calls. He didn't show any sign of stopping.

"Brenan!" she called again as she continued to ride the mountain bike to the top. The teen age boy that she's been calling for has reached the top of the mountainous slopes, and then disappeared from her sight.

She was beginning to feel the steepness and felt the pedals were being heavier on each stroke. The rocky road is making it even worst. She jumped out of the bike and guided it up instead. The bike was made of aluminum-alloy so it was light enough to drag along.

She could hear her own breathing and the sound of crushing pebbles under her feet intensified as she walked. The sun was up but the breeze coming from everywhere brought a slightly cold wind.

She continued upward until she reached the top. She found a lonesome tree a couple of feet away from where she was standing and walked towards it. She released the bike's stand and left it under the tree. The area on top of the slope is as wide as half of a baseball field, and there are no other trees on sight except for the one near her. The remaining sides of the hill are cliffs, cropped like a chipped rock, which had probably manifested due to constant soil erosion.

She walked a few pace away from the tree towards the cliff and stopped. "Brenan..." she whispered. She looked down her feet and held her hands up to her face. "Brenan..." she whispered again, but this time, her mouth wasn't open when she said it—or was it her mind saying it?

A single tear rolled down to her cheek, and then another. "Brenan, where are you?"

The wind blew her hair on her side. From where she's standing, she could see the vague scene of the village down below. She could also see the busy roads where cars seemed to traverse like ants from afar. But her mind wasn't fixated on them, and she was just staring blankly, beyond anything.

She was so deep in her thoughts and didn't even notice an old pick-up truck had arrived and parked a few feet behind her. The engine died and the doors opened. A woman in her forties got off and started walking towards her. The driver, a man also in his forties, remained on the driver seat.

"Jasmin." The old woman called over her shoulder. The girl looked back as if she was expecting the older woman. "Ma." She answered.

The older woman was either looking reluctant or sympathetic, she reached for her hand and said "Let's go home Jasmin." She threw a quick gaze on the driver and nodded a bit. The driver eventually got off the truck and walked towards the three where the bike was parked. He lifted it and carried onto the back of the vehicle.

"Come, let's go home darling." repeated the older woman.

"But ma, I still have to wait for Brenan." She was smiling a bit when she said this. She wiped the tears off her cheek.

"Jasmin." Said her mother softly.

"Can we wait for him for a little bit longer? I just saw him here a little while earlier. He will come back anytime now." Said Jasmin. She clasped her mother's hand and flashed a smile which looked more like a bitter smile than a forced one.

"Jasmin." Repeated her mother. "He... he's n-not coming back."

She released her mother's hand and looked back at the cliffs. "He was just here and I saw him. He'll be back ma."

"Jasmin, please." Her mother pleaded.

"No!" She blurted out! She, herself, was surprised by the quality of the tone she gave to the older woman. She recomposed herself and said softly "No ma, I know he's here." Her eyes are at the brink of crying again.

"When will you ever accept it, huh, Jasmin? It's been 8 months now and..." her mother almost shouted and began to cry as well.

"No please ma, stop!" she covered her ears as she said this.

"J-Jasmin... Breyan is dead." The older woman said. She began to sob.

Jasmin didn't say anything. But in her mind, she was saying "No." She slowly sat down, pulled her knees close to her chest and rested her head on her mother's leg. And then she started to cry... a silent cry at first, and then it became obvious and loud.

Her mother reached down to her and embraced her. Now, both of them are crying—but none of them spoke a single word.

The driver near the pick up truck stooped his head slightly; the sadness was visible on his face as well. He just couldn't bear the sight of her wife and daughter crying together. It was too sad for him. He could feel a lump was beginning to swell on his throat and he gave way... he let go of the tears as well.

To be continued...