Three Words, Eight Letters [Watty Awards 2013]

Chapter Eight- Stuffed Giraffes and Realizations

I woke up to the muted beeps of an alarm clock, pressuring me into getting up.

Wait, it's summer. Since when did I set an alarm?

I smack the plastic mocking machine and sat up. This was our last day to complete things on our bucket list. Jake would soon be leaving and moving into his new home in New York City. Just the very thought made me sick to my stomach.

We'd already completed twenty nine things on our bucket list, this would be the final adventure together.

I shuffled over to the bathroom to splash some water on my face, but instead of finding wash cloths I found a note sprawled out in messy letters.

V-

I'm at the local toy store where we first met. Get dressed and meet me there as soon as you can. The shop isn't open yet, but I got special permission from the owner for us to be there since he knows my dad. So, just come right in when you here. The door is unlocked. You'll know what do when you get inside.

See you soon,

Jake

This must be the last thing left on Jake's bucket list. I wonder what he has planned, and more importantly, where the heck is Peyton? She spent the night here last night and now she's just like gone. That's normal.

"Peyton?" I shouted downstairs, only to receive no reply.

She probably got up early and went to pick up breakfast or something.

I quickly threw on a pair of red shorts, a crop top and my red vans all as I was brushing my teeth. Who knew how long Jake had been waiting for me?

It was only 9:06am, he couldn't have been waiting for me too long. Either way, I was excited to see what Jake had planned for us so I wasn't about to wait for Peyton to return home. I decided that it would be safe to just leave a note for her to find.

Peyton-

I'm at the toy store meeting Jake. It's probably a bucket list thing, so meet us there. The doors unlocked.

-V

I quickly taped the note to the front door and practically ran to get in my car. I somehow just had this feeling that Jake had something truly special planned for me. Why else would he be so secretive about it?

~*~

Pulling up to the toy store this early on a Sunday morning was honestly very creepy. The store didn't even open for another two hours so mine and Jake's cars were the only ones there.

I smiled and hopped out of the car when I saw a note taped to the glass door. I ran up to it, ripping it off the door. It read;

Follow the yellow brick road...

Hm, that's different I wondered what that was supposed to mean.

I swung the doors open as the lights flicked on welcoming me and taking me back to my childhood. There in the middle of the toy store lay a long strip of foam, yellow bricks.

Follow the yellow brick road

Tears immediately sprung to my eyes as I stepped towards the start of the yellow pathway. There lay a picture of Jake and I screaming while scrunched together in a refrigerator that first night of our bucket list journey.

Camp out at the mall for one full night.

I clutched the picture tight and stepped forward to the next picture, tears now streaming down my face.

There the three of us were, in my giant backyard smiling at looking up at floating lights travelling farther and farther out of vision.

Let go of floating lanterns.