The Flowers We Saw That Day

Chapter One- Short Intro

I sit on the old rusty swingset in our backyard, and let the breeze push me back and forth. It squeaks and scratches every time, but I still love it.

Memories from my childhood rush into my head like cold water. That cold water I can feel seep out of my large blue eyes.

I touch my hand to my face, and wipe the stupid tears away.  Childhood was easy. It was like a breeze to get through.

Now being 17, it's hard to tell if you're even still alive. A haze covers your mouth, ears, and eyes. Responsibility.

I place my feet to the ground, and kick up a couple yellow-red leaves. They scatter around me and I sigh.

It's right now when I realize that my hands sting from grasping onto the metal chains. When I look at my pale skin, chips of rust embed my hand.

'like diamonds.' I smile to myself. 'my own twisted version.' I nod to myself and giggle, realizing how stupid I sound.

I lean back in the swingset and stare at the pale blue sky, dotted with pinks and oranges. I wake up early to enjoy these small moments of relief and sanity, in a world of the opposite.

I grab a falling leaf, and it crumbles in my hand. Sometimes, I feel like this backyard is all one big simile of my life.

The only thing I couldn't relate to, was the tall yellow sunflowers. Reaching to the sky, their petals yearned for attention and growth.

I pace around my backyard humming a song I don't even know. The birds joined along, and I felt like a mini Snow White.

I laughed, and went to go inside. It was Christmas time, so there were stockings hung, and a Christmas Tree in the middle of the living room.

"Calysta, is that you?" My friend, Katie, calls from the kitchen. "Yeah it is." I respond, barely over a whisper.

I sit by the Christmas tree, with a cup of coffee in my hands. It warms my cold fingers, and puffs steam into my face.

It's these moments, that sometimes make me think, maybe, just maybe, I could be that Sunflower.