A Firefly's Glow

Chapter Seven: Part Five

I swerved around the corner of a sidewalk and slowed to a stop.

My throat began to burn. I exhaustedly panted, bending forward and clutching my knees in exasperation. A thought in my head demanded that I stop running and rest for a while.

At this rate, if I stop to rest, I’ll never succeed in getting to the beltway on time!

I glanced at my surroundings. Lined around me were thin trees. The leafy buds that scattered across the branches sparkled in dew. I didn’t recognize my surroundings, but it was tremendously peaceful.

I wiped the remains of sweat onto the back of my hand and continued to run. I kept my gaze on the glow the beltway lights were emitting. The lights didn’t seem too far away. If I could run fast enough, I can make it to the beltway before the sun slips beyond the horizon.

I swerved around another corner. My panting made my throat plead for water. I paused my running. As much as I wanted to arrive to the café, my body had limits.

I let out a light cough.

“My, my, my. What’s all the rush?” a voice casually blurted.

I whipped my gaze around, glaring at my surroundings. “W-Who’s there?”

There wasn’t anyone in sight. Feeling my pulse race against my ear, I nervously stuttered. “W-Where are you?”

“Here.” The mellow voice chirped.

I quickly aimed my gaze upwards, eying a tree branch of a simple tree. I spotted a figure atop of the branch that hung over my head and my mouth slid open ajar.

A boy sat upon the branch with his legs loosely crossed. The blood-red locks of his hair hung over his head in messy layers. His blunt gaze eyed me from the treetop.

I amazingly gawked at how the boy was calmly seated on such a thin branch several feet off of the ground.

His pale skin was shadowed in the scarlet sunset. “I’m sure that the place you wish to be at won’t be going anywhere. There’s no use in running.” The boy meekly informed. “Perhaps a rest is necessary?”

The boy sat calmly in place without moving an inch. As he spoke, his mouth hardly bent out of its emotionlessly blank frown. Occasionally he would pause, and when he did, his face resembled a mask.

“I have to get there by the end of sunset,” I replied, peering upwards at the boy.

“Why?”

“Because if I don’t, then I won’t be able to tell which direction is east or west.”

“Can’t you tell which direction is which on your own?”

“Not everyone has metal compasses implanted in their heads, you know,” I panted, slightly narrowing my eyes at the peculiar boy.

The boy slowly turned his gaze away from mine.

“Oh my,” he began. “Another presence approaches.”

“Presence?”

This boy was indeed very odd, but when you see an emotionless boy cross-legged on a tree branch, that’s basically what you should expect.

I turned my gaze towards the direction the boy was facing. The boy had been correct. There was a figure approaching us.

An elderly woman with thin, ratted silver hair cascading over her shoulders slowly stepped towards me. Her skin was bent into thousands of small wrinkles. Over her shoulders was a worn, ripped cloth that was stained with streaks of dirt.