Life's Spark

Chapter 3: Seasons

I continued to observe Mia from afar.

She still smiled brightly despite what had happened. I admired it much so. I became obsessed with her. In all my spare time I would sit from afar and watch her. She still would glance in my direction. I have to strain myself from not approaching her. I watch her grow up from place to place . Humans are very confusing things . They put Mia in a system they call "foster care" where she is chosen by another human to live with them until they get bored and send her back. She would never last one season before they would send her back.

Yet she still kept that aura of bliss.

The children in middle school would tease her for her uniqueness. They'd call her a"dirty homeless hippy" I thought hippy was a complement to those who are more connected to nature than the average human. However after hearing the way they used it, I feel that it may be more of an insult. Human culture is so strange. She was fascinated with such diverse subjects. I would watch her go from painting a bird house to reading science for an amusing pastime. The way she connected with nature was another unique thing for humans. She would sit in grass that seemed short, but was an untamed forest when she sat down. Creatures that despise humans would approach her with ease. Letting her stroke their fur or scales and seem to coo in response at times. She would giggle to herself childishly when this happened. She didn't go around the other human children. She would spend her time out of her classes on the grass; stroking creatures and talking to them. They would respond sometimes as if they actually understood her. In her patch of lush green grass and me standing by a rotting tree, I would watch her.

We do not speak again for a long time though I knew she was aware of my presence. It wasn't until her final season at her school that she finally approached me.

I was watching her from afar while she spoke to a deer about random human things. She suddenly got up gracefully, the deer was not startled. She walked towards my direction, not looking at me and sat right beside the tree I stood by. The deer stalked towards her now with much caution. Unlike humans, other creatures are much more conscious of me. It watched me carefully.

"It's ok Lyra." She says sweetly to the deer. Lyra creeps towards Mia and lays down beside her. We all sit in silence for what feels like moons though the suns position does not change. I finally join them on the ground. The circle of dead grass grows as I lower. The movement causes Lyra to scamper away.

"I'm sorry."

The first words I ever spoke to her.

They were filled with so many different meanings.

I felt a stranger thing as I said them. Something that death has never felt.

And I could tell she understood every meaning behind it. Because she replied with.

"You do not control what it is that must be done and the results of those actions."