The Technicolor Phase

Part 31-I'd rather waltz than just walk through the forest

[Adam's POV]

"I'd rather waltz than just walk through the forest the trees keep the tempo as they swing in time quartets of crickets chime in for the choirs of I were to pluck on your heart stings would you strum on mine?"

I sang softly as I finished singing "Plant Life" the last song on the All Things Bright and Beautiful album. I sent it to my manager. I have the others written. It's ten in the morning. I have been down here since four, so in six hours I wrote fourteen songs. Pretty good if you ask me. I decided I should go back up stairs and see if Anna is up yet. While walking up, I stopped halfway, a distant memory of us when I was sixteen and she was fourteen. We were climbing a tree in the woods, I saw us climbing up to the top then Anna slipping and falling until she hit the ground with a thud. I came back into reality when I heard Anna slip and fall. I rushed upstairs and saw her getting up from the floor. I ran over to her and gave her a bear hug. Anna gently pushed me off of her. She had a confused look on her face, I explained what I remembered, Anna smiled a little then it vanished.

"What?" I asked while we went and sat down at the kitchen table

"Nothing, I-If you don't mind could we go tree climbing again today?"

I smiled. "Sure, Anna. Oh by the way, I have a new album written!"

Mom,Dad and Anna stared at me. I was getting creeped out.

"Really,Adam? When did you write it?" Mom questioned as she sat down

"I started writing it around four in the morning and I just ended the last song a few minutes ago."

They all smiled. I felt like hiding. Then Dad brought a stack of pancakes and four plates and forks. We all ate in silence. When we finished, I raced Anna upstairs and we went into our own rooms. Since we're going to be tree climbing I put on long sleeves, this past few days were warm, now it's starting to get cold again. It's officially Winter but apparently the Earth thought it was summer around Valentines Day. I had on jeans, a red long sleeve shirt and I laced my tennis shoes an doubled knotted it. Walking out I saw Anna wore the same thing. We both laughed as we crashed down the stairs. Mom stopped us while we were nearing the door, she had us turn around. She said we looked cute. My face got hot and Anna went up stairs and changed into a blue long sleeve shirt. I rolled my eyes at Mom then we went out. Anna wanted to drive the car. I let her. Then I forgot that the car keys were in the house. I ran back in, grabbed the keys and went back out.

Anna drove to the woods and parked the car. She remembered the place and she led me there. While we were walking I found a owl in the trees. I stopped and stared at it in amazement. Anna grabbed my hand and we walked into an open space with trees around. She walked over to one and started climbing. Suddenly, the image of her falling made me panicky and not want to climb. It was my fault that she fell, I was ahead of her and she was behind me. I backed up from the tree with fear, Anna looked over her shoulder, she was about halfway up. I had to squint to see her. She kept climbing, when I couldn't see her anymore I decided I should go after her.

I walked up to the tree, took a deep breath and grabbed the first branch and hoisted myself up and started climbing. My eyes locked on Anna, I was almost there, when I was a few branches below her. I kept telling myself not to look behind me, which is what I did. My heart beat quickened and the branch below me broke, I started freaking out. Anna saw. I screamed at her not to help me and that I can do it myself. She didn't listen. She tried to help me up. I heard a cracking noise, I looked up and saw Anna squatting on a thin branch beside me above my head. She had her left arm around the base of the tree and her right arm reaching for me. Anna kept stretching even though I told her not to. When she was a few inches away from me, the branch broke. Terror filled my voice as I yelled her name. She was falling. I knew what I had to do. I let go of the branch and started falling.