Written on a rainy afternoon on the way home from school
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The cool wind brushes against my skin as the few rays of sunlight reach my face and legs. Instead of shielding my eyes from the brightness, I look to the sky, eyelids delicately closed, and my lips turned up in a smile. I stop walking, enjoying the temporary warmth of the sun. The air is amazing-I’ve never been outside the city, and although I hadn’t noticed it until now, the pollution and exhaust from the cars and buses had been itching my nose for the last twelve years. A crunch of gravel tells me that he has stopped too. I enjoy the moment for a while longer before looking back at his face. TJ is grinning at me, his eyes sparkling in amusement.
“What?” I demand, smiling but slightly embarrassed.
“So you like the country, I’ve gathered.” He says, his grass green eyes laughing at me. I blush and hit him lightly.
“Keep walking,” I say. We travel in silence until we reach a dead end in the road, where the trees and bushes have blocked the path. It’s not just some light scrub-It so thick that I can’t even see the other side of the road, or even if there is another side to the road.
“I’m guessing you haven’t been down here recently.” I turn towards TJ, expecting a mixture of disappointment and confusion on his face. Instead, his eyes are bright, his face still grinning, unable to keep a straight face.
“On the contrary.” He says, walking towards the glob of leaves and tree stumps. Surely we aren’t going through there... TJ beckons me towards him, eyes glistening. Confused, I linger for a moment before stepping towards him and following him through the unpredictable, wet forest.
So many people would have paid to see what I saw in the next few minutes. They would have paid a lot. The
