Memories (Of Dreams and Demons)

The Kiss

A few hours pass.

I sit patiently in the old oak tree, enjoying the cool breeze against my face. Breathing in deep, I let the crisp air invigorate me. It's one of those days where the temperature is just right: warm, without a burning sun, but the slightest wind to refresh. I could relax outside with a book here for hours on end, tucked away in a corner somewhere listening to the birds, free and content.

Finding some rope had not been a difficult task. I often saved the money I was given for lunch, instead eating when I got home after school. With Alia bobbing along atop my head, and knowing that I had at least a few hours, I set off immediately. There was a hardware store not half a mile down the road. For ten dollars I had a rope stuffed into my backpack, returning to the tree with plenty of time to spare.

So I sit on that same large sturdy branch, and wait. I am a ranger silently keeping watch over the border of his land, my eagle eyes constantly scanning the school yard for any sign of her. I will sit here for as long as I must, keeping eternal vigil, until my bones are dust and my life is nothing but a memory. Making the scene dramatic in my childish mind helps pass the time.

While I wait I also run the events of last night over and over in my head. I had so many questions I wanted to ask Naoko. What were the shadows that seemed alive? How did we make the eagle return and door appear? Where did we go?

Fortunately, she appears about fifteen minutes after the final bell. I see her tiny figure dart out from behind one of the main buildings. She quickly makes her way towards me, eyeing the branch hanging precariously over the school yard. Reaching me and slightly panting, a wave of relief dawns on her face when she realizes I am there waiting.

"I'm so happy you're still here," she gushes.

I just smile at her and say, "of course!"

Naoko glances suspiciously around the school yard, checking that the coast is all clear, before nodding to me. Satisfied myself that there is no one nearby to catch us in our mischief, I let the rope down, having already knotted it multiple times while I waited.

"I've never climbed a rope before," she says.

I should have thought of this. Will she be able to handle herself, climb high enough before I can reach down and help her? The girls I know at school are spotless, perfectly clean and kept like delicate dolls. The last thing they would want to do is climb frazzled rope and risk the scratching branches of an old tree.

"Don't worry," I reply with boyish chivalry, "I'll help you as much as I can. You'll be fine!"

Naoko looks at me funny.

"I don't need help, silly," she giggles. Grabbing the rope, and taking a short moment to test her footing, she scrambles up faster than I ever could. "I've just never done it before," she finishes, "I feel like I'm about to go on a real adventure!"

My outstretched hand meets air, not taken, unneeded. I blush and pretend I needed to scratch behind my head.

"Thank you," she still chirps as she sits beside me, her widest grin gifting my eyes.

She seems completely different to the girl I saw sitting alone in the corner of the school yard. Her face is scrunched up in glee, just like it was last night with the eagle. Her eyes sparkle. Seeing her happy makes me feel like I've done something worthwhile.

"Let's get out of here," I say, pulling up the rope and shoving it into my backpack.

Naoko and I help each other scramble down the branches. Alia is content to cling on to my shoulders, her little paws clawing into my back as if she will never let go. It feels good knowing our great escape has gone off without a hitch. At the base of the tree Naoko stands next to me, twirling a little as she looks around, before resting her eyes on me and smiling.