Finders Keepers

Chapter 2: Wrong Step

The vivid green background blushed with leaves of all shapes and sizes, every time the wind blows, time fades away, turning healthy green leaves and colourful stained flowers into, pale orange, as the last leaves turned rusty brown and flowers turned off, collapsing into the piles that spread throughout the ground like glass shards on impact.

The wind was gentle on me, pushing my wild hairs free but the small rocks were rough enough to make me tumbled, once in a while without touching the ground. The rocky surface turned soft as dead leaves and broken branched sticks caused my feet to partially sink.

I love the way the birds sings with little brief squeaks that in harmonic melody, made opera singers jealous, rivaling the precious nearby stream that contained enough water for pebbles to splash continously but not enough to drown my sadness and worries in it.

I came near it, glancing to the clear-green water, bordered by brown silky terrains, in a deep, I washed my already clean face with crystalline water that envy waterfalls, droplets running through my dry face, such refreshing.

It’s a ritual I do every day on my way to school; I guess it helps me calm down.

Continuing my little trip, I swiped through my miniature phone in search of the latest trending news; after all I don’t expect messages except from my childhood friend and only friend, Nikolas.

He is really sweet and dazzling with beauty and makes me giggle a lot with saecastic bad jokes that turn out to be good ones. His dark-blue eyes contrasts his darkened long hairs perfectly, revolving around his pointy elfy ears. His statuette intimidates even the tallest in school; his toned muscles cause girly screams and gossips around the lockers. I admit that I had a crush on him but friends zone is the best option.

We used to be good neighbors when his mom moved in, after his dad passed away so I offered him a warm cozy hug when I saw a little boy with puffy cheeks in tears. All sad and lonely, trying his best to contain his painful tears. He looked so formal dressed in a black striped suit, polished shoes and a really nostalgic haircut, combed to the side with a straight line through it.

I held his hands tightly and shyly asked "Do you want to be my friend?" Since then our friendship has flourished like a blooming flower in spring without winter to stop us.I know it’s weird how it all started but it sounded reallyconvincing when I was six. I was much more social and opened as a kid compared to know.

He moved to New Orleans five years ago to live with his uncle from his father's side and since then I have been friendless and alone, with now one to watch over my back and tell stories about their life, believe me its possible,just don’t beat around the bush too much and it's and by the first year you will get the hand out of it.

Dwelling in my thoughts, I failed to realize a minuscule obstacle in front of me and in a straight-forward move, I felt my heavy body dropping down hard and flat on the bare floor with little leaf power to back up my intense fall. I could feel my body trying his best to oppose gravity but it was to late. With seconds in mid-air I praised not to feel to much pain. I landed hard with my only chin in the dense floor but hopefully no injuries or the rash of blood travelled through my dusty body,, my painful gluts and sore arms absorbed the tremendous impact causing a burning pain in the targeted regions. I felt too much pain to stand up, worst to walk.

Too embarrassed to say “Ouch!” in a deserted forest, I checked for any mean bruises when suddenly my phone rang for help. Grabbing it in an instance, I took it out of my pocket and made a short prayer before turning on my apparently healthy screen.With a releif, I stood up in frustration with a paining body and ripped jeans, my mind preparing to storm straight into my new enemy, time.

In close contact, I felt puzzled by what the light leaves had revealed; a shiny silver key carved with strange insignia of gold filaments and a bold crystalline jewel embedded in its centre. Its appearance is antique and nostalgic but I felt a strong force inducing me to touch the blue jewels craved deeply in.  As if I could see the deep blue sea through it, like a mirror, I felt puzzled about its transparency.

I felt a deep feeling of pure nostalgia that crumbled my mind, desperately trying to picture were in my brief past life, could I see such artifact and yet feel so familiar about it. My mood changed to the point where I couldn’t feel any pain, only doubt and clear sense of a class I have to be right now. "Shit! I am going to get late, can't believe I spended ten minutes in this."

I placed the guilty key covered with dirt and dry mud (lack of hygiene!), and washed it in the nearby stream until it showed me its true beauty. Looking extremely valuable but with being scarce with tim not by my side, I threw it into my petite bag as time showed me no mercy at all. How is it possible that I spent ten minutes in my fall and so little time getting to where I am now. Hardening my toned, yet paining legs. I position myself for a quick sprint as I take a long and deep breathe before going berserk.

“I hate running” those were my last words as I broke out into cheetah mode; dodging from every branched out trees and jumping through potentially deadly branches at exponential speeds without fearing for my second fall.