Rose's Thorns || Wattys 2016

Old Memories

I let my wolf take control of me as I ran. She took me where she pleased, my mind being too preoccupied with processing the events of the last hour to care where. Soon enough though she stopped, leaving me starring at a familiar sight. A large clearing is laid out in front of me with the sight of the meadow.

My chest constricts with an unusual pain, the kind that leaves you empty and sad. Why the hell did she have to bring me here? My eyes probe the land, a wave of nostalgia washing over me. It's been years since I've seen this place but it only feels like days.

It's not like I could forget anyways. I came here as a child but stopped once the good memories I shared turned sad. Once that happened, I locked them away deep down inside of my heart. Now all of those memories come rushing back to me as if held back by nothing more than weak thread rather than the strong chains I had there.
"Come on, Maybelle keep up!" A young boy called out to me as he ran ahead.
"Hold...on...I'm not...as fast as...you..." I managed to cry in between pants. He's too fast. I was struggling to keep on my feet as I ran over the uneven ground. It was like trying to keep my balance on a tight rope. Just as I was sure I was about to get a face full of dirt, a small hand wrapped around my own, gently pulling me forward.
"We're almost there! If you keep this up I'm going to leave you behind!" He declared, his grip on my hand tightening. Despite his harsh words his pace was matched with mine even though he could've easily left me in the dust.
I smiled. He likes to act big and tough but inside he's nothing but a softie.
Where is he taking me? If we're out to late, our families will know we were playing together again and get mad.
Daddy said next time he saw me with him I would be in big trouble. As I worried silently to myself, my face made contact with a hard wall.
I take a step back, rubbing my poor nose, which took the most damage. What I ran into turned out not to be a wall, but a back.
Unaffected by our collision, the boy turned back to me, a goofy smile on his face. He's making such a weird face. I looked at him strangely, a smart remark playing on my lips, before seeing black.
Surprised, I brought my small hands to my eyes only to feel another pair of hands underneath mine. "What are you doing?" I squeaked, trying to pull him away. No luck. Geez, he's such a brute.
The warmth from his palms seeped into my skin. Painfully aware of how close we were my cheeks quickly grew hot but I blamed it on the large hands that covered them rather than embarrassment.
I heard him laugh from above me. "I want it to be a surprise!" He responded, his voice laced with excitement. I slowly dropped my hands from his, relaxing a bit. A surprise? What is he going to show me? Anticipation started to bubble up inside of me.
"Okay!" I beamed now sharing his excitement. "I love surprises!" I told him.
"Great!" Even though I couldn't see him I could tell that he was smiling. I felt him move away slightly, his warmth going with him. To my surprise I felt almost sad by this. Gosh I'm so weird. Shaking off the feeling, I moved with him, following his lead.
After a few moments of silence, I could feel the forest open up. The sweet smell of flowers filled my nose and I breathed it in greedily. A slight breeze kissed my exposed flesh, causing me to shiver.
"Ready?" I heard him ask. Smiling crazily, I nodded, my curly pigtails bouncing against my face. "Okay, one....two.........three!" The second he said three his hands left my eyes. An abrasive light suddenly appeared, and I squinted slightly, shielding them.
My eyes quickly adjusted, revealing a scene to beautiful for words. I gasped loudly, my mouth hanging open in a big 'o' shape.
In front of me was a meadow filled with beautiful flowers with a rushing river and a single cherry blossom tree. This place, it's like something from a wonderful dream.
I gazed in awe, too hypnotized by the flowers, which swayed gently in the cool breeze. They flowed in a smooth wave, as if beckoning me towards them. My feet itched with the urge to run and I quickly obliged, dashing out into the flowers that went up to my waist, twirling and giggling like a madman.
The scent immediately became sweeter, almost like I had stuck my nose into an open honey jar. "I thought you'd like it." I heard from behind me. Oops, I totally forgot he was here.
Embarrassed at my behavior, I turned around to see green eyes watching me in amusement. I smiled so wide my cheeks started to ache. My heart fluttered at his surprise, which was by far the best surprise I had ever gotten. Emotion coursing through my tiny body, I ran to him and flung my arms around him.
"No I don't like it. I love it!" I said, pulling him into a tight embrace. He seemed surprised at first but quickly copied me, wrapping his skinny arms around my waist.
"This can be like our secret meeting place. No one else knows about it so we can come and play together and no one will know." He spoke quietly, sounding like he had had the best idea ever. I didn't respond, but I didn't have to. We simply stayed like that, enjoying the comfortable silence, until I pulled away and looked into his eyes. His beautiful green eyes.
A smile came back to my features, and I gave him a toothy grin. "Thank you, Wilfred."