"Brooklyn you better be careful!"
I giggled as I ran into the forest, my short legs dragging me with it as I ran faster and away from my uncle. I had stayed another summer with him.
I stopped running and looked around, my six year old self slowly lost it happy spirit as I have gotten myself lost. It wouldn't be the first time I did that anyway. I turned my head around the whole time as I felt something creeping slowly upon on me. My paranoid mind scared me to death making me fall to the ground, defeated I curled my arms around my legs making me as small as humanly possible. My small body frame started to shake as I heard the snap of branches, leaves and grass being crushed gently by shoes.
"You lost?"
I looked up to see a boy maybe around 20? I didn't know. He was wearing a mask preventing me to see his eyes or face. He held this friendly and safe presence around him making my paranoid thoughts leave my mind almost immediately as I heard his voice. The boy tilted his head to the side gently before grabbing a branch and holding it out to me, I frowned as I grabbed it my tiny fingers slipping around it he pulled onto it and suddenly I was standing straight.
"Why did you not help me with your hand?"
The boy chuckled and shook his head. "If I touch you little boy. I die. I can't touch you with my hands or legs, with nothing to be precisely correct." I frowned but let it go. I didn't want to be the reason he died.
"What's your name sir?"
I walked next to him as he walked away and me being a friendly kid, I wanted to talk to this mysterious boy. "Andy." His voice sounded sweet just like my father's voice, it almost made me want to cry in tears but I held strong. "My name is Brooklyn! I like your voice Andy!" Andy laughed and continued to walk up some steps, ruins lingering both sides of the path.
"Your very energetic, Brooklyn."
I smiled widely. My mum always said my energy was to hyped for her and she find it very annoying. I stopped walking and grabbed a stick grinning I pushed the stick into his back making him turn around immediately. "What are you doing?" I giggled ad I pushed the stick again "Tag, you're it!" I ran away from him running around a tree. Andy grabbed a stick and ran after me. We had spend a whole afternoon running after each other.
The summers and winter breaks that followed that one specific summer, me and Andy had spended a lot of time together. I was now 19 years old and slowly I had fallen for the blonde boy only for each time that he told me he died when he touched a human, my heart shattered. We never could be together.
I walked over a fallen tree, smiling widely as I balanced myself. "Andy look!" I turned my face to Andy who had been walking next to me to look if I fall or not. Andy laughed and kept walking, pushing his hands into his big coat the December air was chilly and cold these days.
"You could fall, Sunshine."
I smiled at the nickname Andy had for me, it was a summer day when he came up with it. That day I had told him about the sun, the moon and the stars, and how the world was. Andy said I reminded him off a ball of sunshine and ever since then he called me that.
We walked to a open clearing with a lake in the middle. Andy layed on the grass, arms under his head as he looked at the sky and by his slow breathing I knew he had fallen a sleep. I slowly sat by his but not touching him. I put my hands on his mask (which was a beautiful white one with red marks on it) and slowly lifted it up. His hair wasn't only blonde but also held a brown part by it, Andy opened his eyes, his piercings blue eyes shining brightly into mine. I gasped and slapped the mask down and scrambled to my feet.
Andy held his mask groaning. "Why did you do that Brooke?" Andy turned his head to look at me, I didn't know wether he was glaring or holding a playful grin on his face. I hated his mask. "It's getting late you should go." I frowned shaking my head "I promised you I would stay with you to see the fireworks Andy." Andy laughed and layed back down, "Lay next to me?" I smiled and did what he asked of me.
I must have fallen a sleep as a loud bang woke me up. Opening my eyes I looked next to me to see Andy sitting cross legged. "Why didn't you wake me?" I looked as the sky was filled with different light's only lingering a few seconds and then disappearing into million other colors. "You looked cute." I blushed as I looked at Andy who already was turned to me.
Andy pulled his mask off his face giving me a clear view of his beautiful face, his ocean blue eyes. "I'm not a spirit, Brooklyn. I simply can not touch a human, when I do touch one I die. I've been kept alive with magic and a human with a magic body is weak, very, very weak. I was thrown away by humans and left in the forest, the forest spirits took me in amd gave me this mask to live." I felt my heart ache with every word he told me, no matter how badly I wanted him. I couldn't.
Andy stood up and mentioned for me to do the same, so I did. Andy placed the mask on my face and kissed the my cheek which was covered by the mask. "I love you, Brooklyn. But we can't be together. I'm ready to go now, keep the mask and don't forget me please?" Andy pulled the mask of my face and into my hand, his soft fingers caressing mine.
Andy held the hand up as it slowly started to fade, a blue light coming from his hand. Andy turned to face me and crashed our lips together holding me close as he wrapped his arms around me. Me, of course kissed him back pushing my lips hard on his and grabbing his shirt in my fists. After a few seconds I felt his touch leave me and I fell on the ground on top of the clothes he once whore.
Tears picked my eyes as I grabbed his clothes in my hands and holding his mask on top of the pile. I saw fireflies fly around me, slowly the forest spirits came out all of them holding a sad and sorrow look. I couldn't do anything to get him back only wait for life to take me to him someday.
I walked through the forest every path reminded me of him, his voice that always calmed me down, his jokes, his laughter and giggles, his advice, him listening to my day, my singing voice. Andy always was there for me no matter what and it made me grateful to have known him the years I did.
