The Northern Lights

Chapter 19. Wish.

France, 2008

Arlo sits at the dinner table; a chocolate cake sits in front of him with five candles alight. A crowd surrounds him, his friends, his grandmother and his two excited parents. They all sing happy birthday.

"Make a wish!" Eden yells.

In one venomous blow, the candles all go out, and everybody around him cheers. The group scatters, with the adults heading to the kitchen and the children exiting to the green backyard. Eden picks up Arlo, he is much heavier than ever before, "What'd you wish for buddy?"

Arlo wonders if the candles can help him grow wings, "Papa, if I tell you it won't come true!"

Azra overhears their chat, chuckles, "He's right!" she winks.

The couple kiss Arlo on each cheek. He seems to be growing up faster than light, is as adventurous as the two of them combined. As Eden places him back down, Arlo sprints to he backyard to be with his friends. They kick the football with their cone hats and play with the red balloons, fascinated as to how they can float.

Eden and Azra help themselves to some lollies, "Five already," Eden points out.

"Five already..."

"When are we going to Norway?" he asks, before jokingly teasing Arlo, "He always bugs me about it."

"One day," Azra says, with a nervousness inside her chest, she wonders if they can ever afford to go, if Arlo can handle the undeniable fact that going to see the Northern Lights isn't as easy as it seems.

Eden sees the look of hesitation in Azra's face, the distortion in her voice, "Hey, we promised him we would, but that doesn't mean we have to go now. We can wait until he's eighteen." His voice, as it always does, reassures her, "I love you, let's just enjoy his birthday!" he says, Azra nods before they walk through the backdoor and into the artificial wilderness of their backyard.

The sound of children giggling and runs into their ears. The sun is covered in waves of clouds and the sky is as blue as any other summer's day. Two little twins in matching pink dresses sprint past them will balloons in their hands, screaming with excitement. Both are students in Azra's new kindergarten classroom, they are bright young souls.

Their backyard had never seemed so much like a maze. On the wide patch of grass, young boys kick a tiny soccer ball around and Arlo is being carried by his grandmother.

Azra smiles at the sight her mother-in-law carrying her grandson. One of the twin girls walk up to her, tug her hand, "Hi Mrs. Lumiere!" the little girl says, balloon no longer floating in her hand.

Azra is unsure of which twin it is, "Hello!" she is dragged away by the little girl, tells Eden to carry on.

Eden jogs onto the grass, a little boy passes him the black and white panelled football, his foot thumps it back, "Hey buddy!" he says to Arlo, who is wrapped in his grandmother's arms.

"Papa! Grand-mère was just talking about how you used to be an aventurier!"

Eden chuckles, his mama's hair is shorter than he has ever seen it, "What do you mean used to? I still am!"

Arlo brings out his arms, wants to be carried by his father, "Is it true that you used to smoke?" he laughs.

"What!? No of course not!" Eden gives a quick menacing yet playful stare to Edith before taking Arlo from her arms, "are you having fun?"

"Of course, papa!" his eyes are glued to the sky, watching the clouds shift ever so slightly, "when will we fly papa?"

Edith watches her son, is proud of how good of a father he is. Eden pats Arlo on the back, comforts him, "Soon, we promised you, didn't we?"

He nods, reaches out with his hand trying to grab onto the clouds, peeling them off like stickers to reveal rays of violet and lime. Arlo's impatience almost outweighs his excitement, his wish has not yet come true, he has not yet seen the Northern Lights.

All the party hats have been taken, games have been played, and the uneaten food has become cold leftovers. The parents begin to leave with their children and Arlo waves a thankful goodbye to his little friends. In the kitchen, he sees his mama broom the floor and towel the spilled drinks while his papa takes the dirty dishes to the sink. With his party hat still on and crumbs stuck on the outside of his lips, Arlo helps his parents pack up, by jumping onto his chair and reaching for the dishes.

Azra's bright bronze eyes watch his little hands grab onto the plastic cups, "Arlo, you don't have to help, it's your birthday, go play!"

"I want to help mama," Arlo's tiny teeth sparkle like the cone hat on his head.

Together, the family of three return the house to its pristine condition. Eden peels the green and yellow gloves off his hands, thoroughly washes them before picking up Arlo and walking him up the stairs. Azra is already in bed, her nose buried in the unwrinkled pages of a thick novel.

Eden creaks the door open to Arlo's room, the ceiling is covered in stickers of stars, comets and planets that glow in the unlit room. He switches the light on, eyes studying the carpet floor to avoid slipping on deserted drawings or toys. As Eden gently tucks him into his bed, Arlo yawns, his potent breath consisting of soft drink and chocolates. Eden tries to peel the thin plastic strap off of his child's, but Arlo stop's him, "I want to sleep with it,"

Eden's fatigue doesn't stop him from chuckling, "Alright then, if you say so," Eden cover's Arlo with his thick blanket, before pushing himself off his knees and standing.

Arlo stops him mid step, "Wait, papa!"

Eden turns around, "What's up birthday boy?"

"Can you tell me a bedtime story? Please?"

"Of course, buddy, scooch over," Arlo slides to his left, Eden's long body lays on the blank rather than under it, "what do you want to hear about on this special night? Let me guess-"

"The lights. The mountain."

Eden swiftly snatches the hat off Arlo's head, throws it off onto the carpet. Arlo giggles. Eden shows him his charming smile, "Well, the hike was at least four hours."

"Four hours! That's like four hundred minutes papa!?"

Eden clenches his stomach in laughter, brushes away a tear, "Yeah, four hundred minutes, sure. And when we got the top, we could see everything: the stars, the clouds, the snow, and a little town that seemed almost a galaxy away, called Tromsø."

"How cold was it papa, in Norway?"

"So cold that your skin would become as brittle as ice." Eden watches Arlo stare at his hands as if they were blocks of ice, "Once we reached the peak of the mountain, we stood in silence, watching the pretty stars you always stalk about. All we could hear was the soul crushing whistles of the wind and the beating of our hearts. And then, I got on one knee, and proposed to your mama,"

"and then?"

"And then the sky was lit with pulsing colours. Your two favourite ones," the father and son say describe that night sky in unison, "violet and lime." Eden pauses, Arlo's eyes shut, probably trying to imagine the sight, "your mama says it was magic. That it was impossible for the lights to shine at that exact moment so randomly."

"What do you think papa?"

"I don't know Arlo, but maybe we can find out together when we visit the mountain, just like your mama promised. Sound good?" Arlo nods in reply, is kissed on the forehead by his father, "Goodnight buddy, I love you. Happy birthday."

"Goodnight papa, I love you too." Arlo's eyes shut, he sleeps with the knowledge that he will see the mountain and lights in his dreams again, that, since his third birthday, they continue to reoccur.

Eden leaves the room quietly, switches off the light. Eden almost screams in shock, manages to stay quiet. In front of him, Azra stands in her baggy Brazilian jersey and tightly hugs Eden. She had been eavesdropping on their conversation. Azra inhales the cologne on his neck, as if it were the last time she would ever be able to smell him. Before Arlo was born, she too wished for something on her birthday. When Eden took her to the French countryside, where they shared their last childless picnic, Azra wished for Eden to heal, to become a great father. Her birthday wish had been granted.