Stormy Summer

A Nostalgic View

"It's this way next," I said, pointing to the right. It had been a few days since we were out here last. The past few days were spent exploring the small town and walking through the rest of the forest on the other side of town.

"Are you sure?" Charlie asked as she looked around. I nodded and showed her the map Kuro had sent me before, "We're here at the moment," I pointed at our location on the map, "this is the crossway and we need to go right," I pointed at the path again, "it won't be far from here."

I kept checking the map on my phone as we walked deeper and deeper into the forest. It'd be embarrassing to get lost again.

Fortunately, luck was on our side. After a few more turns, we arrived at a small clearing with a lake at its center. At the sight of it, I was filled with a familiar sense of nostalgia. It still looked the same as I remembered, but at the same time, it didn't. It's hard to explain, but everything seemed to look different from when I was a kid.

The lake seemed smaller.

The scenery seemed less colorful.

I felt weird being here again, while everything seemed different.

It was still beautiful but, nostalgically, I felt also somewhat melancholic at seeing how it had changed since I was here last.

Charlie and I sat on a tree trunk while Anna and Rose took photos of the surroundings, each other, and Charlie and me. After a while, Anna sat down next to us while Rose crouched down near the lake to get a better angle at the flowers.

After a while, I got up and excitedly pointed toward the far side of the lake, "There are baby ducks!" I whisper-shouted as I crouched down beside Rose, who looked up at my exclamation and immediately repositioned herself to see whether she could get a good shot of them from over here.

"You have to send those to me once we're back," I said as Rose showed us the pictures she took during our day out.

Charlie and Anna nodded in agreement, "We should all send them in the group chat once we're back," Rose offered as she kept going through her photos, deleting the ones that didn't turn out good.

We were so immersed in our conversations about the pictures that we didn't hear the door opening or the knock that preceded that, for that matter. So it was to be expected that we all collectively jumped when two people suddenly sat down beside us.

"What was that for?" Kuro asked, glaring at me as I had hit him in surprise at his sudden appearance.

"What's that?" Bokuto spoke up beside him not at all fazed by the fact that he just nearly scared four people to death, pointing at the screen, "Those are good! Did you take them at the lake Kuroo told me about?" he asked, looking at Rose, who nodded silently.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have practice?" Charlie asked them, perplexed.

"Kind of," Kuro shrugged, "but not right now," he turned to grin at me, "so you found your way, after all?" I just scoffed at him, turning back to look at the photos, "It looks different from what I remember."

"Isn't that normal?" Charlie asked, "Everything seems different when you're smaller," she shrugged.

"Maybe you just remember it wrong," Anna offered, unhelpful.

"Could you just leave from practice though? Won't you be in trouble?" Rose asked, seeming uncomfortable.

Bokuto shook his head, "not if we still practice," it was at that moment that two more walked into the living room.

One of the two boys, the smaller one I recognized as the kid from the picture Kuro had sent me earlier this week, was looking around the living room until his eyes landed on us and he stopped, resulting in the taller guy running into him. That resulted in the taller one scolding the smaller one.

"Who are these people?" Anna whispered as she leaned closer to us, but none of us had the chance to respond as Bokuto jumped up and ran toward the two of them, seeming excited to see the smaller one of the two.

Before any of us realized what was happening, the three of them ran out toward the back door.

The five of us sat in the silence that they left us in.

"What... Just happened?" Anna looked at Kuro for answers, who just got up, "Let's see."

We followed him outside to see Bokuto and the other two guys playing volleyball.