Jess is finally going! That New Zealand holiday is at its dawn, and all she can think of is landscapes, walks and adventures. But what she does not expect to find, is what is waiting around the corner - someone.
Someone who will turn her holiday up...
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Jess guided Obi in the direction of the streamside area. She had considered, albeit briefly, venturing in the opposite direction today, and having a little tour along streets she had not seen before. Her will to see the stream again, however, had overcome her thirst for adventure quickly.
When they reached the beginning of the gravel walk, Jess stopped for a second and looked down. Obi was looking up at her with a look that clearly said, 'Again?'
"Aw Obi, I know I took you here last time but I really want to see it again! Next time, okay?"
The dog continued to look at her but, having already set her mind quite unshakably upon taking this route, Jess stepped onto the gravel and continued walking. She did feel bad, but she was too full of anxious anticipation to let those feelings change her mind. She could only think of going on. So she did.
She sighed as she looked around her, and the feeling of utter solitude and serenity she had felt the day before washed over her once again. She felt wave upon wave of this feeling crash upon her, and let out another huge sigh; one of complete contentment.
Every step forward, past another bush of buds or under another sweeping, swaying canopy of leaves, brought a small pang of thrill and excitement. What could possibly lay one step ahead? Nothing much. But yet, each time she put a foot forward, Jess felt that longing to take another step, to see more, to immerse herself completely in this inexplicably enthralling place.
Birds chirped merrily in the trees above her, making the most of the faded sunshine that the end of the day was bringing. The chill from the morning lingered only in the form of a pleasant, refreshing breeze, that would brush against her skin every now and then, tousling her hair and sending new, tantalising scents in the way of Obi's incredibly perceptive nose.
To their left the large stream was ebbing peacefully by, not really moving fast enough to be flowing, but not stagnant either. In places, it looked dangerously deep and chill, an almost velvety black, but this image was broken by the parts of the water touched by the sunlight. The golden light of the late evening, penetrating and reflecting off the surface of the stream, turned it the most enchanting shade of shimmery blue.
In fact, in places, there was almost a gradient; the impenetrably dark surface giving way gently to light and warmth - a deep, brilliant blue, which morphed in turn into a brighter, clearer near-transparency by the banks.
All the while it looked friendly and inviting. All the while it appeared deep and distant.
Jess mused that, if she were a painter, or was capable, in any way, of making art, this would be the one thing she would want to honour with her work. If she could draw this, and only this for all her life, she thought she might be happy. But then, Jess could not draw, and she would probably, though she did not think this at the time, need to live off a little more creativity than just one stream.
She was just about to heave yet another sigh, when she glanced up from the stream, to see a figure ahead.
He was walking away from her but there was something about the boy's hair, and the way he looked down at the pavement as he walked, that was undeniably familiar. Jess chanced a glance at Obi, who was looking at the boy too, his tail wagging.
