A Love of Nature

Ever since I could talk, I had constantly begged my father for a treehouse. I would spend hours in the backyard, in the middle of our grove of oak trees. They were thick, sturdy; their long trunks stretching upwards towards the sky for miles. Lengthy round branches stuck out so that all their branches intertwined with their neighbors, no matter how far apart the trunks lay from one another the branches were all intermingled. It was my favorite place to be, even as a toddler. I would cry incessantly if I was taken inside, the only remedy was plopping me somewhere I could stare up into the shimmering green leaves, the sun shining through and lighting the leaves up yellow-green. 

I longed to be actually amongst the leaves, to be closer to the sky where I could more observe the stars and the patterns they made. I was enraptured by nature, fascinated by the beauty the Earth held for those who inhabit it. My parents hated seeing me so longful, spending hours outside in front of the grove, staring wistfully at the branches above me and daydreaming of when I’d actually take my place next to them. So, on my sixth birthday they surprised me and told me that very spring they were going to build me the most magnificent treehouse anyone had laid eyes on. I was so excited and shared the news with my best friend, River. 

4 months before my 8th birthday, it was finished. My dad had worked on it with my grandfathers and they finished it just before the harsh, biting winter weather set in. Still, I spent most of my time afterwards in the treehouse. They had built platforms for it first; owning such a large backyard and being full of trees, they had cut multiple down for this to happen. The large platforms held an even larger structure. It was placed a little ways into the grove, placed right above an almost empty field save for the few scattered trees. So thick were these trunks that they were able to support the weight of what was a fully grown house. It was built of oak trees, refurbished and touched up so that there would be no splinter occurrences. 

It was built on the inside as a wide open loft. The one level house spanned a full hundred feet, a door all the way to the left of the house; it was the only door in or out of the treehouse. The large windows that had been installed were unable to even be opened and were built with bulletproof glass, so that hopefully no wild animals made their way into the house. The front of the house was almost entirely windows, only a couple boards spaced in between them where there wasn’t. They let in natural light that illuminated the inside of the treehouse. The loft area was to the right of the house, a double window had been built so that the loft would get extra light. On the ceiling above it was the ceiling, or rather a whole glass window. The rest of the ceiling was hard oak, but where the loft began so did the window ceiling. A window that spanned the entire corner of the loft, the left side where the bed and dresser were, broke up the oakboards there. It was a perfect rectangle and was one of my favorite windows that the treehouse held. I could always lay down on my bed and feel like I was truly living in the trees from the view it showed me. 

All the way to the right was the ladder that rose to the loft. It had been built so that the ladder wasn’t in the way of the kitchen which had been built beneath the loft. Several gleaming cabinets had plates, glasses, and an assortment of foodstuffs. A small fridge sat against the lefthand wall, the stove oven on the adjacent wall. Only a few steps away from the fridge was the large bathroom. It held a double sink, with a mirror that covered most of one wall. It was stopped as soon as the toilet came into view, which thankfully you couldn’t see into the mirror because the toilet had been built on the same wall. Across from the sinks was a standup shower, beautiful glass doors the entrance for it. The rest of the ‘first’ floor was a living room, complete with plush couches, a rocking chair, footstools, and a beanbag in the corner, right next to the large brick fireplace. I had spent many winter nights in what I viewed as my personal mansion. I had been given a landline just so that my parents were able to check up on me.

The treehouse was achingly beautiful, and yes I know it was probably a tiny bit overly garish for a girl of my young age but my father had wanted the very best for me. He knew how much I adored the tree grove and had wanted to give me a real home amongst them. I loved him even more for that. 

It had made the heartbreaking news that we were going to be moving all that more bitter. I wanted to hate him, but I knew it wasn’t his fault. I was 14 at the time and was devastated. I didn’t want to lose my treehouse. I couldn’t imagine it, slowly decaying in these woods while I was miles and miles away, never to come home again. I knew my last night in the treehouse had to be special and fun, so I decided to have a sleepover with my best friend, River. River and I had been friends since birth, seeing as how our moms were best friends also. So I invited her over for one last sleepover in the treehouse that had made my life so much better, and had given me a sweet taste of independence and freedom. 

It was a hot August afternoon, the thick Georgia heat felt like it was layering itself upon me. I was awaiting River, who had been instructed to come straight to the treehouse where I sat in the loft and waited for her arrival. I had already said goodnight to my parents, who had promised no interruptions that night. It was me and my best friend, our last night in the treehouse. I laid upon my mattress, it was right on the floor, my white comforter was tousled at the foot of the bed. A fan was blowing cool air back and forth throughout the room, but it didn’t feel like it was doing much. I was staring out of the top window, the bright green leaves of the oaks that surrounded my home away from home shivered in the summer breeze. I had spent countless hours laying on this mattress, watching the leaves above me and beside me. It was my ultimate pastime, falling in love with the Earth over and over again. Each day spent here filled my heart with love and made me feel light on my feet. I hadn’t been told where we’d be moving to, but I so hoped it was beautiful and filled with nature. I couldn’t imagine being stuck in a stinking city.

Just then I heard calling from outside and I slowly rolled over, looking out the large front window to see my best friend making her way through the grove. Her arms were waving above her head, her face a mix of excitement and melancholy. I understood. I was going to miss her so much, I could already feel my heart becoming heavy at the thought of being anywhere without her. A crazy smile stretched across my lips as I hurriedly gathered myself off the mattress and made my way to the ladder. Using my arms and legs, I held onto each side of the ladder and slid my way down to the bottom. I laughed aloud, not knowing how many times I had done that move. It hadn’t taken me long to perfect the move, a few mishaps led to me falling onto the floor but no big deal. I rushed to the door, ready to greet River. She was still a little bit away, but I figured I could sit out on the veranda and wait for her. I took a seat in one of my loungers and let my head fall back to gaze skywards. I could hear the birds amongst the leaves alongside the loud buzzes and clicks of nearby insects. Not too far off was my best friend, the sounds of her calling my name and laughing floated lazily on the breeze, reaching my ears with the softest of sounds.

I tapped my foot to the natural flow of the sounds around me and I kept an eye on the land before me. The sounds of old dried up leaves and twigs on the forest floor became louder until I could see my best friend just feet away from the treehouse. I scrambled off the lounger and ran down the ladder that brought me onto the grass, my bare feet digging its toes into the dirt greedily as I ran to greet her. The white flowy dress I wore fluttered in the wind I ran against, the long and wide sleeves billowing by my side like ghostly apparitions. I barreled myself into her waiting arms, her excited laughter warming my ears. We stood hugging for what felt like hours but had been only minutes. I led her to the treehouse, the overnight bag in her arms swaying heavily alongside her.

When River had her bags settled up in my loft, her sleeping bag laying right across from my mattress, we gathered in the living room where I had started a small fire in the fireplace, the soft flames licking up against the bricked walls it was held in. 

“Oh, Juniper, I can’t believe you’re moving! What am I supposed to do without you by my side?” River cried, her dark brown eyes brimming with unshed tears. It hurt me to see her this way, she had never let anything get to her. She took no crap from anyone and that was one of her best traits. 

“Believe me, I don’t want to go! I wish I could live here with you, forever!” I yelled aloud, wanting my words to somehow become true. I felt in the treehouse that anything was possible. Being 14 years old, everything was so magical and beautiful to me. I had been led to believe that if you put forth your heart's desire you would get it.

“Wait, Juni! You could visit! This doesn’t have to be goodbye! It can’t be. I would be... I’d be lost without you in my life,” her small voice didn’t match the loudness of her face. It was written on her face just how serious she was and she meant what she said. She truly would be lost if I wasn’t a part of her life. I knew the feeling.

“Hey! Yeah! I’m sure my parents would bring me down here anytime! And if you ever wanted to visit me, you know you’re always welcome!” My mouth was stretched so I could feel the strain of it in my cheeks, but I was relieved and happy once again. Though my treehouse would be lost, I would still have my best friend. The thought soothed me.

“OK, let’s drop the sad talk now. This is just our last night together for a while!” I called out, jumping up off of the couch and grabbing a pillow. I swung it toward River, who had already bounded for the beanbag chair. She could just about lift it, but she had one helluva throw once she lifted it. The pillow I swung slipped from my fingers and bounced off the beanbag chair which then went flying. I laughed and dodged it. It sailed behind me and thumped against the window. River and I both dove for it and ended up landing at the same time, my body on top of hers. She had landed facedown on the beanbag and was laughing deeply into the soft material. I lay on top of her, laughing along with her.

“I..I can’t...breathe,” she gasped between laughs and I made to come off of her entirely but when there was enough room she flipped over and caught my wrist.

“You can stay on top, if you want. We can like...cuddle or hug, since it’ll be so long till we next see each other. You know?” She didn't look at me while she said this and her hand trembled by her side, showing me just how nervous she was. I smiled. My arms swooped around her, pulling her small body against mine. Her arms encircled my waist, bringing me close. I closed my eyes, wanting to live in this moment forever. She was my best friend and I was leaving. I didn’t want to, but I had to. I knew it would be long before one of us could visit the other. So I hugged her close to me, and breathed in the scent of lilacs on her. We could’ve been there for minutes and it wouldn’t have mattered. It felt right to be hugging her, it always did. Like with her, I was comfortable being myself and I was more than happy to be around her.

I was the first to break away, starting to feel a rush of warm air over myself. My heart had been racing and I hadn’t noticed until it became a roar in my ears and now I wanted to break away. That was new.

“Popcorn?” I asked her, to which she responded with a smile and a nod. 

“I can’t believe we’re not gonna get to spend your birthday together this year,” she pouted as she stood to join me as I rummaged in the cabinets.

“Or yours either, it’s just in a couple of weeks.” Thinking of not spending a birthday with her, when we had celebrated every single one together, made me feel like I was being punched in the gut. 

“It’ll be OK, we can do video call or something.” I already knew her response and I felt the echo of it in myself.

“It’s not the same!” Her bottom lip came out to a pout and I reached to touch her hand. The afternoon sun was shining into the kitchen, the windows letting in all the light and illuminating her auburn hair in the sun. It shone a deep purple-red mix, the sun catching on it making it shine into a liquid golden red. It shocked me how beautiful she was, the dark browns of her eyes becoming intense with the light behind her. I knew in the sun those dark eyes soothed into a deep honey brown, a pool you could fall forever into. I felt the hot wave over me and I had a sudden urge to give her a kiss like I’d seen my parents do many times. Not the ones on the cheek, but the pecks they gave each other in polite company and the passionate ones for private, when they thought I wasn’t around.

My breath was stolen from me as I tried to push these thoughts out of mind. We were both girls! Never having seen any girl + girl couples, I had felt it to be something wrong. 

That was when she shocked me by stepping forward and kissed me right on the mouth! It was quick, over in a second but that had sent a shockwave in me. I had been kissed before, by one boy. It had lasted longer, but there had been nothing there. Nothing like this at least. I felt like someone had lit a firework in my belly. As she pulled away she bit her lip, then laughed aloud. Her nervous tick.

“Juniper...I just want to tell you that I..I like you, maybe love you even,” she said in a quiet voice. I felt like I was floating and watching this happen to someone else.

“River.” I had no idea how to respond but I felt my heart swelling. I knew in my heart of hearts that I had feelings for her, adult feelings by the thought of it. I wanted to hold her hand, tell her it was OK. That I knew and that I maybe loved her too. But instead what happened was… “I think the popcorn’s ready!” My voice cracked on the last word as I rushed to get the popcorn from the microwave.

“Juni?” Her voice was so timid. I sighed and put down the unopened bag. I turned to her and cupped her chin in my hands, it was a perfect fit then. I bit my lip and felt tears welling in my eyes. I had no idea what it meant that I wanted to kiss her again, only that I knew I just really wanted to. So I did. It was a kiss that was perfect, it was sunlight and the color of her hair in the natural light; it was the trees and nature, and the thick heat of Georgia summers. It was everything you were supposed to feel in a kiss, even at that age I knew that kisses should be magical. I mean...they were the closest thing to magic that this Earth held, besides the entirety of nature. It felt like the kiss lasted for years, and the treehouse decayed around us, we aged until we grew grey. But in reality when we pulled apart, it had only been maybe less than a minute.

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur, the rest of it spent with laughter and kisses. In her, was all the summer afternoons I’d spent in the treehouse. In her, was everything I wanted in a summer afternoon.