Stars

The woman sat in her rocking chair, tracing her frail finger across a photo in her book. Her photo album, filled with memories. But she couldn’t recall anything. Something tugged in the back of her memory while glazing over a photo of a girl in front of a large building. The startling green eyes are what drew the woman in. But she just couldn’t remember. I recognize her don’t I? Perhaps not, she thought. She continued to flip through the pages, sweeping away her grayed hair as she went through the book. Angry tears threatened to fall as she couldn’t recall anything she saw. She sees herself among others but does not remember ever being there. She can’t even recall her own name. She wants to scream at herself to just remember. But part of herself isn’t sure she forgot anything. The woman draws near the end of the book but stops before it ends. She looks closer at the photo that seemed to be begging her to remember. She gasped. She recognized this photo. It was a great field with a tree near the center. Mountains surrounded it creating a gorgeous picture straight from a movie. She began to quietly sob as the memory crashed through her, pulling her into it.

Bright stars decorated the deep blue sky. A chill hung in the air, surrounding the girl and the boy. They laid on the grass, fingers entwined while basking in the starlight. The girl’s face was solemn, yet peaceful. The boy mirrored her emotions. They sat in silence, not daring to break the blissful sound of nothing. They simply laid together as the night drew on. But they both knew that soon, the sun would rise. Soon, things would change. The girl didn’t want this moment to be left in silence forever.

“What time?” she said. 

“10:00 AM” the boy replied. 

“Have a ride?”

“Yes.”

She already knew the answers to these simple questions, she’d asked many times. They had decided to say goodbye here. It was better in this beautiful place than at the airport. The girl looked at the boy’s face, memorizing every imperfection, every beauty. His curly brown hair had fallen in front of his eyes. She reached to sweep it away and her sadness deepened as she recognized the pain in his hazel eyes, as she was all too familiar with it. 

“Do you have to?” she asked.

“Yes,” he replied.

“I know.”

She heaved a silent sigh and gazed back up at the stars illuminating the field they were in. 

“Come with me,” the boy said.

“I can’t,” she said.

“I know.”

For the boy, it was simple.  Come with me. If you love me, come with me. We can live happily together, He thought. He wanted to scream these words until they became true. But he already had, and to no avail. For the girl, it was simple too. Stay. Stay and we can be happy together. If you love me, why don’t you just stay? She thought. She too, had voiced these thoughts. But nothing had changed. Both thoughts were so simple it became complex; far too complex for either to ever comprehend. The girl traced her fingers along the constellations in the sky and smiled sadly.

“The stars are always brighter when you’re with me,” she said. “They’ll be dull when you’re gone.” The boy sighed and sat up. She mirrored his motion and hugged her knees to her chest, all while looking at him. She took in a breath of sweet smelling pine and dew to soon to be visible in the coming daylight.

“Remember when we found this place?” she asked the boy. The boy smiled, and glanced at her.

“Of course I do. We were so young,” he said. They fell back into silence as they shared the fond memory.

A blanket of trees surrounded two figures, a little boy and girl. They skipped together in unison, hand in hand. They were too young to know what love felt like, but they knew they had something special. The girl adjusted her explorer hat and the boy held up his binoculars.

“Look at that! Could it be where the treasure is?” the boy asked.

“Perhaps, my comrade!” the little girl had said.

They bounded toward a clearing just beyond the dense and misty forest they were in. They emerged into the clearing and were in wonder at what they saw. Green grass, now tinted orange by the setting sun, was spread out as far as the eye could see. Distant mountains framed the field and the pair rushed into it, playing tag and racing through the grass. It was like something from a fairytale. They didn’t mind the scratches it left on their legs. For kids like them, when you find somewhere as special as this; nothing else matters.

The girl let her hand fall to her side and she sat up. She took in a deep breath of the cold night air, and looked down at the boy. She touched him gently and smirked.

“You’re it,” she said playfully.

“Hey! No fair, you got a head start!” the boy yelled. But he smiled and laughed as he began to chase the girl. She giggled as she leapt through the grass. The boy caught up to her quickly and swept her into his arms. He swung her around and a bubbly laugh escaped the girl. She let herself fall into a spasm of laughter, more genuine than it had ever been. The boy joined her and they laughed until their stomachs hurt. Together they watched as the navy blue of the sky began to turn lighter and brighter. The girl was exhausted, but she didn’t mind. She had one more thing to do before the day arrived.

“May I have this dance?” she whispered.

“Why of course my lady,” he replied.

They danced together to the sound of the great ferns swaying, and the birds waking their young. They moved with ease, as if they’d done this a million times. Maybe they had. The world seemed to fade away as they let themselves find a rhythm. The glow of the rising sun warmed their skin and the pair shivered with delight.

The sun had nearly peeked through the horizon when they stopped. They sat together under the shade of a small tree near the center of the field. She leaned her head into his shoulder and let out the breath she’d been holding. The girl realized she’d been holding it for a long, long time.

“I wish you could stay,” the girl said.

“Me too. But you know how important this is to me,” he said.

She nodded and pulled him in for a hug as a rogue tear fell down her cheek. They’d kissed before. Right now, it didn’t feel like enough. She wanted to remember the boy for himself, not the taste of his lips. The girl pulled him tighter and began to choke on quiet sobs. As the sun lit the sky on fire, she managed to say the few words she’d longed to say all night.

“I love you Luke,” she said.

“I love you too Claire.”