Mika's Garden

Mika walked through her garden, feeling the flowers and whistling a tune. It was a light and chipper melody, much like the day. The sky was blue, the clouds floating around happily and rolling with the wind, which was barely there. The sun glared, but only at certain places, not under the tree where Mika stood and watched the leaves.

Slowly, Mika lowered herself to the grass, tucking her legs underneath her dress. She let the dew dampen the outer part of the skirt, making her shiver. She let her eyes wander, but kept her mind fixated on the glow of early morning. Mika set her hands on top of her lap, looking around at the world.

There was a grey and sterile feel to the day, but the sun warmed and lit it up just enough for it to be a beautiful sight. The day was pretty, with sun and bird and flower and breeze. Mika hadn’t felt it in a while, and it was refreshing. She had spent a while inside, and today she had decided to explore. She had finally convinced herself to get out and walk, get exercise and fresh air.

Suddenly, Mika heard a chirp. It was yearning, hurting, waiting. It was sorrowful, and mourning. Mika’s own tune fell into a disgruntled minor. She rose to her knees and placed her hands in the grass. Mika searched around, her brown, almond eyes landing on a grey blob shivering. She slowly went lower, not taking her eyes off of it. Soon, she was on her stomach, eye level with the moving bundle of skin. She watched it.

All sounds stopped. All attention, all focus, was on that ball. Mika held out her hands, scooping them under the body and raising it. She used her elbows to push off the ground and went back to settle on her feet, her heels digging into her tailbone. Her palms warmed as the weight of the blob settled, making Mika shiver at the quick change of temperature. She raised her hands up to her nose and inspected it.

It began to shake. The little body moved so fervently and quickly, and soon a little head appeared. A beak, as orange as the daylilies Mika had seen when she had gone outside. It opened and closed mechanically, and still spewed the melancholic tune. Mika felt like shutting the baby bird’s mouth, but was still gentle. After realizing what it was, she slowly stood up, letting her bare feet wrinkle slowly as the dew coated her feet.

She glanced at the stretching oak in front of her, raising an eyebrow questioningly before turning back to the bird.

“Is that yours?” 

Her voice sounded strange and strained when she spoke. Mika hadn't talked in a while and the vibrating of her vocal cod sent the dust that had collected around her body, sending a crinkled cough out of her mouth. She took a deep breath and said “Okay, I’ll put you back.”

Mika set the baby bird on her shoulder and then rubbed her hands together. She then set them on a good branch right above her head and pulled up. Mika pulled one leg over and straddled the branch. She slowly stood, wobbling a little before catching herself on the trunk. Mika reached up again and hooked on a smaller branch. After settling, she looked around. One branch over, there was a little mess of sticks and mud. Mika smiled and scooted closer to it. He grabbed the bird off her shoulder and reached over.

“There you go,” she said, smiling as the bird landed in the dam-looking cradle. Mika stared for a few more moments before scooting back on the branch. The bark scratched her legs, but she ignored it.

Suddenly, the tree began to shake. Mika gripped the branch, looking around for what was wrong. Nothing was there, but the tree still shook. The sky turned black and the flowers wilted. The beautiful daylilies Mika had seen when she walked out were folding over and turning a gross shade of brown. Mika felt tears prick at her eyes. Her sanctuary, where she felt safe, was dying.

Mika slowly slid off the branch, landing on the ground hard. The grass crunched under her weight and slowly became like ash, breaking at any touch. She pushed against the ground, running fast. Her bare feet stung as they hit the ground, feeling like fire. The wind began to howl, echoing in her ears loudly. Her hair ripped back and forth, covering her face and eyes. Even if her eyes were visible, she wouldn’t have been able to see anything anyway. Tears were running down her face and causing her eyes to swell. The tears felt like lava. As they migrated off her face, they fell onto her arms, stinging those as well.

Mika tripped, falling to the scorched dirt. She whimpered, rubbing her cut elbows and skinned knees. Her dress had a hole in the bottom, going right through a branch. She tore it off, angrily tossing the branch away. With a huff, Mika stood up again, building up speed as the world behind her began to crumble. The scenery went up in flames, falling over and lighting up the dry grass. The fire licked the base of the oak tree, leading the baby bird to chirp again, this time more fervently and desperate. Mika turned and stared at the tree, feeling another tear make its way down the bridge of her nose. “Bye,” she whispered, before turning again.

She sped up, faster, faster, FASTER, legs moving like pistons and sweat beading on her forehead. The tree was swallowed with fire. The grass began joining the red destroyer's army, moving fast. Mika continued running, making her way toward the door she had come out of. With a final leap, as the world was engulfed entirely, Mika jumped through the door.

Mika woke up in darkness. Her sheets twisted angrily around her arms and legs, strangling her neck and using her sweat as adhesive. She shook the blankets off, sitting up. She reached over, turning on her lamp and letting the light move around the room to all the nooks.

With a breath, Mika threw her legs over the bed and stood, heading to her bathroom to get ready for the day.