An Old Friend

The wind brings to me a sound.  

The distant voices of children - running and playing under the warmth of the afternoon sun. Cars and vehicles driving on the roads to get to where they must be. People conversing about everything that they deem interesting. 

I lay on my back, the wooden floor creaking underneath me. The dust threatening to tickle my nose with every breath I take - but I ignore it.  

All the sounds that the wind had brought me became nothing but a whisper. A gentle breeze that blew and blew. 

I ignore everything.  

Breathe. 

The sunlight, filtered by the leaves that block it, shines through a rugged hole in the wall and lands on the wooden floor. It dances. It dances to the tune that the wind brings. A sweet and lovely tune, yet one I cannot comprehend. 

I close my eyes and listen.  

Breathe. 

For as long as I can remember, the wind has been my closest companion. It listens. It understands. And it responds. 

“Maria! You’re back!” 

The song becomes clearer now. A cheery aria that speaks to me. I open my eyes and see a small-faced girl with dark hair staring down at me as she spoke – her emerald eyes wide and twinkling.  

I show her a gentle smile. “It’s good to see you too.” 

She hums at my response as though seemingly urging me to go on. I say nothing. Instead, I continue to stare at her as she stares back – silence slowly enveloping the room. Realizing that I wasn’t going to say any more, the girl frowns and grabs my arm, tugging it. “Come on, Maria! Let’s play!” 

“Maybe later.”  

Looking appalled by my answer, she lets go my arm and puffs out her cheeks as she quickly drops into a squat.  

She leans in, a full-blown scowl now plastered on her face. “Why not?” 

“Umm...” I frown in contemplation. “I’m just tired, I guess.” 

She grumbles from beside me, her lips pursing in annoyance. 

I reach out and pat her head. “Don’t worry, I’ll play with you some other time.” 

I don’t know when that other time will be though. I can’t seem to muster the strength to play with her.  

She looks intently at my face, the frown from earlier still present. She was studying me. Wondering why I wouldn’t play with her.  

“You’ve grown.” She mutters. 

I put my hand back down, smiling softly at what she had said. 

Breathe. 

She’s right. I have grown. It happens to everyone - to every being that lives and breathes on this earth. I examine the girl who sits dejectedly beside me. She looks younger than how I remember her. Still, the feeling of familiarity lingered in my chest. 

“I’m sorry.” I whisper. 

She squirms in her seat. “You always used to ask me to play with you.”    

“Yeah,” I say, “but it’s not like you always played with me anyways.” 

She huffs again making me laugh. Once again, the silence takes over. The patterns of light on the floor continue dancing to the unearthly tune. Faster and faster it goes.  

Breathe. 

Why did I come here? 

Why did I come back? 

“Why did you come back?” The young girl peers at me curiously, her anger having seemingly dissipated.  

“It was Jesse’s idea,” I said.  

Jesse. It was fifteen years ago when I first met him and developed a huge crush on him. He was cheeky and charming most of the time, but he had a caring side to him. Even after fifteen years, he still hasn’t changed. When my mother passed away and left behind our old home, Jesse was the one who insisted we move back. Or was it me? 

Breathe. 

Why did I want to come back? 

“Mariaaa,” the girl beside me whines, “you’re too quiet. You use to be so chatty!” 

Was I chatty? Was it not the girl who was chatty? 

She leans in, her face nearly touching mine. “Come on! Talk to me!”  

“Well, what do you want to talk about?” 

She leans back and thinks, tilting her head to the side.  

“What did you do before coming back?” 

A sigh leaves my lips. “Well, I graduated from college and got a job.” 

The girl brightly smiles while she nods her head repeatedly. The wind blows stronger now. Its tune brighter than before. 

“And uhh...” I rack my brain for some more things to say. “I’m now a businesswoman myself.” 

“And? And?” She exclaims excitedly. 

“Umm...” I try to think of more interesting things to say – but everything I had just said pretty much sums up what I’ve done these past few years. I’m not saying that it all went well for me but... 

Breathe. 

“Is that it?” 

Is it? 

“Yeah. Pretty much.”  

She huffs again, her actions becoming like a cycle. Suddenly, her eyes light up as though an idea came upon her. “I know!” She exclaims. “Why don’t we sing songs? You love to sing, right?” 

I sit up from where I had laid, her enthusiasm becoming too much to bear lying down. “Don’t you get tired of talking to me?” 

“Nope! You always bothered me when you came up here before so it’s my turn.” 

I was taken aback. Did I really bother her back then? I look down at the girl’s hands that were now grabbing my own, urging me to sing a few songs. A small pink scar marred her hand. I once had one too. It’s barely visible now, though. I got it from losing my footing on the way up this treehouse I’m in. I cried a bucket after that. The wind had comforted me during that time, consoling me with her lovely tunes. Then after that... 

What happened after that?  

Breathe. 

“Maria! Don’t you want to sing?” 

I look at the girl who seemed desperate to hear me sing. “Alright,” I said, smiling. 

“What do you want me to sing?” 

“Anything! As long as you sing something.” She happily says. 

I sigh and think of a song I can sing. The wind blows gently. The patterns of light now nearly gone – yet traces of them still dance in a soothing waltz.  

Breathe. 

 I open my mouth and begin to sing. I sing the song of the children that play under the afternoon sun, the song of the things that are talked about, the song of the vehicles that go where they must go. I sing the tune of the wind that the patterns of light dances to – an aria of comfort – one that had soothed me when I was young and stubborn.  

The wind sings with me. It brushes past my cheeks and ruffle my dark hair. The girl now lays her head on my lap, her eyes closed as she hums to the melody. I close my eyes too – the music weaving itself into my every being. 

As the last note came out, I felt the wind become a gentle breeze. The sounds of the children, the conversations, the vehicles – all gone. I open my eyes. The patterns of light have now dimmed – their dances slow and graceful. I look down at my lap and see that it is empty. The girl is gone. 

“Maria!” Someone calls out from down below. 

Jesse. 

“Yes?” I reply. 

“Come on down, love. It’s dinner time.” 

I dust myself off and climb down the ladder. Jesse come towards me and gives me a kiss. 

“What were you doing up there?”  

“Hmm...” I ponder to myself, tilting my head to the side. “Talking to an old friend.” 

Jesse chuckles. “Is that so?” 

I turn to Jesse and give him a sweet smile. The wind is soft now. Dancing around us in pure content like it had been reunited with an old friend.