Dreamtime
Between awake and asleep,
I’ll find you again~ fairy ballad
Big,
crisp, orange leaves floated down on the park like a constant, slow motion rain
as the sunlight dappled the green grass.
Lily looked up at the clear blue, autumn sky. The swings swayed in the
breeze without making a squeak. Lily knew this place. She had been here before.
She and Peter came here after school
sometimes.
“Where
are you?” she called out.
“Not far,”
said a voice. “You can always find me if you know where to look.”
A wind
chime on the porch of a house across the street played sweet tones, but there
was no one there.
“Peter,
come out!” It’s not fair if you use magic.”
“Are you
sure? You’re so close.”
“I don’t
see you anywhere.” There was no reply. “Please?”
“Oh, all
right,” said Peter, right behind her. Lily whirled around to face him. He hung
upside down from the monkey bars, his arms dangling in the air. “I win again.”
Lily
wasn’t about to let him gloat. She tickled under his arms while he giggled and
squirmed to get away. His legs slipped and he ended up in a heap on the grass,
laughing as he knocked Lily down next to him. They lay there, catching their
breath. Lily watched the white clouds against the blue sky, soaking up the
sunshine on her skin. She couldn’t remember when she felt so happy, which is what
made her realize she was dreaming. She reached out for Peter’s hand, hoping he
was real. His fingers locked with hers, warm and firm.
“You
said I could find you. Where are you now?”
“Do you
know what a griffin is?”
“One of
the portal keepers, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“So,
it’s some sort of magical creature.”
“A
griffin is a lion with the head of an eagle. It’s beak and talons are like
razors.”
“What
does the griffin have to do with finding you?”
“You won’t
be able to reach me until you find the griffin.”
“What do
I have to do? Kill it?”
“No,
restore it.”
“But how
do I do that?”
“You’ve
got to hurry.”
Suddenly,
clouds covered the sun and the sky darkened.
“Peter?”
Lily sat us and squeezed his hand, but he didn’t respond. The brightness of his
eyes dimmed. Lily watched as the darkness seeped into the whites until they
were solid black.
“Peter!”
“Hurry,
Lily. I haven’t got much time.”
No comments:
Post a Comment